Book Review | Incendiary
Title: Incendiary
Author: Zoraida Cordova
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 28th April 2020
Genre: YA, Fantasy,
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
I am Renata Convida.
I have lived a hundred stolen lives.
Now I live my own.
Renata Convida was only a child when she was kidnapped by the King’s Justice and brought to the luxurious palace of Andalucia. As a Robari, the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria, Renata’s ability to steal memories from royal enemies enabled the King’s Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people.
Now Renata is one of the Whispers, rebel spies working against the crown and helping the remaining Moria escape the kingdom bent on their destruction. The Whispers may have rescued Renata from the palace years ago, but she cannot escape their mistrust and hatred–or the overpowering memories of the hundreds of souls she turned “hollow” during her time in the palace.
When Dez, the commander of her unit, is taken captive by the notorious Sangrado Prince, Renata will do anything to save the boy whose love makes her place among the Whispers bearable. But a disastrous rescue attempt means Renata must return to the palace under cover and complete Dez’s top secret mission. Can Renata convince her former captors that she remains loyal, even as she burns for vengeance against the brutal, enigmatic prince? Her life and the fate of the Moria depend on it.
But returning to the palace stirs childhood memories long locked away. As Renata grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the entire fate of the kingdom–and end the war that has cost her everything.
My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the e-ARC of this novel!
I have been very excited to read this book for a long time, I have seen so many people on Twitter absolutely loving it, so I was excited to start!
This is a YA fantasy novel, we meet our main character Renata who is part of a group of rebels trying to defeat the Royal Family and allow magic and its users to live in peace and stop being hunted through the land. Renata herself has the power to remove memories from others’ heads and make them totally forget the memory. Other powers in this world include the power to create illusions and the power to draw feelings out of people. I love the magic system and the world that Cordova has created. It is well thought out and developed, and the magical powers are intriguing.
This novel is non-stop action. It is a breathless, racing novel, and once you pick it up it is impossible not to become fully absorbed into the narrative. It has so many twists and turns too, I really had no idea what was going to happen next and I was very worried for the characters throughout!
One of the reasons I was so worried for them was because I loved all the characters. They are a wonderfully diverse group, they all have distinct and individual personalities, which the author did an excellent job of creating and consistently developing throughout the novel. Even the villains were multi-faceted characters who were nuanced and although not exactly sympathetic to them, I could understand some of their decisions and actions.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel! It is an excellent start to a new and exciting YA fantasy series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!!
You can buy the book from Waterstones here
Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this novel? Let’s chat books!
Stay safe xxx
