Daughter of Fire: Conspiracy of the Dark (Destiny and Darkness #1) by Karen Frost
- Publisher: Ylva Publishing, October 1st 2019
- Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: eARC
- Page Count: 208 pages
- My Rating: ★★★ (3/5)
Content warning: death of minor characters, magical gaslighting, blood, kidnapping, minor character with cancer
This is part one of Daughter of Fire. Though possibly unfair to rate now, it was indeed published as two separate books. I am giving a somewhat positive rating since the story is fairly good so far. With the knowledge of only 50% of the plot, this review might be a little spoilery but not much more than what the publisher’s blurb already stated.
Aeryn (15) is from the Ice Crown. When she begins to show an affinity for fire magic and promise as a war mage if trained, the King’s Regiment soldiers take notice, kidnap her, and strip her of recent memories. Believing she is the sole survivor of a Northmen invasion, Aeryn finds herself on the way to Windhall University. After passing out during admission testing, she wakes up in the lap of a cursed healer Lyse.
The story buildup is good, but it started slow. There were a lot of descriptions and too few dialogues in the first half of this part. But during the beginning, we get to understand more about Aeryn’s world as she grapples with her newfound magical abilities. I like that Frost decided magic should work like meditation. With the kingdom at war with the Southlands, the characters also mention how heroic stories might have glorified and fueled the war. I really appreciate Frost putting a lot of thoughts into constructing the characters’ beliefs.
“The fastest animal in the world is rumor.” — Kaylara
Though told in the first-person point of view, I felt that Aeryn is emotionally detached throughout the story. But at the 50% mark of Conspiracy of the Dark, Lyse shows up and the atmosphere instantly warms. It is almost impossible not to like this caring and loving healer, even when she insists she loves Timo. The chemistry between Aeryn and Lyse is slowly developing, and I hope it will be a beautiful romance.
I am not a fan of magical gaslighting, which is my way of saying using magic to make people forget about their past in order to manipulation them. Apart from being gaslighted though, Aeryn’s self-consciousness and self-deprecation are a little sad to read. I am unsure if those were magical side effects or not.
Frost dropped a lot of information in this first part, and I think it will become important in the second, i.e., The Darkness Rising. I need to point out that there are similarities between the mage school Aeryn attends and a certain magical school that is no longer mentionable. The parallel between the professors in both schools are hard to miss, and even the storyline more or less fits the series. It doesn’t constitute a retelling, but I love that we are getting an actual LGBTQ+-friendly story with magical schools. This fantasy also acknowledges racial and gender diversity, albeit subtly.
“Pavo is much smarter than his teachers and the other students realize, […] They hear his way of speaking and make assumptions about him because of it, but… he knows much more than he lets on.” — Lyse
This is a short and incomplete review because Daughter of Fire: Conspiracy of the Dark is essentially half a book. But Frost has succeeded in keeping me interested, and I am looking forward to reading the second half. [30 Aug 2020]
