Age of Deception (The Firebird Chronicles Book 2)

I cannot say it enough but I absolutely love Kira! She is such a strong female character and when I think I know her, another layer to her character opens and I see new depths to her. She is just an amazing heroine and in Age of Deception she absolutely proves her worth in every single way. She always seems to be one step ahead and, in this story, she will need to use every advantage she has at her disposal. With Kira, I have come to expect that what she shows to the world is only what she wants others to know. She is a master of subterfuge and machinations but her every action is never for her own gain. She has secrets upon secrets but, from what I am learning, her every move is about protecting something that has yet to be revealed.What keeps me enthralled with this series is definitely Kira but I also love the other characters in this story! They are all so well-developed that I want to know more about them as well. Even Jin – Kira’s AI sidekick has personality plus as well as a few secrets of his own. I love him to pieces. Don’t get me started about Graydon – I think I might have a major crush on that alien. The way he sees Kira and values her – oh my goodness – I think he might just set the world on fire if he thought it would keep her safe. Not that he doesn’t frustrate me, at times, with his high handed male alphaness. Sometimes I think he needs to be knocked down a peg or two but as the story develops and I learn more of him….well, swoon.Age of Deception was such a fun story to read and not only did it keep me in a heightened state of suspense with all the twists and turns taking place but it tugged very hard on the heartstrings as well. There was a ton of tension between Kira and her human counterparts and the aliens of Roake. There were many moments that had me riled up on behalf of Kira and there were other moments where my heart was hurting for not only Kira but for all the members of the House of Roake. Then there was the humor element. I laughed out loud so many times with all the snarkiness and playful bantering that occurred between the characters. Oh my, I just love this book and this series so much. I can’t even begin to express the excitement that I feel about The Firebird Chronicles except to say that I highly, highly recommend them to you!

I was going to give this four stars because some of it is really over the top. There are a too many epic main character always saves the day and stuns everyone around her with her amazing and uniquely powerful super hero-esq. abilities -to sit comfortably, even in a fantasy sci-fi. (But I also have to admit that I pushed through it and shamelessly enjoyed every second of those scenes too) I had to give it five stars however because I am currently basking in the ending. ( how could you do that to me?!) Although this is not a romance novel, ( it’s too complex for that), I am enjoying the romance between the two leads, even some of the slightly cheesy parts. I have to seriously congratulate the author because the build up and flirtation is perfect. Timing is everything when it comes to believability and enjoyment of a romance IMO as is dialogue and this author has excellent instincts for the pacing of character/relationship development. I do thoroughly enjoy the banter between all the characters, even if the two leads can occasionally be, again, over the top. I’m also enjoying that the romance is a parallel thread woven through the story, a compliment to the other multiple plot lines that are just as important, if not even more so. I love the world that the author has created and the escapism it offers. I would also like to note that I am impressed with the layout of the story lines. A book within a series needs a focus and resolution to certain pieces so that the reader isn’t frustrated, while at the same time weaving the larger series plot through the book with enough interest and forward movement to keep the reader wanting more. The author does this with ease so fans can look forward to starting any of her series. I would highly recommend that others try reading the authors other books. Her imagination is vast and spreads to multiple worlds and themes that don’t disappoint. Now, please tell me that the next book was already half finished before this one was published because it would be cruel to make the readers wait for a year with an ending like that! I’ll keep an eye out so that I can preorder the next installment.

I really liked too many elements of the story to list without spoilers. I like our MC and love the fact she is tough but does not feel the need to smart off to everyone around her or engage every time a gauntlet is thrown down. Except maybe in the case of the love interest. Their relationship is very competitive and it was interesting to see why they are match for each other even if they aren't much alike on the surface as their personalities and motivations are revealed to us. I enjoyed the fact that she had to prove herself without super-powers in this one-so often the power just keeps growing until it overshadows the character when magic is involved. The plot is unfolding nicely with a plans-within-plans scenario that is pleasantly engaging. Descriptions are great, you get a feel of immersion in the world. Some plot elements you saw coming a mile away, but it was still fun getting there. Others were nice twists and surprises. There were some areas that I thought were repetitious or that were needlessly dragging the story out without really providing a lot of benefit, honestly I think more solid storyline could and should have been in this one, but overall I stayed engaged and kept flipping those pages to find out what happened next or what was revealed about the background or the world. It ended on a cliffhanger, or a surprise reveal I suppose, which was pretty frustrating but not entirely unexpected given the ending of the last book.

I'm not sure if I should love or hate the cliffhanger and twists.Sometimes I wanted to shake the characters because I thought they were being stupid, but maybe that's a good thing if a books makes you feel that way. I still love this series and I can't wait to see what happens next

T.A. White has become one of my favourite authors and on the basis of this series I've gone on to read the rest of her books. The world building is excellent expanding to include the world of Kira's father's people. The only 'downside' is upon finishing realising I now have to patiently wait for the next book! Overall an excellent read with a great plot and character interactions that keep you wanting more!

Fin

Amazing book! Great characters, awesome world building and incredible story! This has become my favourite series and T.A. White my number one author! Everything she writes is gold and a must read for me!

Une suite qui tient ses promesses. C'est assez rare dans les suites, mais on reprend là où on s'est arrêté au tome précédent. Un peu comme dans une série télé. C'est d'ailleurs peut-être tout le problème majeur de ce livre. Une autrice qui prend trop exemple sur une trame narrative de série télé. Un début explosif, puis des lenteurs, des questions parsemées un peu partout pour laisser le lecteur dans un suspense constant, sans dévoiler vers ou se dirige l'histoire, des changements de piste régulières. Mais le soucis c'est que T. A. White s'y perd elle même. Elle donne la sensation qu'elle ne connait pas la fin de son histoire avec Kira , elle oublie des choses énoncées dans le tome précédent ou les chapitres précédents et créé des incohérences. Les début de son personnage principal et des traumatismes qui devraient être connectée à celle-ci sont oubliés, et cette période manque de description par exemple.Le rythme ré-accélère régulièrement, mais ça traine pas mal. Un entrainement nécessaire prend place, on découvre les Tuann un peu plus, quelques secrets de Kira se dévoilent, les personnages évoluent et avancent.Malgré mes critiques j'ai adoré ce tome, et j'ai dévoré le suivant. Je ne peux que recommander ce livre, mais il faut savoir que la saga risque d'être sur un grand nombre de tomes. Si c'est quelque chose qui ne vous décourage pas allez-y (en commençant par le tome 1! ;-) ), si vous ne supportez pas les saga qui n'en finissent plus c'est à éviter!!!