THE DOOMFIRE SECRET

After the Chief Designer bestows on her another set of stars, Paisley gets a second chance at a destiny while threats loom large.

The story opens in the immediate aftermath of The Nightsilver Promise (2021) and includes efficient recaps to remind readers where everyone left off—most importantly, that Paisley’s brother, Dax, has been abducted by Northern Realms soldiers, giving the cast the immediate goal of rescuing him. Beyond that, they must contend with the villainous Dark Dragon (who, through Roach’s viewpoint chapters, is revealed to be controlling the very king tasked with protecting the Empire of Albion against the dragons) and how contact with the void changed Paisley. Promising tidbits of worldbuilding from the first installment are expanded on in rewarding enough ways to make up for the sometimes clunky, repetitive exposition. The chief themes explored here are destiny versus free will and not judging people based on stereotypes taught by authorities (specifically the idea that those of the Northern Realms are barbaric, something in conflict with Paisley’s growing friendship with Hal). The story concludes with a fiery battle, a twist, and a cliffhanger. Albion is an analog for England; the Northern Realms are Scandinavia, and there are mentions of Amerika in this fictional universe. Most characters lack racial descriptors; those that have them (such as Paisley and Hal) are cued White.

An all-around improvement that tracks well and is sure to please fans of the first.