SWIFT THE STORM, FIERCE THE FLAME, by Meg Long, Wednesday Books, Jan. 17, 2023, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult)
A girl sets out to find a friend she couldn’t save in Meg Long’s new dystopian YA novel, Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame.
After a mission gone awry two years ago, Remy Castell has been desperately searching across worlds to find the friend she failed to save ― the friend who changed her life by helping her overcome the brainwashing she was subjected to as a genetically engineered corporate agent.
Since then, she’s been chasing the only lead she has: fellow genopath Kiran Lore, the same secretive ex-squadmate who left her for dead when she compromised that mission. She nearly caught up to him on Tundar before joining the infamous sled race alongside outcast Sena and her wolf companion Iska. Now, all three of them have tracked Kiran back to Maraas, the jungle planet where Remy lost everything. But nothing on Maraas is how it was two years ago. Syndicates and scavvers alike are now trying to overthrow a megalomaniac corpo director, which Remy wants nothing to do with; fighting against corpos is as useless as trying to stay dry in the middle of the giant hellstorm that encircles the planet. But the storm ― and the rebellion ― are growing stronger by the minute.
When Remy finds Kiran, he doesn’t run away like she expects. Instead, he offers her a deal: help with the revolution and he’ll reunite her with her friend. But can she really trust the boy who betrayed her once before? With the entire planet on the edge of all-out war, Remy will have to decide just how far she’s willing to go to save one girl before the impending storm drowns them all. —Synopsis provided by Wednesday Books
Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame is the follow up to author Meg Long’s Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves. But while both books are set in the same “world” they literally take place on different planets.
Sena, who was the star of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves now takes on the role of a supporting character and Remy takes center stage. It’s helpful to have an already fleshed out character fill in the spaces while exploring a “new star,” and, boy, is Remy a star.
Remy is a force to be reckoned with. It is clear from the start of Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame that Long knows her protagonist well. Remy has a clear, compelling voice that calls to you as a reader from the start.
As with its predecessor, there are two main characters in Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame — Remy and the planet, in this case, Maraas. Long’s ability to make a setting almost a living, breathing creature is impressive, and it certainly transports you away from your comfy chair and into a ruthless jungle.
Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame is a fast-paced read that could be read on its own, but it much better if read in succession with its predecessor.
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