Kindling by Traci Chee

Source: Netgalley – Thank you so much the publisher. I actually pre-ordered this on finishing it.
TL;DR: I loved this. The unique narration style, the characters, everything was so good.

Plot: Seven Samurai but make it magical and change the genders. It was fantastic. Loved the tightness and brutality of it.
Characters: I loved all these girls. I was genuinely upset and happy in turn throughout this even knowing what was coming.
Setting: I’m not sure on this one to be honest. I knew this was a Seven Samurai inspired story, so that definitely influence how I saw the setting. It worked, very well! But it could have been me.
Magic: This was very light on the magic. It’s there, and it has some pivotal moments but otherwise you nearly forget it exists.

Thoughts:

TL;DR: This is a great example of what YA can do. A unique narration style and a heartbreaking story inspired by Seven Samurai. An instant buy for me.

Written in second perspective Kindling is a Seven Samurai inspired story of seven Kindling, former magical child soldiers who are looking for purpose after a war. Much like Seven Samurai, with wandering ronin, these Kindling are all lost in a way. One is struggling with addiction, one is struggling with commitment or purpose, another looking for the home she lost, and so on. Each has a unique struggle – all the results of their time as soldiers. They end up coming together for a seemingly small job, protect a village from raiders. The story is fast paced and gripping as they have to come to term with their struggles and their worries.

I loved this from page one. A well written novel with this narration style is an easy sell for me. Especially with inspiration such as Seven Samurai (a classic imo). The genders in this are flipped, all female and one non-binary character, which adds a lovely touch. The characters flaws are deeply felt and the Grecian chorus style narrators (the ghosts of Kindlings lost to the war) really illustrate and make you feel for the characters.

It has a lot of heavy topics. Death, death of family and friends, addiction (specifically to alcohol), children fighting, being taken from their families, etc. So be kind to yourself, but it’s so worth the read and so fantastic. I cannot wait to reread and revisit this, I adored nearly every moment of my time with it.

5 out of 5 Magical Weapons