A Memory of Fire by R.L. Stedman

A Memory of Fire

Book 3 of 3, SoulNecklace Stories

By:  R.L. Stedman

Publish Date:  October 1, 2017

Published By:  Waverley Productions

Genre:  Fantasy, Paranormal

Pages:  262 Kindle

Source:  Xpresso Book Tours

About my wrist is a tattoo of roses, strung like beads on a bracelet of thorns. I have a past, if only I could remember — but I cannot remember.

Held captive in a strange city, Dana dreams of fire and flight. There is something she must find, but she does not know what it is, or why it is important. If only her dreams would let her rest.

Half a world away, Will studies a new, exciting discipline. But while enchantress N'tombe is impressed by his newfound skills, inside he feels only desperation. A terrible moment is approaching. Soon, Dana must face her final ordeal.

Is his new power enough to save her? And is he prepared for what might happen next?

In this thrilling conclusion to the award-winning SoulNecklace Stories, Will and Dana must make a heart-breaking choice. A choice that will change their world forever.

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First of all, author, R.L. Stedman, has a really clear easy-flow writing style that moves the reader flying along at speed through crisp, short descriptions that give you the essence of the dreamscapes, magic and adventure that are book 3 in the SoulNecklace Stories. Even so, it's better to read books 1 and 2 to more fully understand the background to the action taking place in this final instalment as Will and Dana are separated at the start of this and struggling both to fight the evil Kamaye and find each other again across vast distances.

Kamaye, the evil immortals, are described just a little bit like making me think of HP death eaters, and just as horrible, but Will and Dana have TeSin, N’Tombe and dream magic on their side.

Our male MC, Will, is a totally good guy. He even wants to help survivors of an earthquake though he has bigger problems of his own on tap.  He’s a natural learner/warrior, watching N’tombe and copying her. Dana plays an equally strong role and has special qualities too, including wings (though I didn’t get a really clear idea of what exact sort of wings they are. Like to know what exact sort of wings they are.) I love the stick-to-it female characters in the books I’ve been reading and Dana comes through here with grit. Secondary character development and subplot in TeSin and Mai-Long, and with N’Tombe are really well done and don’t take away from the main story line at all but add to it nicely.

Readers will find interesting and different magics in this novel, several that I’ve never heard of before. The soul necklace theme is very unique. I also really liked the idea of the glass globe and would have liked to have seen even more done with this curious object.

This quote really reflects the feeling of the novel/writing - “Your eyes are full of sky.”  2506/3946.

My criticisms would be of the use of a black out kind of effect at the end of many scenes, though this is really tied into the dream element of the story (but starting to feel a little repetitive). Also, I found that Dana and Will being separated for really most of this last book a bit strange. The reason seems to be to allow for other aspects of the story to develop but I feel in the final part of a trilogy this plot approach a little disconnecting.

Overall, A Memory of Fire is a great clean YA adventure fantasy read that will have you thinking of far off places and magical adventures. I recommend this easy-fast read, charmingly written story for all ages who love YA paranormal/fantasy stories.  4.3 Stars!

AUTHOR BIO:

Award-winning author Rachel Stedman lives in Dunedin, New Zealand with her husband and two children. Her first novel, A Necklace of Souls, won Best First Novel at the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2014. In 2012 Rachel was the winner of the Tessa Duder Award and was shortlisted for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award.

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