This book started off promising but then I lost interest in the characters and found the plot predictable. I pushed through with the hopes it would get better and while the ending picked up, I'd already guessed what the twist would be and I still couldn't connect with the characters.

Unfortunately this wasn't the book for me

Zoraida Cordova’s 13th book continues her trajectory as a star in the young adult field, and I was delighted when Hodder, her publisher, provided me with a copy of her forthcoming novel Incendiary for review, especially given the buzz around it.
Incendiary is, on one level, an impressive achievement, with worldbuilding and a magic system reminiscent of the careful thought of Brandon Sanderson, but a more diverse and smart approach to the people who live in the world. The rules of the magic are explained succinctly, if perhaps too often, and are clear and simple, with four different kinds of magic, and any person only ever able to wield one kind; and the effects of each type are different and distinct, although all are essentially mental effects. The worldbuilding is built into the plot, and Cordova doesn’t reveal it without cause; this is a working, living setting for the reader to inhabit.
Her characters are more uneven though. Renata, our protagonist, feels a little stereotypical as a chosen one with a special gift and a unique past; while there are moments when it feels like the narrative will subvert that, the subversions themselves tend to be feints, before falling into tropes. Her characterisation is a little thin, and rather cliché. Those clichés extend to the rest of the cast; although some stand out as more interesting – Safiya and Leo, primarily, although both simplistic characters, have enough humour and life to them to be very enjoyable – the bulk of the cast are really rather two dimensional, with one twist-based exception, whose personality is essentially concealed the whole novel.
The plot is perhaps the weakest aspect of Incendiary; perhaps because it feels like three plots, bolted together in succession. There are multiple genres of book at work here – outlaw narrative, espionage, and action – all of which don’t really hold together, because the plot doesn’t come together; this is one of those books that relies on people keeping secrets to their own detriment, and plotting against each other in intricate and complex ways without any sensible payoff. Furthermore, the whole book feels extended rather beyond what it needed to be, weighed down by repetition and sequences that don’t cohere. The final twist is too telegraphed to be shocking, and too unfinished to make a good end.
In the end, the writing is good enough and some of the background characters more than fun enough to pull Incendiary into the category of a decently enjoyable young adult fantasy, but it isn’t as tight as it needed to be.

Maybe I’m not allowed to say that, but holy *** the very early parts of this story gave me huge Assassin’s Creed vibes and I was LOVING it! Okay… maybe it was the fact that there is one scene where the characters decide that roofs are the lesser crowded spaces, and use them to get to the center of the square, but like… isn’t that what you supposed to do while playing Assassin’s Creed?! Climb and jump down from all the roofs you can find?!

From an interesting magic system to rebellion and a revenge plot, «Incendiary» has everything to become one of the most popular YA fantasy series of this year! Zoraida Córdova didn’t fail to surprise me every single time. Just when I thought that I had the plot figured out, she would throw in another plot twist that would take me by surprise. I definitely guessed a lot of big plot twists, the hints were right there for the readers to pick up. But I liked this experience of waiting to have my guesses confirmed. Very satisfying, I must say!

The story doesn’t end on a big cliff hanger, which I very much appreciate! The ending was the perfect mix of wrapping up things nicely in a way to not leave the reader unsatisfied, but which still left a lot of other questions unanswered.

I’m very excited about the next installment, not so much because I need to know what will happen next, more so because I want to return to this magnificent world and get to know other characters.

Another important thing to mention that I REALLY loved, was the setting where the story took place. I already mentioned early in this post that this book is inspired by XV century Spain, Inquisition and may I say some Assassin Creed (maybe?). The story is set in Andalucia, current south of Spain, which is only a couple of hours drive away from where I live!

And! I just went to Seville and Malaga at the end of February [which feels like another life now :O ], and saw the magnificent old villages, the Real Alcazar where Dorn scenes for Games of Thrones were filmed, and the lush green valleys. <3 Reading «Incendiary» brought back all these wonderful memories and it was so easy to create this world in my head.

Incendiary started powerfully and with purpose. I was drawn into the world and the lives of the characters. I adored Ren and Dez's relationship and found myself rooting for them from practically the first page. As a protagonist Ren is an interesting character and though I found her a touch too dramatic at times I can see many young readers really responding to her feelings of isolation and inner turmoil.
Cordova's strengths really lie in her ability to create an environment. I truly saw and felt the burning flames of the village, the cold drafts of Nuria's chambers and the lush greenery of the Palace gardens. It was quite an experience to read and shows a real skill on her part.
Sadly once Ren was inside the Palace, the narrative pace did slow considerably and although this may have been necessary for the development of the plot I wish there had been a bit more action.
I found myself predicting quite accurately the twists of the tale. Particularly, the Magpie's identity and Castian's true colours but this did actually spur me to read on and see how they impacted the storyline so it's not necessarily a criticism.
Once the reader is back with the Whispers the pace accelerates again and the final few chapters are incredible. Meaning that I am now desperate to know what happens next! I would say this was a very strong introduction to the series and I look forward to the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Incendiary is an introduction to Zoraida Cordova's writing for me. The plot had me intrigued, being loosely based on the Spanish Inquisition, with the main character having magic powers to steal people's memories. Rebels, spies, magic - overall, my reading experience was positive.

The book throws you in the deep end from the start, giving very little explanation as to what is going on, which left me quite confused. I needed a good while to get my bearings and be able to follow the story. But once I was in, I was hooked.

Renata, the main character, is a Robari, which means she can steal memories with a simple touch. It makes her a really powerful weapon. Kidnapped as a child by the king's people and used for her magic, plagued by other people's memories and not being able to remember her own, she finds it difficult to find her place in the world and it doesn't change when she joins the Whispers, a group of rebel spies.

Though there are plenty of YA fantasies out there with a similar plot line, Incendiary was and enjoyable read and a solid first book to a series I'm sure I'll love. The world building is rich, and I really loved the magic system. Renata was not my favourite protagonist, on the contrary, I kind of disliked her, but it didn't take away from my engagement with the story. None of the Whispers were particularly great, either, but I loved Leo and to my absolute surprise... Castian. I'm beyond excited to continue with the story and see more of him in the second book.

Solid 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the cover for Incendiary I fell in love and was really intrigued by the synopsis so I had to request it.

This story is quite interesting and the beginning had me hooked however the middle dragged quite a bit for me and made me lose interest but the ending was really great and had some great plot twists. While I did like the book I didn’t end up loving it because I found it hard to connect with the characters so I didn’t feel for them or root for them which made me less invested in the story. However the ending has left me intrigued to know what will happen next.

An exciting and brilliant novel with a great world building, an amazing magical system and a fascinating MC.
I read it as fast as I could and I think that I will surely read other books by this author.
An excellent fantasy that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I have never read a novel by Zoraida Córdova and I was curious to read this new YA fantasy series.

We are introduced into a world where genocide has taken place. A kingdom that possessed people with powers was completely destroyed. Now, systematically, each person who shows one ounce of power is imprisoned and killed in the public square. As in every genocide, there are survivors, they have formed an organized rebellion and our heroine will be part of it. I must admit that as a great reader of YA fantasy, I was not lost with this novel which perfectly incorporates the codes of the genre. I personally liked the Latin and Hispanic touch of the novel which changes a little.

Renata, our heroine, does not feel accepted. She has long been subjected to taunts and attacks by the rebellion, and this because she was raised by the current power and is considered to be a traitor. We feel that she believes in the rebellion and its values, but at the same time that she does not feel good there. She is a heroine with a dark past, and she has forgotten a part of it. In addition, her power, linked to memories, is sometimes very confusing, I liked the nuance of her character, her actions are not always the right ones, but we understand them given the context.

For the plot, I had a good time, the universe was fun to discover, the characters well written and we have a good time. After, I read a lot of fantasy YA and I find that overall, the author did not take a lot of risks in this novel, she lays solid foundations, but we often find the same strings as any YA fantasy book. It is therefore for me a good first book in a serie, but it is not that different from other serie.

I've had my eyes on this book since December 2018, and I've finally gotten a copy!! This book did not disappoint!

Overall
From reading the prologue, I was intrigued by the magic. There was just something about it I felt was fresh and exciting so I kept reading.

It was an original read with magic that focuses on human abilities and perception, not elements which I loved.

The characters were interesting and I didn't hate a single one which I find surprising. Now I didn't love everyone either, but there was always something likeable about a character.

The story
There were several twists and turns in this book - of them, several I didn't see coming. I was surprised by things which made the book feel fresher. But by the end, I got some "Red Queen vibe from the story and its only got to do with one element, but I liked it.

Most of the story unfolds around Ren receiving or taking memories from others and her joining the dots, but I felt I joined some dots way before her and I wasn't surprised by some big revels. However, some smaller reveals I didn't see coming and they surprised me :)

Worldbuilding
The world slowly unfolds for you. The magic isn't dumped on you but explained and given in pieces.

I had a Mexico feel to this world but apparently, it was more of a Spain situation. I don't care, I'll go for Mexico :)

The magic/science
The magic is fascinating. there are 4 types of magical: Illusionari, Robari, Ventari and Persuari. Illusionari has the power to create illusions. Robari takes people memories, Ventari can read people minds and tell if someone is telling the truth. Persuari deals with emotions and makes people feel.

I liked how all the magic is related to what humans perceive and not about elements or creating something. It was refreshing.

There is also the element of certain base metals bringing enhanced owers to people. Gold power the illusions etc. I like that element too.

LGBT+?
Yes, some on the side. Not a bad thing and not frowned upon.

The writing
The writing was really good. The author is experienced and is award-winning so I didn't expect anything less.

I had an ARC version and there were a few incomplete sentences which I hope is completed in the final version. By incomplete, I mean sentences like this: "That boy would let you him anything, and you know it". It stops you in your tracks and makes you think, so it interferes with the flow of your reading.

I assume these will be gone in the final version.

Summary
Loved this book! and I'll definitely check out the next one in the series and even more by the same author.

I loved it :)

When Zoraida Córdova said that this was one of the most violent things she has written, I was delighted. I love everything she writes and I knew I would read “Incendiary” immediately. And she wasn’t joking. What a ride! But there were times when I thought the main character was going to die because of exhaustion or of the multiple injuries she had at the moment. She never had a moment to heal, and still she went on and on with her duty/destiny. A person could not possibly endure what she suffered. That was, really, the thing that most throw me off the story.

I started reading “Incendiary” when everything went to hell in my country, Spain, so it was difficult for me to focus on anything. Still, “Incendiary” kept me away from the virus and the crisis and oh-my-god-we-are-living-a-dystopia-like-now-for-real. I found the story captivating, the worldbuilding interesting and the supporting characters very delightful, but Renata… Well, her obsession with Dez wasn’t my cup of tea. And really, I saw it all coming. I was a little disappointed with that, although I admit the effort and I will certainly read the second book.

So, basically, I enjoyed it, maybe it wasn’t the right moment for me for reading it, but I will recommend it for everyone who loves fast-pacing fantasy books with a lot of twists and a cool magic system!

What a wonderful story Incendiary is. It is full to the brim of complex characters, plot twists and interesting magical abilities. I adored this book from start to finish.

It is a book where even the bad guys intrigue you, and you wish you could see into their brains and pick their thoughts, to see why they do what they do. I really enjoyed reading Incendiary and I hope you will too.

This book blew me away. Brilliantly paced, with some beautifully written characters and a whole fresh new magic system for you to dig your teeth into.

Renata Convida is a Robari, the rarest of all Moria (magic wielders). Stolen from her home as a child to be the toy of the Emperor she is rescued at an early age by the Whispers, revolutionary Moria who fight back against the Kingdom that tries to hold them down. Only, most of them see Renata as a threat, rather than a fellow whisper, her power to remove people's memories puts her on the outskirts of the group and its only Dez, the boy who rescued her from the Palace, the boy that holds her heart, that ever makes her feel like she belongs. So when Dez is taken captive by the infamous Sangrado Prince, Renata feels she has no choice but to infiltrate the place she once thought of as home. But getting back the trust she once had is harder than she imagined, and she has no idea who she can rely on in the palace for help. With memories she though lost returning, she uncovers a plot that could change the fate of the kingdom, and she might just have to rely on the last person she thought would be on her side to get it done.

I had little idea when I first started this book of the journey I would be taken on. One of deception, of love and of memories both lost and regained. I will admit to finding the first part of the book slightly slow, however, once the main storyline got going I found it almost impossible to put down. Between the authors world building that has you travelling the Kingdom of Andalucia effortlessly, and her descriptive writing in general it was hard not to fall into the pages, getting a little more lost in the world she built every time until it was nearly unbearable to pull myself out.

Renata is such an intriguing perspective to read the book from. Most of her childhood was spent in the palace as a guest/toy of Judge Mendez. Fooled into using her powers against the Whispers by the promise of sweets and pretty dresses, she never quite gets over how vulnerable she was as a child and hates herself almost as much as the other whispers do. We see her struggle through all the stolen memories she holds inside, memories which can force their way into her mind and are impossible to predict. She feels like an outsider, both in the whispers and at court, and it is only Dez that can make her feel, even a little like she belongs. There are a multitude of other characters that we get introduced too from the other members of Lynx Unit; Dez, Margo, Esteban and Sayida, to Leo, Renata's only friend in court. Every character we get introduced too furthers the story line in some way and the author makes it almost impossible for you to predict who you can trust.

I found the magic system thoroughly refreshing and well developed. There are 4 main branches of magic; Robari have the ability to remove memories from a person and can erase someones mind completely, Persuari have the ability to influence people from moods to physical action, Ventari have the ability to enter peoples minds, see if they are being truthful and communicate with each other over long distances, and Illusionari have the ability to create illusions either on themselves or the area/people around them. Though all these skills are ones we have seen brought to life in other works of Fantasy, the author manages to put her own twist on them seemingly making them unique to this story.

This book has got to be the King of plot twists. We know from pretty early on that the Whispers have a spy in the Palace and we then spend the next 75-90% of the book trying to work out who it could be. I thought I had it guessed so many times, only to be proven wrong. There are plenty of other twists in there to keep you guessing and with the authors writing style you find yourself flying through the pages, unable to put it down. This was an easy 4.5/5 for me and I will certainly be picking up the sequel as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Renata takes people's memories, she was stolen as a child and raised in the Palace to help the Justice, to get the memories of traitors.
She was rescued by a rebel group to fight against the king. But to get closer she goes back to the Palace to get to the king and the weapon that could destroy them all.
A great story with Spanish roots, love, betrayal and revenge. With great world building and characters that came to life!

An epic fantasy tale set in a world based on the Spanish Inquisition sounded right up my street, so I was delighted to receive an ARC for Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova.
In the book magic has been banned and most practitioners or Moria are either imprisoned or living in hiding from the Royal army, while a secret group of rebels, the Whispers is working against the crown to bring magic back. Renata is one of these Whispers, and her power is among the strongest and the most feared, she can reach inside a person's mind and extract their memories. Stolen from her family as a child , she was kept in the Royal palace and forced to use her magic for the King's benefit until she was freed by the Whispers , but because of what she has done in the past, she struggles to find acceptance, both among her fellow Whispers , but more importantly within herself. When she is forced to return to the palace on a secret mission , scars from her past are reopened , and she is forced to question everything she believes.
I loved the concept of this book, but I almost gave up because it was so confusing,the reader is thrown into the story with no explanation of the magic system or the world the story is set in , and it takes almost a quarter of the book before there is any real clarity. This was the only real flaw, the characters are great, the plot moves along with plenty of twists once it gets going, and there is a lot of tension built into Renata's secret mission. I loved the various magical powers the author gave the characters, and particularly liked the fact that they came with flaws and consequences for those who used them.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I loved Incendiary from start to finish, I could not put it down. I would argue that it is Zoraida’s best work to date, and I cannot wait for the sequel (WHY DOES READING ARCS MEAN WAITING SO LONG FOR THE STORY TO CONTINUE?!) Renata is a wonderfully complex heroine struggling against the world, the regime, and, most of all, herself. Over the course of the story, she grows, learns, and realises that the world is not as black and white as she had believed, and that she might need to learn how to trust in order to survive and succeed. As a Moria with the powers of memory, a Robari, rare and valuable to the regime, Renata is coveted by both sides, but trusted by neither, and one of the most important elements of the story is that she needs to find herself in this mess.

But of course Incendiary is not centered around a single character – it would not be a true Zoraida Còrdova novel if there were not group heist shenanigans and ensuing chaos! Combined with the spring 2020 revolution trend, I think we can safely assume that we have a hit on our hands. An imaginative world, well-crafted characters and a thrilling story are bound to enchant readers and leave them wanting more.

I’m actually having a hard time thinking about what to say about Incendiary apart from READ IT – it is a wonderful book, and I do highly recommend it! It has everything I like in a book (except, maybe, dragons, but those wouldn’t make any sense), and I loved that it based a high fantasy world on a Latin perspective, rather than classical mid-European sword-and-sorcery imagery.

I think it’s time to accept that me and YA fantasy more often than not nowadays just don’t get along. This will be a good book for the right person; I am evidently not the right person.

Right off the bat, I wasn’t that invested in the story, and that’s because of the romance. There is an established relationship in this book and, to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t see what there was to like about it. And the entire plot is really predicated on this relationship. So you really do have to like it. And I did not. So you can imagine where my first issues stemmed from.

The plot also, outside of the worldbuilding, felt rather formulaic. Like the sort of thing I have definitely read before. I know YA high fantasy may not be well-known for having a variety of plots and all, but this one just felt more formulaic than most (I can name two books off the top of my head which follow the same pattern, almost to a T). Even as the worldbuilding was fascinating (more on that in a second), the plot was just disappointing. Although, after the ending, I might be convinced to read the second book…

But enough of the negatives, let’s focus on why you might want to ignore me (please do) and read it anyway.

The worldbuilding. It’s excellent, basically. It’s well-created and unique and what you need to know about it is most definitely not info-dumped (pet peeve). It easily lets you imagine yourself there without getting bogged down in it. Oh, and it’s a world without homophobia and it drops that in very casually, which I loved.

The plot twists. Granted, this is a bit of a double-edged one, because I (somewhat cynically) guessed both plot twists (they aren’t that surprising, really). But they’re good. And they leave you in an interesting position at the end with a betrayal of trust and everything. Hence why I might actually continue the series, despite my rating for this one.

The characters. While I wasn’t a huge fan of that particular relationship I already mentioned, I did like the characters, for the most part. Yes, occasionally Ren felt a little like oh woe is me I’m a monster, but really, I’d rather see that in a female character than a male one. (And honestly, if she did go on to take her revenge on everyone, I would not be opposed.)

Ultimately, then, this was just a book that didn’t suit me. So ignore my rating, ignore (most of) my review, and pick it up for yourself.

2.5 stars

My review will go live in mid April on my blog

I wanted to like this book - revolution in a world inspired by the Spanish Inquisition, and magic able to drain memories - but I just couldn't.

I was never drawn into the world or story, never understood Renata so I never wanted her to succeed. She was just... there, doing things. I had no connection to her and never found her particularly likeable. She was both too rude and too trusting at the same time.

It felt like a book where either nothing was happening, or so much was happening that I couldn't follow it. There were sections where I couldn't find the through line, couldn't work out what linked the series of scenes and information she stumbled upon. It was like a random jumble of events that she hadn't instigated, but she just happened to find all the information she needed.

She was so careless with her magic, using it constantly (and often by accident, despite all the precautions), and yet she wasn't found out. Or, when she was, she was able to somehow get that person (who hated her) not to tell on her. It was stretching belief a little.

There are also some "twists" and "reveals" that are blindingly obvious and I kept wondering how they couldn't piece all the clues together until the end. And, of course, when she's finally told and realises it, she has a change of heart about several characters.

All in all, it was a disappointing read.

I would like to thank Zoraida Córdova & Hodder & Stoughton for my copy of the ARC. Due to this kind gesture, I have decided to leave an honest review.
Ren wants to be trusted by the Whisperers, the rebellion means everything to her but when you grew up in Palace and Justice Mendez is basically your surrogate father, trust does not come easy. In a world where tension is tight, magic is wanted but only on a leash, who is a friend and who is foe.

Ok, so I won't lie it took me so long to get into this book. It took over a week for me to make myself sit and make myself read it. Once I got to around 30% I was hooked and finished it that night or shall I say 6 AM this morning lol. One thing I did struggle with was the typos and some parts didn't seem to make sense but I put it down to being a non-checked ARC.

The story is pretty good, did I guess what was going to happen... yes. I think I may have read my fill of YA books like this but it didn't make me enjoy it any less. The magic was awesome, and I loved how it all worked. The world-building was pretty simple but effective I would say. The story contradicted itself at times and I can't stop thinking about these lol. There is a bit at the start of the story where Esteban is confirming about what Ren is seeing, he says you could resist me if you bothered to try. Obviously, Ren doesn't see the point as it she feels that it would make people suspicious but around 40% she says "Esteban taught me how to control my mind when someone tries to Skim it. Like all magics, it requires practice and every Ventari has different strengths" ehhhhh what?! I couldn't get this out my head lol.

I didn't really feel connected to any of the characters until we meet Leo, he stole my heart! You can tell from the start who's side he is going to be on and I just loved his overall character. I also found love for Nuria, strong, determined and not foolish she really does make you proud. Our leading lady does start to grow on you and you actually do start to feel sorry for her because it looks like everyone just wants to use her for her powers! I started to like Cas nearer the end of the book, I think he will grow to be a good strong character.

I will certainly carry on with this series, once you get past that first hurdle it is totally worth it! I must advise it really is a slow burner so if you like fast-paced I wouldn't say this ones for you unless you grit and stick with it! I am excited to see what the second book brings!

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"You're wrong, you know." "It was bound to happen," he says, "but whatever about?" "From where I'm standing, you look like a rebel to me."

‘Incendiary’ is an exciting and engaging fantasy book with a strong-willed female protagonist. I was hooked throughout and I can’t wait for the next instalment!

Ren is a Robari, one of the Moria (people who possess magic) but feared by everyone because of her power - the ability to take memories. As part of the rebellion force called the Whispers, she attempts a rescue mission but ends up taking on a much greater mission which leads her back to life inside the palace.

This story had me gripped really quickly, I love the magical system the author has created and the world building is intricate enough without being over the top. I was given an e-ARC, so I’m interested to see if the finished copy will have a map (I love a good fantasy map), as I think that might help readers to visualise the world layout more easily.

Ren was a relatable main character, I like that she has real flaws and fears, not just superficial ones. She has faced so many horrors and is still to face more, and her inner strength is inspiring. I felt her anger, love, sadness and betrayal quite deeply. The other characters were really well created and the plot had lots of twists and turns. I loved Dez’s character but by the end of the book I felt a bit differently (I won’t spoil anything by saying more)!

The way Ren’s unveiled memories are woven into the plot is cleverly done and though I predicted some elements, the story kept me guessing and the latter half of the book was quickly paced, keeping me glued to my kindle!

If this isn’t on your TBR list then make sure you add it! An enjoyable story of magic, secrets and betrayal.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book.

This was my first Zoraida Córdova book and I loved it. It was gripping from start to finish, with an incredible magic system and a fantastically complex main character. This one is definitely worth preordering!