Book Review: Marked for the Pyre – M.T. Fontaine

Marked for the Pyre was one sequel you do not want to miss! The stakes are high, the daggers are sharp, and the Order is just around the corner.

Kaianne and Andreiyes have a lot to prove, not only to the political parties at play, but themselves. Determined to form an alliance between the Marked and the Carved, they must battle against age old discriminations and beliefs which may yet prove impossible. The Carved blame the Marked for centuries of genocide amongst their people, a debt which can never be repaid or forgiven. The Maked believe the Carved to be savages, living nomadic lifestyles plotting against their every move. But to overthrow the Stewards hold over the entire world, they will need to find a way to work together if they ever want to taste freedom.

Hot headed Kaianne is as quick with her words as she is with her blade and will stop at nothing to bring these groups together. She is armed and seemingly has a mysterious powerful ally on her side sending Nogo’s creatures to her with letters of advice. Andreiyes, doesn’t quite see the upcoming war in the same way and pleads for patience, unfortunately for them both, time is not on their side.

Steward Rau has caught wind of their plotting and reinforcements are on the way, the Order is coming, and they do not take kindly to their power being questioned.

This book was brutal and a stella sequel to Carved Amidst the Shadows. The world expands tenfold the characters continue to be shaped as they find their place in the world and the magic ramps it up to the point it almost explodes off the page.

Fontaine has done an excellent job of worldbuilding in this second instalment, now that our characters have taken their places in the bigger story (for the most part). We spend a fair amount of time exploring the borders, their restrictions and working out how any of our crew can make it past the magical barriers if at all. Secret pockets of land are discovered and the world teams with new and incredible mythical beasts. Nogo’s creatures are abundant in this book, from wyrms, to griffins to a friggen basilisk! They were mystical, they were beautiful and, I can’t stress this enough, were terrifying. Adding this element to the story made the world seem so much more fantastical for me as a reader and I couldn’t wait to see what creature would turn up next.

Not only is the world bigger, but the parts our characters play in their roles certainly have more of an impact in book two. Their decisions come with major consequences some of which are foretold and some of which really leave the reader stunned. Kaianne and Andreiyes are two very different people trying to work towards a similar goal but rarely have the same reasoning. But the characters with the biggest amount of growth this time around is our Steward Rau and a new character Cepheren who gives the story an air of mystery. Rau is still a very grey, very cranky old Steward who believes he is right in everything he does, that is until he doesn’t. In book two we get much more of an insight into the Order, where he has come from and how he lived for the hundreds of years before the events of this book take place. I won’t go into too much detail here for fear of spoilers, but just know if you were a fan of Rau in book one, you are going to love him in book two. The newest player in this game, Cepheren is barely there, but he feels oh so present in every move that is made in this story. Watching from afar, the game is in his hands. Which leads me into the magic.

Marked for the Pyre gives the reader a greater look into the use of Drynne manipulated by the Stewards from everyday people as well as those within their own order. We learn that there are multiple classes within the order for people who can use the magic to do a variety of things, and trust me when I say, all of them are devastating. The Order is here, and they are not afraid to throw their power around, from those who can see into the minds of all of those within miles and miles, those who can harness the strength of hundreds or those who can use a persons own energy to crush them to dust.

This was one heck of a sequel and each chapter built up the stakes for a crazy last 200 pages. I could not put it down. M.T. Fontaine has easily become one of my favourite author discoveries of 2023 and I already can’t wait for the next instalment.