4.25/5 stars! This is the second book in the Soulfire Saga by author Matthew Ward. I enjoyed book one and this picks up with lots of intrigue and action. I loved learning more about the omen rot and the scientific angle of trying to find a cure while everything else was happening. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Reviewed for the BFS by Elloise Hopkins.

In the Kingdom of Khalad, Vallant’s rebellion is growing. After the battle stoked the fires, more joined him against the immortal king, Katija Arvish and her loyal companions among them. It will not be easy, but all are resolved to bring an end to this rule, no matter the sacrifices.

In the aftermath of the confrontation with her sister, Tanith, and her journey into the Deadwinds, Kat has to come to terms with the truth. She has the omen rot, just as her mother did. And if she cannot find a way to cure it, it will be the death of her too… and soon.

Tanith also suffers in the aftermath of her sister’s betrayal and the flames of the Deadwinds. Only her aetherios tattoo remains unchanged. If she is to survive, Tanith has no choice but to replenish her energy, even though the method will be immensely distasteful to her… at first. She may not have mastered her aetherios tattoo in the same way Kat has, but it will not stop her from trying.

The Fire Within Them follows Kat’s search for a cure and Tanith’s determination for survival as they find themselves swept up in the desire to bring down the immortal king and restore a goddess to the world. With both sisters taking on point-of-view roles, the reader is able to empathise more readily with each and understand more fully the needs and wants driving them. They will learn they are more similar than perhaps they had previously thought.

The middle of a trilogy is traditionally a slower and more information-leaden place to be, but somehow Ward has defied that convention here, delivering a central book that builds on the first, painting in details of the wider world and the magic system without compromising on action, tension or narrative drive. The characters come more into their own as we get to know them better, and the relationships between our protagonists and their support network are well portrayed. We look forward to the end of the trilogy with curious anticipation.

Liked the first one in this series, loved this one: powerful, entertaining, gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A brilliant thrill ride of a sequel to a powerhouse of an outstanding Book One. I loved every moment of this and can't wait to see what happens next.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝
Set in a world of ancient myth and dangerous magic, and heart-pounding adventure where a thief dares to seek vengeance and finds herself on the path to war. But such power demands great personal sacrifice. Kat searched for a means to stop the disease from killer her as it did her mother.

Her journey will uncover secrets long since buried, secrets concerning her past, her family and the kingdom itself. Eventually she will learn that the past never stays buried and that the truth can cut deeper than any blade.

Filled with action and adventure, magic and ancient myth, all set in a dark and engaging world this series is a dark fantasy you won’t be able to stop reading long into the night. A masterful epic that confines in a similar vein to the author’s previous works: a sweeping epic fantasy filled with wonderful characters and incredible magic.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞, 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝

When I tell you I nearly burst into tears when Rima appeared like a savior in the dark...that's my girl. I really missed these characters, and now I can't believe I have to part with them again until book three.

We still follow Kat and Damant, but we also follow...Tanith!!! I was SO annoyed with her, I don't think I even mentioned her in my review of book one? But yeah we started off with her and I was like "oh no". It took me a while to warm up to her, I won't lie, but her PoV was interesting and added a lot to the story.

The rest of the gang is back too, and more developed than ever. I think that's where this book thrives actually, if you had any complaints about Kat, or the others, you won't after this. So many new layers were added to each character (and the world!), it's a delight to read.

Now what may be a stumbling block for some, is that this series is generally slower paced. I wish I could say it got faster, but not really? In certain parts here and there sure, but it's very similar to book one in terms of pacing. I do think it's worth it though.

The vibes felt a bit different this time around, it could just be the world expansion rocking my sky ship (we couldn't have gotten through this review without a little sailing joke, no sir), or maybe I'm right and something is different, we'll see.

What I really appreciate, is how consistently good the writing is, how engaging and creative the story is, and how Mr Ward keeps throwing surprises my way even when I think he's all out of them.

I was once again left on the edge of my seat as I read the final page, only to be greeted with the glossary instead of more pages. Cue crowd boos!!! It was an amazing place to end the story to keep us wanting more, but that doesn't mean I didn't contemplate throwing my phone at the wall for a second there.

The glossary is also very useful, please never stop doing them! I'd even suggest a bit of a recap for the final book, because I feel like so much happened, I'm bound to forget a few things by next year.

As it is Pride Month, I have to mention that the lesbian rep is still good. And generally I also like the way Matthew Ward writes female characters. It reminds me of Richard Swan.

Ok, so, I have a year to think of a ship/sailing pun for book three, and you, yes, YOU reading this, have a year to catch up on books one and two, better make that time count!!!! But seriously, give this series a try, it needs more recognition, I promise it's so good, just listen to me.

*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

The Fire Within Them is the second instalment on the Soulfire Saga, an epic fantasy proposal written by Matthew Ward, and published by Orbit Books. We return to the kingdom of Khalad, ruled by the Eternity King, and to our two sisters who are still struggling; but we become spectators of their growth into a world which Wards expands and improves.

Kat is still searching for a cure for the debilitating illness that eventually will end with her; but this time, she's not only a rogue fighting against the nobility, as she has become part of the Vallant. Despite that, we can still see how she tends to struggle with asking for help, but it's still a kind soul, as it is reflected in her interactions with the rest of the characters. Finding the truth behind her father's secrets is not an easy task, and in general, we can see that Kat has too much on his mind.
Remember Tanith, Kat's half-sister? Well, she's back in a spectacular way, and Ward decides to include her as a POV; she's not so focused on eliminating Kat, but her own path will be enlightening around the secrets that are under the surface of Khalad. I found myself enjoying so much each time Tanith took the spotlight, as they are some of the best chapters of the book.

With the descriptive and evocative prose that characterizes his writing, Ward continues expanding and developing the world, connecting some threads that were introduced in The Darkness Before Them; similarly to the first book, we could say that the pacing is relatively slow at the start, putting all the pieces on the board and preparing all for a great finale that in reality, leaves more questions that need to be answered in book 3.

The Soulfire Saga is the perfect election if you want a big and expansive epic fantasy series, with a second instalment that continues developing the characters and that doesn't have a single dull moment; I can't wait to see how Ward wraps all in the final instalment. A seriously underrated writer that more people should check.

The Fire Within Them is book 2 in the Soulfire Trilogy.
Wow, what a book.
This is a fantastic follow-up to the previous book. We have 3 POV's in this instalment, Kat, Damant, and Kat's half-sister Tanith. For fans of fantasy who like the slow burn with a great payoff at the end.
With its great world building, political intrigue, and a complex magical system, I highly recommend it. I am looking forward to the next book.
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC

The second novel in a trilogy often gets a bad reputation as a bridge book. Important but can’t resolve things. But sometimes they upset the applecart and give you a different type of story altogether and re-shapes the journey we are on. In Matthew Ward’s intriguing The Fire Within Them we have an inventive epic fantasy tale that like the magical tattoos that form part of the tale changes shape and yet holds together with its’s earlier instalment The Darkness before Them.

In the magical kingdom of Khalad life is ruled by the immensely powerful Eternity King who has ruled for centuries. It is surrounded by the menacing Veil a mysterious cloud that can destroy the unwary within it. All has not been well with rebellions and political intrigue battling through. Into this are two sisters. Kat a woman plunged from the noble houses turned thief has now joined one of the rebel forces trying to fight aback against oppression and are seeking the lost secrets her father was gathering. She now has a sister Tanith – once a noblewoman and secretly half-daemon. Their last confrontation left Tanith destroyed in the veil but instead she arrives in an advanced building very injured but her powers are hungry for souls to feed on and an ancient cult now seeks her aid. The two sisters soon find they are on uneasy sides of the conflict about to erupt.

I was quite impressed how this instalment of the trilogy both shifts focus on characters and offers a very different type of story. When we first met Kat, it was rogue grifters versus corrupt nobles a very classic fantasy approach but throw in magic, gods and flying ships. This time though we have opened to a bigger tale focused on kat and the woman we now know to be her sister Tanith. Kat who is the more sympathetic lead we have been following is while now part of a rebel force also dealing with a powerful illness and the loss of her tattoo power. Her story is about finding out what she wants to do next and what she is capable of. We get here her working out her relationship with the enigmatic leader of the group Vallant, her best friend the deaf yali (and again I liked how her use of sign language is used in the story) but most intriguing the re-appearance of the delightfully amoral Azra – Kat’s former woman and a woman who plays her own games and is dangerous in a fight too. We get grifts, battles and escapes that keep us on our toes.

The other thread is now focused on Tanith who is now a woman with eh ability to absorb souls to feed her magical side. We should dislike her, but Ward makes her feel flawed and actually much more sympathetic than I was expecting after our first encounter. Her side of the story starts to flesh put the more magical and religious side of Khalad. An uneasy set of tales of bound gods, cold but immortal kings and cults and governments spying on one another. Is Tanith really the one designed to help things go finally right? Her plotlines then intersect back with Kat’s and I really liked the way the two characters are forced into uneasy alliances and re-appraisals of one another. There is a constant feeling this can go either way which holds up all the way through.

While all of this is going on we are though now seeing the bigger arc of the series appear. Linking back to elements we first heard about at the start of the series and its quite unexpected how mythic and big these events are by the end. By the end of these adventure everything has changed again. Characters are once more drawn into potential warring sides and not the ones you may have expected; and Ward isn’t really making it clear where we can go from here to set things right.

Fans of The Darkness Before Them will find that it is less a case of more of the same and just an evolving and intriguing story that adds greater richness and surprises to what we may have been expecting to happen next. A classical style fantasy tale with a host of inventive ideas playing with magic, heroes, and gods. A big story to tuck yourself up with and get absorbed into. Highly recommended

Epic fantasy. I think I would have been lost if I hadn’t read book 1 first. Like that book there is so much detail given to the reader that the story takes time to consume. The characters which we met in the first book are back, although their paths separate and remix as a complex story is presented, and I think there is still more to come. I look forward to seeing if the characters lives end in positive outcomes. Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Sadly this book left me thinking have lost quite a few hours of my life enduring this for no actual enjoyment

Matthew Ward is a talented author, that's for sure. The continuation didn't suffer from middle book syndrome and I'm curious to see how it ends.

The Fire Within Them is the second installment in The Soulfire Saga, and it was a fantastic sequel. One of the things I really appreciate about Matthew Ward's writing is his attention to detailed worldbuilding, which is even more prominent in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to see how the story concludes - I'm sure it will be an amazing ending. I highly recommend this series to any fantasy reader. I'll be posting my review closer to the publishing date. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this early copy.