⇒ Descargar From Unseen Fire Aven Cycle Cass Morris Books

From Unseen Fire Aven Cycle Cass Morris Books

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From Unseen Fire Aven Cycle Cass Morris Books

From the start we are thrust into ancient Aven—a city in the midst of political upheaval after the death of the reprobate dictator—a world so real-feeling that I nearly expected to find it in history books as a predecessor to Rome. The world building is just fantastic, as are the vivid descriptions of clothing. I could really “see” this story unfold in a way I haven’t in a long time.

The complications of magic are well thought out, and I particularly liked the incompatibility of magic with the battlefield. Latona struggles to keep her magic under control—after having to keep it reigned in for so long, her magic is yearning to break free. This struck me as a metaphor for so many women, particularly in the current timeframe. Latona is a hero we can get behind, both understanding her failings at self-control and cheering as she unleashes her power.

“’Do not mock the gods of other people,’ Latona cautioned.” Far from the usual idea of one religion is superior, Morris uses her novel to create space for the reader to think hold more than one idea in our heads.

One aspect I truly loved was how strong the female characters are from the beginning. This isn’t a tale of empowerment where women in weak or subservient roles learn to accept their power, but rather a book that shows women as strong leaders from the very beginning. They still grow in their strength, but they never simper, even at first. Even though the society is shown to be sexist, with restrictions on women, the female characters don’t seem to internalize the messages. Still, this is not a one-dimensional portrayal of women, either. When Sempronius needs Latona’s magic, she struggles with insecurity. We hear her negative self-talk, and her struggle to believe in herself, and that makes her even more relatable. Even strong women struggle with self-doubt.

I loved the interplay with the sisters. They added warmth and humor, which was a nice counterpoint to the political intrigue. So many books rely on the jealous, back-stabbing female trope, and I felt as if Morris resisted this as much as possible, showing women supporting women. Of course all the female characters aren’t well-behaved—that would be unbelievable—but I felt as if this novel had more female cooperation than most, not just with the sisters, but the high priestesses as well.

Lastly, I have to comment on the writing as well. The language of FROM UNSEEN FIRE is beautiful, crisp and direct. The classical language lends further authenticity to the work. From the language to the clothing to the mentions of Roman minutia—this book feels like it was torn from history.

I can't wait for book two!


Tags : Amazon.com: From Unseen Fire (Aven Cycle) (9780756412241): Cass Morris: Books,Cass Morris,From Unseen Fire (Aven Cycle),DAW,0756412242,Fantasy - Epic,Fantasy - General,Fantasy - Historical,Epic fiction,Fantasy fiction,Imaginary places,Imaginary places;Fiction.,Imaginary wars and battles,Imaginary wars and battles;Fiction.,Magic,Young women,Young women;Fiction.,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,FICTION Fantasy Epic,FICTION Fantasy General,FICTION Fantasy Historical,Fantasy,Fiction,Fiction-Fantasy,FictionFantasy - Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,Monograph Series, 1st,United States,politics;elements;rome;from unseen fire;cass morris;debut author;aven cycle;the aven cycle;aven;sempronius tarren;latona;latona of the vitelliae;mages;magic;alternate history;alternate rome;roman fantasy;historical fantasy;political fantasy;adventure fantasy;fantasy;alternate roman empire;elemental magic;elemental mages;epic fantasy;dark fantasy;science fiction and fantasy;fantasy novels;historical fiction;fiction;novels;fiction books;books fiction;fantasy books for adults;epic fantasy books,from unseen fire; cass morris; debut author; aven cycle; the aven cycle; aven; sempronius tarren; latona; latona of the vitelliae; mages; magic; alternate history; alternate rome; roman fantasy; historical fantasy; political fantasy; adventure fantasy; fantasy; alternate roman empire; elemental magic; elemental mages; politics; elements; rome; science fiction and fantasy; fiction; fiction books; fantasy books for adults; science fiction and fantasy books; epic fantasy; historical; sword and sorcery; epic; fantasy romance

From Unseen Fire Aven Cycle Cass Morris Books Reviews

This is not a book for the fainthearted reader, and that's a splendid thing.

This is an epic fantasy with a rich, well-composed world. Game designers at Wizards of the Coast or White Wolf or any independent press who wanted to undertake building the gaming system behind this world would find themselves immersed in the nuanced details of the Aventine life. And with an original IP consisting of nine fully nuanced elements of magic, the possibilities for collaborative storytelling are impressive.

The genre needs more powerful female leads with more power women writing them. Morris's prose clips along (and retains solid imagery in the audio version), so that readers never feel bogged down by the density of detail.

May this fire continue to burn brightly!
Three reasons to get this book RIGHT NOW
There’s magic (it’s fun and there’s the right amount of it)
There’s politics (that are actually intruiging and easy to follow)
And there’s your BFF Aula (who’s gonna make sure you get that date with someone who respects your rockin’ self)

Morris hits all the right notes with this novel - an immersive setting, clear and moving plot, and most of all characters who you really care about. The lead character grows and faces challenges of various kinds - emotional, magical, physical and otherwise - and you get to see a very whole and interesting person that is Latona whom Morris has breathed onto the page. That’s not even to mention the fantastic supporting characters who flesh out the world and relationships so well. We see just enough of the magic to know that there are rules there, and it is brought in as a story element at just the right times for maximum grinning-in-your-favorite-reading-location moments.

So depose that big dumb dictator, slip on your sandals of ambition, make out with your secret magic lover and READ THIS BOOK!
From Unseen Fire has been described as a mixture of I, Claudius and Game of Thrones. It’s an apt comparison. Morris employs her background as a historian to delve into the fascinating relationships between the different strata of society in a fictional society reminiscent of ancient Rome. The story centers around a large cast of characters vying for control of the city-state Aven after the death of its vicious dictator. It opens with the best prologue I’ve ever read; the dictator Ocella, prior to his death, amuses himself with the brutal and unannounced execution of a citizen in a gut-wrenching, breath-stealing scene, and the intrigue builds from there.

The novel straddles genres a bit I’d mostly describe it as historical fiction, but it also features a subtle, cerebral romance, not to mention a strand of pure fantasy this is a land where one in a thousand citizens is possessed of some otherworldly ability related to the nine elements of magic. The two major protagonists have superhuman powers Latona is a mage of Spirit and Fire, meaning she can manipulate emotions and combust stuff, and Sempronius holds the gifts of Shadow and Water. Early in the novel, Sempronius divines a vision of two alternate futures for Aven, one of which echoes the fate of Ancient Rome as we know it—an empire destined for ruin—and one in which the Republic prospers, becoming stronger and more egalitarian. Together, Latona and Sempronius will battle for the soul of the city.

Reading the novel really piqued my curiosity to learn more about the real-life ancient civilizations of earth and how they functioned. All in all, this–the first in a three-part series– was a magnificent, compelling read.
From the start we are thrust into ancient Aven—a city in the midst of political upheaval after the death of the reprobate dictator—a world so real-feeling that I nearly expected to find it in history books as a predecessor to Rome. The world building is just fantastic, as are the vivid descriptions of clothing. I could really “see” this story unfold in a way I haven’t in a long time.

The complications of magic are well thought out, and I particularly liked the incompatibility of magic with the battlefield. Latona struggles to keep her magic under control—after having to keep it reigned in for so long, her magic is yearning to break free. This struck me as a metaphor for so many women, particularly in the current timeframe. Latona is a hero we can get behind, both understanding her failings at self-control and cheering as she unleashes her power.

“’Do not mock the gods of other people,’ Latona cautioned.” Far from the usual idea of one religion is superior, Morris uses her novel to create space for the reader to think hold more than one idea in our heads.

One aspect I truly loved was how strong the female characters are from the beginning. This isn’t a tale of empowerment where women in weak or subservient roles learn to accept their power, but rather a book that shows women as strong leaders from the very beginning. They still grow in their strength, but they never simper, even at first. Even though the society is shown to be sexist, with restrictions on women, the female characters don’t seem to internalize the messages. Still, this is not a one-dimensional portrayal of women, either. When Sempronius needs Latona’s magic, she struggles with insecurity. We hear her negative self-talk, and her struggle to believe in herself, and that makes her even more relatable. Even strong women struggle with self-doubt.

I loved the interplay with the sisters. They added warmth and humor, which was a nice counterpoint to the political intrigue. So many books rely on the jealous, back-stabbing female trope, and I felt as if Morris resisted this as much as possible, showing women supporting women. Of course all the female characters aren’t well-behaved—that would be unbelievable—but I felt as if this novel had more female cooperation than most, not just with the sisters, but the high priestesses as well.

Lastly, I have to comment on the writing as well. The language of FROM UNSEEN FIRE is beautiful, crisp and direct. The classical language lends further authenticity to the work. From the language to the clothing to the mentions of Roman minutia—this book feels like it was torn from history.

I can't wait for book two!