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  • Freed by Flame and Storm by Becky Allen
  • Melanie Kirkwood
Allen, Becky Freed by Flame and Storm. Delacorte,
2017 [352p] Library ed. ISBN 978-1-101-93219-3 $20.99
Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-101-93218-6 $17.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-101-93220-9 $10.99
Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 8-10

This sequel to Bound by Blood and Sand (BCCB 10/16) follows Jae, the former slave whose newfound magical abilities allowed her to free herself from the curse that kept her obedient to the ruling council, the Highest. She's now headed to the kingdom's capital to break the curse completely and liberate the rest of the enslaved Closest. With help from a network of spies and Lord Elan, who has broken with the Highest, she does indeed manage to free the Closest, but she's utterly unprepared for the chaos that follows and is shocked when the Closest look to her as a leader, rallying around her in the face of what will most likely be a war with the Highest. Jae is still the brash, bold, and often angry girl she was in the first installment, but her thirst for vengeance is tempered by her promise to her now dead brother to show mercy to all, even their enemies. The liberation of the Closest comes halfway through the book, so readers see what happens after a world order is upended and how the fight for freedom can quickly become the fight for power. Allen wisely sets the aside the possibility of a romance between Jae and Elan (at least for now), but the final battle between the Closest and the Highest tests their loyalty to each other and to their cause. The resolution of the two parties seems a bit too rosy, but it offers a chance for teens to contemplate how vengeance, justice, and mercy play out when two sides long entrenched in opposition make efforts toward peace. KQG [End Page 148]

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