A promise of fire by Amanda Bouchet the first book in the Kingmaker Chronicles.

Well written, but a bit repetitive.

“For the first time ever, the magicless majority is in charge, and Hoi Polloi are literally dancing in the streets—but only when they’re not throwing themselves in abject loyalty at the feet of the new royal family. Or so I’ve heard. I haven’t actually seen the new royals, but news spreads fast when there’s something to say. After the warlord and his southern army secured the Sintan throne during the spring, his family took weeks just to move north. Not because they’re slow, but because of the sheer number of adoring people in their way.”

Cat is a young Fisan woman on the run from her past and the tyrannical Alpha Fisa. She is kidnapped by the handsome yet domineering beta Sinta who in turn wish to have her aid them with her magoi powers. Cat is what is known as the Kingmaker a powerful diplomatic gifted who can discern truth from lies. Beta sinta wish for Cat to help his sister stay on the throne, and it starts to dawn on Cat that, that is not all Beta Sinta wants from her.

““You’ll have everything you need,” Beta Sinta argues. “Coin, shelter, protection.”

Does he really think that’s all a person wants? I could sell myself to any number of Magoi nobles for that. “Do you need protection?””

There are a lot of words that needs to be explained, so they have alphabetically categorized their rulers. Alpha means king or queen; beta is heir apparent and so on and so forth. A Magoi is a person gifted with magic, and until Beta Sinta concerned Sinta for his sister, the Magoi were the elite, the only ones who rulled the three kingdoms, Fisa, Tarva and Sinta. Hoi Polloi are the non-gifted masses, regular humans.

“My eyes trip over a man and get stuck. He’s looking at me, and it’s hard not to look back. He’s striking in a dark, magnetic way, his size, weapons, and bearing all telling me he’s a tribal warlord. His build is strong and masculine, his gait perfectly balanced and fluid. He walks with predatory confidence, unhurried, and yet there’s no mistaking his potential for swift, explosive violence. It’s not latent or hidden, just leashed.”

The story draws inspiration from ancient Greek mythology, The gods are the same, but so are the fabled animals and some of their legends. Cat is Poseidon’s God daughter and although I’m not sure if that is a literal statement or metaphorically. She is important to the gods and that has a great deal of influence on the story. The way the gods are described, is very good, they are described as fickle, absentee, and uncaring, but for Cat it’s a different story, she is protected by Poseidon, and the “visions” she has are very dark, and powerful passages in the book, you do not get the feeling that Poseidon is warm and fussy.

“I break the surface and gulp down air, slapping water out of my eyes. I’m adrift on a vast ocean. It’s a dusk of shadows and gloom. The water is gray and churning where a storm brews on the horizon. Waves roll in—powerful, angry, dark.”

Cat being on the run form Alpha Sita and terrified that anyone is going to realize that she is the Kingmaker, obviously has trust issues. And not only that, but her upbringing has also taught her that love is a weakness and anyone you love can be used against you. That understandably makes it extremely difficult for her to accept her feelings for Beta Sinta or Griffin (his name). And the fact that he Kidnapped her, doesn’t help at all.

““You’re neither a guest nor a friend,” Beta Sinta grates out. “Speak respectfully.””

But beyond that Cat is kind, she is remorseful, she is violent and has a bad temper, but basically a good person. She is very aware of the burdens put upon her by others, and the struggle she has to find what is most important to her (freedom), is a hard-fought battle throughout the book.

“I glare at him, my voice cold enough to sprout icicles. “Why would I? I’m neither a guest nor a friend.””

Pushing Griffin Away becomes second nature to her, in the beginning because he kidnaped her, but as her feelings towards him grow, the cause becomes protecting him, not only from her past, but from the future she believes is hers.

“Almost hesitantly, he reaches out, lightly touching a dark curl. “You’re too young to be so cynical.””

Griffin on the other hand, is if not her opposite, then he has a very different approach to get to the same goal. To me he feels extremely domineering, to the point where he doesn’t take no for an answer, and to me that is a big turnoff, in book heroes. I’m not saying, he is an evil bastard, but he does, have characteristics of lock you in the basement for your own safety, caveman mentality.

““We decide?” I snort softly. “I don’t want to get married, and I really don’t want to invade Fisa, but you appear to have decided on both without ever consulting me.” His expression flattens. “Give it time, and you’ll see I’m right. On both counts.””

I have read several books, where the female protagonist falls for a guy who decides to teel her how, when and what, and I always get an extreme reaction to them, and the books they are in. It feels like they would rather have a doll than an actual real-life person. I’m not saying that Griffin is THAT bad, but he’s getting there.

“Something primal flares in his gaze. “Either way, you’re mine now.””

I feel like Griffin is a guy that has a selective hearing disability. They are having a conversations, but he’s not always listening to what she’s actually saying. On the other hand, I don’t necessarily think that, that is a bad thing. A lot of the decisions he is forcing on her, forces her to move. Before the book began you get the impression that, she was stagnant, not moving and not healing from the traumas of her past.

“Flynn mutters something unintelligible and steps between them. “Because she screams bloody murder every night and is terrified of being alone.””