Rebel Fire by Ann Sei Lin

The Blurb On The Back:

Can one girl succeed against the force of an empire?

Kurara and her shipmates have escaped the clutches of the princess and set a course for the Grand Stream. There they hope to find the most powerful shikigami of all: a legendary paper phoenix. It may hold the key to releasing shikigami from their eternal bonds for good - if they can reach it before the imperial powers do.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in Ann Sei Lin’s YA fantasy trilogy delves into the mythology of Lin’s world, especially the backstory for Kurara and Haru and includes some heart breaking scenes as Lin also explores the bond between shikigami and Crafter and what it really means. However Tomoe and Sayo are very much bit players here and while I enjoyed the character development for Himura, Tsukimi remains too broadly painted to be a credible antagonist.

REBEL FIRE was released in the United Kingdom on 6th July 2023. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.