To Bind Fire
Information
Title:
(Book one of the Empire of Ash and Song series)
Author:
Genre:
Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Recommended Age:
15+
Book Blurb:
A powerful imposter. A land torn by war. Their only hope-a child born in innocence. And Iris has killed him.
Iris is a frightened girl thrust into a foreign world by her own terrible mistake.
Besaun is Crown Prince of the Fire Empire who would rather tinker than assume the throne.
Both are fated to save the world.
Iris knows little of her past and less of her heritage, but she knows Fire. It whispers to her, leaping at her urging, delighting her eyes.
But then, fire takes everything from her, and she learns her bloodline’s terrible secret.
Her terrible secret.
Because of her, the world is dying.
But there is hope for them all, if she can face her deepest fear.
If she can master the fire.
Review:
This book is one of the best books I’ve read. Dorthy writes beautifully, you can feel the emotions of her characters and how much of herself she puts into her book. She is detailed without making it tedious and too descriptive. Her main character’s struggle with good and evil is raw and realistic. The story is gripping and keeps you wanting to read more. Iris has so much depth and is an amazing character, she is struggling to fit in and find herself which is something that is a common struggle in today’s world, making her all the more relatable. None of her characters are boring which I think is very important. It’s truly a stunning book!
There is violence and blood which is why I gave this a rating of 4.5 out of 5. You can find out more below in the “Content” area.
I could not put this book down! If you love dragons, elemental powers, good vs. evil, and clean romance you will love this book! I liked her main character, Iris, so much that I had to make some fan art! I recommend this book. You can purchase this book HERE.
Summary:
To Bind Fire is a book written by D. E. Carlson. She tells the story of a girl named Iris who was secluded from the world. After losing her family and wandering alone she is taken in by a group of travelers. Iris doesn’t fit in though, not with her pointed ears and dark hair. The Dal-Ishnadi leader instructs her to cover her hair and ears as they continue their journey and enter Eldham.
Eldham is a peaceful village with creaturebloods that tend to bablagoats. One day, while the travelers are there, the town is attacked by dragons. This is when the town discovers Iris is not who they believe her to be. She is a fireblood and her fire has saved a young boy. But Iris cannot be trusted because she is a fireblood, so they put her on trial. They soon realize that Iris is the child spoken of in the old prophecy and Elder Olkeli wants to train her in the ways of El (El is the representation of God) to fulfill the prophecy. But he has run out of time. The Fire Army is going to attack the village and the travelers leave in a hurry. Iris needs to be kept away from the Fire Empire because she is the one fated to save the world.
The travelers don’t believe Iris is the Child of Hope and she knows they don’t want her there, they blame her and think she is dangerous. The only reason she stays with them is Tabin. He sees her in a way no one else does and he insists she stay. She soon understands why they think she is dangerous. She hurts Tabin with her fire and can not forgive herself, she knows she must leave the travelers and figure out how to save the world on her own.
All the while Besaun, born a tinker doesn’t want to be the next one to inherit the throne. He’d rather be flying his forbidden glider and making other things. One day he meets a dark-haired lady of the court whom he has never seen before and he quickly falls in love with her. Besaun is so taken by her that he even tells her about his glider that no one else knows about. Besaun’s mother forbids him to see her, and little does he know that Lady Cassandra isn’t who she seems.
We get a look into the Fire Empire and see the darkness that lingers there. The fire Emperor is so powerful that no one is allowed a glance at him and his advisors speak for him. He wants Iris for himself because her power is his desire. He wants her to let him in and let him control her.
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
This would be a five out of five but there is violence.
Content
Beliefs:
This is a subtle but powerful Christian-based book. God is represented as El. El is harmony and the creator. He calls Iris his child. She experiences him as a comforter and as a father. Iris wonders why he has allowed bad things to happen. He tells her he allows it because the bloodlines have chosen it: just as we are allowed free will.
The Fire Emperor is described as a demon, he is possessed by what I believe to be a representation of satan. Throughout the book, he speaks to Iris trying to get her to choose him so he can control her.
There is a scene where a character gets drunk and acts foolish, nothing happens but it is something to be aware of.
Violence:
Iris’s power is fire and she cannot control it. The book starts by showing how she believes she burned her cabin down with her brother and mother inside. There is a brief mention of the ‘fire feasting on their bodies.’ She has no control of her fire at first so she has burn scars on her arms from using it. There are a lot of mentions of burning, while it is not extremely descriptive it can be disturbing to some readers. There are mentions of blood, killing, war, and death. Iris burns a boy’s wounds to keep him alive. There are mentions of burned flesh.
Romance:
There is attraction between Tabin and Iris and they share a few kisses that are not overly descriptive. There is also some touching. Besaun falls in love with Lady Cassandra and they share a kiss. Betty, who is in love with Besaun is always cooing over him and always at his side when she can be. However, Besaun finds her annoying. There is nothing that would make this an ungodly romance.
Other Important Things
The world-building is like that of Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are elements just like in ATLA, and the Fire Empire is a lot like the Fire Nation. If you enjoy Avatar: The Last Airbender then you will like this book
Disclaimer:
This book does have violence and is recommended for readers ages 15 and up. Please be aware that this kind of violence doesn’t affect my opinion about it still being a clean read. Because of this, I may have missed some violence that I didn’t add in my review.
This book displays Good vs. Evil. Some things are “evil” in this book, but good will prevail in the end.
Links:
This page contains affiliate marketing links, which means I may get paid a commission if you purchase from my links, at no extra cost to you.
You can find the author’s website HERE.
You can find this book on AMAZON.
Find the author’s Instagram HERE.
Extras:
My Fan Art:
