Daughter Of The Burning City

by Amanda Foody

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I still genuinely enjoyed reading Daughter of the Burning City, but it didn’t wow me as much as my first read through. I think a lot of that has to do with having more experience with Amanda Foody’s writing style. I still think that Gomorrah is an incredibly crafted world, and I love all the Illusions and Sorina. Where it falls short for me is in pacing and plot – there was so much build up in the story that the ending seemed to fall a bit flat.

Another qualm I still have with this one is the general tone of the ending… and this was something I picked up the first time as well. Daughter of the Burning City has a very vibrant cast and world, and the way the story ends has a promise of a new beginning, and I feel so unfulfilled with the last chapter. I don’t think Sorina has any more of a story to tell, but I think that the next chapter in this world belongs to Nicoleta, and there’s a third chapter that belongs to Hawk. From my recollection, Amanda Foody has no intention of returning to this world, and she’s in the middle of another trilogy right now, so I don’t expect to see a continuation. And it kills me a bit, because Daughter of the Burning City is so good in so many ways.

It was really wonderful to revisit Sorina and the Freak Show, and this book is definitely still a keeper for me. I’ll read it again sometime in the future, when I need a little murder and magic. But I finished it feeling a bit unsatisfied.

Original Review: 5 Stars (8/4/17)

I finished this book last night and I am still not done with it. Bear with me, because there is SO MUCH GOING ON (in a good way) and there are LOADS of little things I want to talk about.

Sorina is an immediately likable character. She is talented, kind, loving, a little funny, and innocent but not stupid. Even when she is grieving, she is confused but never completely lost. She never claims to be a heroine, AND she never says she is not. She is, simply, Sorina. I love her. I love her awkwardness and jeweled masks (this is SCREAMING bookish Halloween costume, guys) and her great big heart. I WAS ROOTING FOR HER.

I never like the protagonist, but I liked Sorina.

As for the surrounding characters, they are all wonderful. Foody includes illustrations of Sorina's family members, and they are PERFECT. Nicoleta was my personal favorite. They also serve to MESS WITH THE READER'S MIND by inferring patterns and misleading you. Sorina is NOT an unreliable narrator, not on purpose, but her entire world will mess with you. The misdirection was fabulous, the ideas original... I just... I loved it from cover to cover.

THINGS WHICH WERE WONDERFUL:
- Sorina's family. They are sweet and perfect.
- Luca. I should've called the thing with him, and I didn't, and I am ashamed, but I LOVED IT.
- The villains. I wanted SO BAD for a certain character to be the villain and was frustrated when it appeared to be someone else THEN... BOOM! ZAP! POW! It was that character and it was aweeeesome.
- The world ITSELF was great. It reminded me of something foreign and exotic, but brimming with character and untapped beauty.
- The homage to the story of Sodom & Gomorrah with the salt tower was fab.

THINGS WHICH I DID NOT ENJOY:
- It started REALLY quickly and I had to reread a smidge and get my bearings.
- It ended REALLY quickly and I want more.

All in all, I read Daughter of the Burning City as a slice of life, not a full story in that there were more adventures before and more to come. Things do not necessarily get wrapped nicely in a bow and there's definitely a LOT of room here to wonder what comes next, and what is missing.

BUT.

I don't mind that.

I do wonder though....

1. What happens to Kahina?
2. Is there war?
3. Does Sorina continue creating family members? (HOLY SMOKES. I ASKED THE AUTHOR ON TWITTER AND HERE IS HER INTERPRETATION. DISCUSS.)

All in all, I give Daughter of the Burning City ALL THE STARS and would like to beseech Amanda Foody to consider writing another story within this world, because I would like to give her more money. THANKS.