I felt like I was the only Green Rider fan who wasn’t crazy about this book. This book made me question whether I, and not the book, was the problem. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to revisit Karigan back in Sacoridia, but it felt like the earlier entry in the series, “Mirror Sight” hung over my head at every page. And when Karigan couldn’t get over those events either, remembering Cade, I feel resentful that he, whom I could never force myself to like and didn’t understand how Karigan ever did, and that awful story line were ever introduced in the first place. After “Mirror Sight,” I became disenchanted with the entirety of the world and its characters. And I haven’t even touched the book since it first came out, but it still cast a shadow on everything else in Firebrand, including Karigan and Zachary’s forbidden attraction, and Karigan’s involvement with the gods, plus every man’s automatic development of feelings for her.
Karigan always loved King Zachary, and to see him having a somewhat successful marriage and love life with Estora, whom I actually liked, made me very annoyed and felt like a twist of the knife. I hated that Estora was so damn likable and pregnant with his children. It was a strange feeling to like a couple that amounts to adultery, especially when the wife, Estora, was so admirably determined to make her husband care for her. I liked that she felt stifled by her bed-orders from her pregnancy, and that she wasn’t going to give up her husband to his affections for Karigan without a fight. I definitely respected her when she rose to the challenges presented to her as both a queen and wife. I was even proud that she recognized that the Ice Slee that masqueraded as Zachary, was not her husband, and couldn’t stand his sudden out-of-character smothering.
And though I have liked other adulterous couples more than their married counterparts in the past, with King Arthur stories coming to mind, I was not able to freely cheer for Zachary and Karigan anymore. Perhaps some of Karigan’s guilt towards her friend Estora was so well-written that it rubbed off on me. Regardless, the moment I had waited for throughout the entire series finally happened—Zachary and Karigan finally expressed their feelings for each other. Too bad I found myself unable to enjoy it. It didn’t feel nearly as special after the Karigan’s nonsense love affair with Cade, which was for some reason, written to be Karigan’s grand love affair. Why it seemed like a good idea to undermine the slow-burning, ever-present feelings between Zachary and Karigan that spanned several novels, still boggled my mind, and I felt a lot of those feelings left over from “Mirror Sight” spilled into my reading of “Firebrand.”
It didn’t help anything that Karigan was constantly rehashing her feelings for Cade, even though she had lost most of her memories of him, which I had hoped meant that the entirety of that book would be practically erased from future novels, but I was wrong. Visited by Eltetians? Why not remember Cade? Tortured half to death? Why not remember Cade? Finally get Zachary by your side while ill? Why not constantly mutter about Cade? I just wanted Karigan to “rip the band-aid off,” so to speak, and forget him, in favor of Zachary, who actually existed in her time period and for whom she actually had feelings first. Heck, even Estral, Karigan’s best friend bluntly said it to Zachary, “She loved Cade Harlowe, yes, but she loved you first.” I asked myself, why does everyone in the novel and for that matter, the fandom, understand this but Karigan (and maybe even Kristen Britain)?
Zachary and Karigan did finally admit their mutual feelings, but it didn’t feel like much of a victory for them to express their feelings for many reasons. First of all, the confession itself was a letdown, with Zachary repeating his affections Mr. Darcy-style “I once told you how I felt about. It was a couple of years ago atop the castle roof….My feelings have not changed since then, not even wavered. If anything, they have only grown,” and to which Karigan merely responded “I do too.” This was not exactly the grand or earth-shattering romantic moment for which I had hoped. Second of all, everything that subsequently happened between the two just felt like severe backpedaling from her earlier romance with Cade, and a contrived effort to reestablish Zachary as “the one” for Karigan. For instance, take this observation of the two from the Eltetian, Nari:
“The one whose song [Karigan heard] was Zachary’s. Nari could see the bond between them as a fusing of her living light with his….Zachary’s shown in a range of blues that revealed coolness and peace, but could easily give way to fire. Hers was an appropriate green….Her green, not surprisingly was also disposed to fire."
And finally, the other reason I couldn’t get on board the Zachary and Karigan this time around was that in order for her to actually be with him, Karigan would have to become his mistress. This was something I really didn’t want for her, but at the same time, sort of did. The only alternative for their relationship was for something bad to happen to Estora, and for Karigan to become Zachary's queen. That didn’t sit well with me either, for I liked Estora and didn’t *really* want anything bad happen to her, but it seemed like the best thing that could happen for Karigan and Zachary. And to top off this romantic dilemma, I was very frustrated that yet another person developed feelings for Karigan. Enough already! Enver, an Eltetian, developed such severe feelings for Karigan, that he was a threat to her once he hit his “unfolding,” which is like a very intense form of puberty and mating/bonding for Eltetians. I couldn’t believe yet another character fell for Karigan! My feelings were so conflicted about all the relationships, most especially Zachary and Karigan's, that I put off writing the review for quite a while after finishing the book.
I wasn’t just irritated with the romantic aspects of the book, however. Karigan’s constant magnetism for the gods’s involvement, unrequited love, hero worship, and dangerous assignments started to taste a bit stale to me. And the character herself, as well as others, wondered why there was no one else that could fill her shoes in any of her roles. Were there really no other women or Green Riders in Sacor City? Did Karigan really have to be the Avatar of the god of death, Westrion; the first Swordsmaster in forever; and the only living honorary member of the Weapons ? In a sense, Karigan was so special that I no longer felt I could relate to her. Estora, in her place as first woman in the realm, but second in Zachary’s heart, suddenly felt more relatable to me than the heroine of the series!
And Karigan’s struggle all felt a little in vain, as she had already seen the dystopian future and lived in it, and saw what was coming if Morhaven the Black and the Second Empire weren’t defeated. I guess I would rather not have these clues from the dystopian future to guide the actions of the characters in present day Sacoridia. Instead, I’d rather they forged ahead on their own without any hints.
The book wasn’t all frustration and guilt though. It did have a large dose of Kristen Britain’s signature fun and quirkiness and I was happy to revisit the cast of characters, which felt like old friends. I enjoyed the superb Mr. Whiskers, a gryphon in the guise of a cat, the arrival of Karigan’s hilariously nosy aunts and the discovery of Karigan’s middle name—which is somehow HELGADORF—the romance between her father and Captain Mapstone, and evil Grandmother finally getting her just desserts. But perhaps my favorite part in the entire book was when Zachary alone witnessed Karigan in her badass black suit of armor, riding Salvistar, the god Westrion’s mount.
Even though I found this book to be somewhat disappointing from a romantic relationships standpoint, it was still very good. Upon completion, I found myself contemplating rereading the whole series. I have never understood why this very original series wasn’t more popular and on the same level as series such as Throne of Glass. I was very excited for the direction the next books would take, what with non-called Riders, mentions of Lord Amberhill, and what promised to bring new and unpredictable challenges for Karigan, her love life, her career with the Riders and Weapons, and the battle against the Second Empire.