Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Caelan Talos is coming apart at the seams. With three powerful and rather blood-thirsty gods sharing space in his skull, he’s quickly running out of time and strength. He must bond with the Goddess of Fire, continue moving toward his ultimate goal of defeating the Goddess of the Hunt, and do so before he is consumed completely. Complicating matters is Drayce, Caelan’s lover and best friend, who recently revealed himself to be a dragon before fleeing from Caelan and vanishing to the Isle of Stone. Caelan must find a way to manage the Goddess of Fire while saving Drayce from himself.
But the Isle of Stone is far from welcoming. Rival dragon clans have created a toxic environment dependent on traditions designed to trap the less fortunate in their place. Caelan maneuvers the tricky business of dragon politics and in doing so discovers a secret about himself and his family. He is so consumed with trying to protect his kingdom and the new, fragile ties to an unexpectedly friendly clan that he nearly loses two of the people who mean more to him than anything. Now Caelan, Drayce, Rayne, and Eno must survive the Isle of Stone and find the strength to continue with their seemingly impossible task.
Wings of Fire is the fourth in the Godstone Saga and this series must be read in order. This particular installment has several trigger warnings for a scene of graphic violence and references to suicide and an on page suicide attempt. So please be aware if either of those things is problematic for you.
Caelan is definitely struggling at the start of Wings of Fire. Drayce has disappeared and the burden of having so many gods within him is starting to break him. It’s beginning to seem that even if Calean can defeat the Goddess of the Hunt, he won’t survive the experience. We learn more of Drayce’s history and how it binds him even closer to Caelan. Drayce still isn’t my favorite, but for the first time in the series, Drayce reads as fully developed and feels more dimensional. There is a suicide attempt on the part of one character, which I felt was dealt with a bit too quickly. The emotional fallout seemed to be rushed and, given the intensity of the act, I don’t feel like it got the full attention it needed, though perhaps it will be addressed further in the next book.
Despite the heaviness of the aforementioned moments, Wings of Fire has a some light-hearted and tender scenes as well and these went a long way to balancing out the overall emotion of the book. The action on page is getting grittier and more intense, but the characters are bonded more completely and have created a real family together. It will be interesting to see how further installments integrate the newest character, Adrian, and the dragons found on the Isle of Stone. However, as with the previous book, Wings of Fire does read as just a tad like filler. The story was interesting, but the collection of one god after another has become a bit stale. I still think the overall plot has a lot of strength and I’ve definitely become attached to the characters, but it’s probably a good thing that the series has its endgame in sight.
Wings of Fire was an enjoyable, if somewhat tired addition to the Godstone Saga. The series has life, yet and the characters continue to evolve and grow, which is something I really enjoy. The series is starting to feel the wear and tear of its size at this point, but this is a mild issue. I’m very much looking forward to the next book, Embrace the Light.
