Review: Of Flame and Light - Cecy Robson

Taran Wird holds the unique ability to conjure fire and lightning. She is mated to Gemini, Second in Command to the Squaw Valley Pack of the Lake Tahoe Region, and the sole werewolf to possess the ability to split into two wolves. And although they are mates, Taran's insecurities have driven them apart.

Devastated by an injury that left her with a zombie-like limb, Taran struggles to regain command over her magic. But when her arm and her power turn against her, lashing out on those she most loves, she knows she can no longer carry this burden alone. Not that she likes the alternative.

The only way to regain control of her magic is to align and learn from the local coven of witches―the very ones who sought to banish her when she and her three unique sisters first moved to the mystical region. But although Taran is trying, the teachings don't come easy, and the tasks leave her weak and emotionally shattered.

Yet Taran must learn and learn fast. Time is running out. The fire she once mastered so easily has become her greatest adversary and is now slowly burning her alive . . .

Weird Girls Series:
Gone Hunting
A Curse Awakened (Novella)
The Weird Girls (Novella)
Sealed with a Curse
A Cursed Embrace
A Cursed Moon (Novella)
Cursed by Destiny
A Cursed Bloodline
A Curse Unbroken
Of Flame and Promise
Of Flame and Light
Of Flame and Fate
Of Flame and Fury

Visit Cecy Robson's website for more information.

Review:
Taran isn't in a great place right now, she lost her arm in a vicious werewolf attack and although she has been given a magical replacement it's causing her a lot of problems. The magic of her new arm isn't connecting well with the magical abilities she already had and now she's completely lost control of her powers. Her flame is burning her up from the inside out and if she doesn't find a way to get back control then her life is at risk. As if her internal struggles weren't enough she's also in a really bad place with her mate, Gemini is sending all kinds of mixed signals but two things are very clear - he pushes her away every time he catches a glimpse of her new arm and he's spending far too much time with a certain head witch that has always had her eye on him. Taran knows she's going to have to accept Genevieve's help if she wants a chance of re-learning to control her power but the last thing she wants to do is watch the witch cozy up to Gemini so it's going to be an extremely difficult situation for her.

I have to admit I was a little confused when I first started reading this book, mainly because at the end of Of Flame and Promise it seemed like Taran and Gemini had sorted out their problems but at the start of Of Flame and Light they aren't even talking to each other and appear to have been apart for several months. It just wasn't what I was expecting and it threw me a little but it's because Taran's first book started midway through Cursed by Destiny in the series timeline and now this second book catches us up to where she's at by the end of A Curse Unbroken. There's a gap of several months in her story but we're already familiar with what happened to her and how she lost her arm so it's not an issue.

I've always loved Taran's feisty personality, she's not got much of a filter so she comes out with the most outrageous comments but she has a heart of gold inside. Woe betide anyone who gets on her wrong side though and if you go up against one of her sisters then you'll be in for a whole world of hurt when Taran catches up with you. Taran has been through so much in the last few books though and it's obviously affected her confidence big time. On the face of it she still comes across as her smartalec self but when you look a bit closer it's easy to see that she's putting on an act to try and hide how terrified she is of what is happening to her. Her life has spiraled completely out of control, the power she's always been able to rely on to protect herself and her sisters is backfiring badly which is putting the people she is closest to in danger and the mate that she loves with all her heart has walked away and appears to be moving on with someone else. It's heartbreaking to see how much she's struggling and that not even her sisters are able to help her.

I've always loved Gemini before this book but if I was one of Taran's sister's I would have kicked his butt for the way he acts here because he badly deserved it. The way he kept blowing hot and cold made me so angry and even though I'd guessed at why he seemed to be rejecting her new arm (and it was kind of an understandable reason) I find it really hard to forgive the way he acted around Genevieve. There was no cheating involved (thankfully because that's something that would have ended my love for his character permanently) but he lets Taran think there is even though he can see how much it is hurting her. I was so angry with him for causing her more pain when she's already been through so much. It was time for him to step up to the plate and be there for her when she really needed him but he completely failed her and I'm still kind of bitter about it so he's going to have to work hard in the next book for me to love him as much as I did before.

It's the sign of a great book that I was so invested in the characters though and I really do love all of the Wird sisters so it was great to see how the others are getting on. Celia and Aric seem to be finally getting the happily ever after that they deserve and I loved the little hints dropped about Emme and a certain werewolf. Of Flame and Light has plenty of other things going on apart from the stress between Taran and Gemini, not only is Taran having to cope with the whole coven of witches that tried to destroy herself and her sisters when they first arrived in the area but she's also trying to help locate an out of control witch who is set on raising an army of zombies to attack her sisters. There are some truly creepy scenes involving the army of the dead and there's definitely plenty of action going on so this was a fast paced read that I absolutely whizzed through. I love the world Cecy Robson has created and I'm looking forward to the next instalment.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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