A review by enchantingreads_rosyreviews
Of Sky & Embers by Claire Butler

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“The prevailing of injustice is maintained by the apathy of many. One man, one child, one king …can alter the outcome of entire worlds...”

This book picks up the moment the first one left off… not exaggerating. We’re introduced to the Naiab people & get to see the sand wielders in action (spoiler alert: it’s incredible). Plus, we get to learn about the goddesses & gods in Merovian culture, in addition to diving deeper into the secrets our characters have been keeping from one another. I think my favorite thing about this book is the depth we get to explore with the characters. We get a new main character (he’s amazing), we get a POV from a minor character in Of Sand & Silk, and everyone else’s POVs dive deeper into the storyline.

“Henri, I am yours. There is no span of time or plane of existence where I do not love you. Love itself is inadequate to describe how I feel about you. You are everything. My whole heart. My one desire. My reason for drawing breath—” Henri kissed him vehemently. He didn’t ever want to let go. If death was lurking in every shadow, then let it witness this and envy the one thing it could not touch. Love. A force so strong that it would tether them together no matter what drove them apart.

This leaves us with a rich, action-packed, dramatic, entertaining story & I think it’s Claire’s best book to date! And in her typical style, she delivers humor, heart & social commentary to make this story incredibly detailed, but not confusing. Every single chapter leaves you wanting more & every single character will grab ahold of your heart.

The kiss was slow and soft and sensual, conveying what words never could. That no matter what torture Henri had endured, they would never let it happen again. Because he was their king. Their lover. And they would fight for him until the last drop of blood was spilled.

As I read this book, I gave Claire almost daily reading reactions. 😆 While the holidays stopped me from reading non-stop, I completely devoured this book. There were several late nights that turned into early mornings due to the classic "just one more chapter" phrase we've all fallen victim to, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

"...I will stand between divinity and death to keep you by my side. You are mine. No force of heaven or earth will take you from me.”

Honestly, this book reads like a movie because of how high the stakes are in this story. You like romance? Action? Suspense? Intrigue? Mythology? Magic? Good, because Of Sky & Embers has all the above. I audibly gasped, dropped my kindle on the bed & threw my hands up in a "what?" reaction during one part... and then I ran to Claire's DMs to talk about it. 🤭 Just read Claire's books, trust me, you won't regret it. Her descriptions, character development, prose, etc. is fantastic.

Life was a divine tapestry of infinite threads. Each fiber a person, a choice, a moment, a memory. A collection of endless possibilities, experiences, and alternative endings. As each thread intertwined, the story would shift, shaping one’s identity and defining the purpose of the design. With each stitch, the pattern would evolve through joy and sorrows, love and loss. The gods loved nothing more than to create tension and tug on threads until they snapped. In this moment, it felt as if she were being given a taste of what it meant to play god.
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