Review: A Fire Endless (Elements of Cadence #2)

A Fire Endless (Elements of Cadence #2)
By Rebecca Ross

Published By: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: December 8, 2022
Date Read: March 4, 2023
Genre: Adult – Fantasy
Source: Bought
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 512

From Goodreads:
East and West. Humans and Spirits. Breccans and Tamerlaines. The Isle of Cadence has always held itself and its residents in a tenuous balance. But now Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, has pushed everyone and everything in his path off-kilter in a bid to claim dominion over all.

In the West, Adaira struggles to adjust to the more brutal, bitter ways of life among the Breccans. Striving to find her place in the clan, she swiftly realizes that it just might be the last role she desires to hold. And while magic blooms effortlessly for the Breccans in the west, the spirits continue to suffer beneath Bane’s harsh power, felt in every gust of wind.

In the East, Jack is adrift without Adaira until he sings to the ember-weak fire spirits, acquiring a dangerous mission he never expected. One that is destined to lead him westward. Likewise, Torin and Sidra are consumed by a new mystery as sickness spreads first amongst the crops, and then to the people of the Tamerlaine clan. While Sidra desperately searches for a cure, Torin dares to strike a bargain with the spirits—a precarious folly anytime, but especially now as the days grow darker.

With the island falling further out of balance, humans and spirits alike will need to join together to face Bane, and Jack’s gift with the harp will be called upon once more. Yet no one can challenge the North Wind without paying a terrible price, and the sacrifice required this time may be more than Jack, Adaira, Torin, and Sidra can bear to pay.

In the stunning conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology, A Fire Endless finds the delicate balance between the human and faerie realm threatened by Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, whose defeat can only come through fire, song, and heart-rending sacrifice.

“But I am with you now. I am yours, and I want you to lay your burdens down on me.”

After finishing A River Enchanted, I couldn’t wait to dive into the second book in the series. Although it did take me a while to get around to this, I was so excited to see how everything was going to end. A Fire Endless is absolutely phenomenal. I went into this one with high expectations, and it surpassed all of them. I loved every single moment of this book, and I am a little sad that this is only a duology, because I want more!

A Fire Endless takes us back to the Island of Cadence, a divided island with two warring sides. We see one of our main couples divided across the sides. Jack is still in the East, while his love Adaira has returned home to the West. I was so anxious about this separation at the end of the first book. I both loved and hated it, I hated the separation… but I can’t lie, I love a cliff-hanger. I absolutely loved every moment of A Fire Endless. From the yearning and waiting for Jack and Adaira to find their way back to each other, to the bigger storyline of the spirits. I loved that we got to see more of the spirits in this one. I was on the edge of my seat for so much of this phenomenal book. I listened to it on audiobook, and while I usually only listen on my commutes, I was putting the audiobook on as soon as I got in the house as well, as I just couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen.

The Elements of Cadence series has been the first Rebecca Ross series I have read… and it certainly will not be the last. I am absolutely obsessed with her rich and beautiful world building. The island of Cadence is gorgeous and I loved how she enriched it with Scottish Folklore. I don’t like far from Scotland myself, but I’ve never really looked into, or read much inspired by, Scottish Folklore but Rebecca Ross has inspired me to do so as I just loved everything about this duology. In addition to her stunning worldbuilding, her characterisations are just phenomenal. When I first started reading this series I was certain that Adaira and Jack would be my favourite characters… but then Rebecca hit me with the rough around the edges, marriage of convenience couple that is Torin and Sidra… and they have my whole heart. I absolutely adore them!

A Fire Endless was everything I could have possibly wanted from this final book of the duology. It wrapped everything up perfectly, but still left a hint of openness so we could get more from this world in the future. And my word so I want more of this world in the future. It absolutely stole my heart… I cannot praise this stunning series enough. It has absolutely everything you could want in a fantasy book. I laughed, I cried and I had my heart stolen away by the spirits! If you haven’t read anything by Rebecca Ross before I urge you to… because this series is just absolutely breathtaking!

“If I am weak for wanting you, then let me embrace that weakness and make it my strength. And if you must haunt me, then let me haunt you in return.”