Before She Ignites

Meadow’s new series imagines a world where fallen gods are revered in specific islands, and dragons are protected as an endangered species. In Before She Ignites, we get to know the world through Mira, called the Hopebearer because her father was one of the architects of the treaty that unites the fallen gods’ isles and named it after her. She has been brought up like a politician’s kids – basically, all the smile and wave and look presentable at all times. Only, she has anxiety and OCD, and tries not to let it show for fear of not living up to her mother’s tough standards. Throughout her life, she has been held as a prop – and the one time she uses her position for a cause, she is put behind bars. The story starts with her in prison, and most of the plot arc is there – her fear of her prison guard, Altan, and the friendships she forms with the other inmates. She has been sheltered all her life, and now she is being physically and mentally tortured for the sake of information. As we get through the story, both in the present and the past, the truth about the treaty itself starts to reveal itself. And second to that, Mira’s own powers start to manifest. It gets a bit confusing at times, with the different facets of the fantasy element – the dragons, the noorstones, the powers confered on certain individuals – so it is hard to make out how they are linked, but I am hoping future books clarify that. The good things about the book start with representation – with Mira being a POC (I mean, just look at the cover), and having mental illness. It also has themes of xenophobia with one isle’s inhabitants being constantly picked on by other inhabitants. It also has disabled character rep in Aaru (I’m still watching how it develops, though). There is the utilization of the ‘pure virginal girl’ as a symbol, and how politics capitalizes on that. However, there are some part of the book that don’t make much sense plot-wise, like her council sentencing her to another island when they were afraid of her speaking up (why would you send your own prisoner to where your secrets could be leaked?), rather than, I don’t know, quietly putting her under house arrest. And as I said before, the link between the various elements and her powers is not explained yet. And the pacing is slow. Shortly, though, I think this is a good start to the series but could have been stronger. Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Katherine Tegen Books, via Edelweiss.

A truly great start to this trilogy. I can not wait for more.