Demons of the Flame Sea by Jean Johnson – a Review

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Description:
Raised to understand and control advanced magics, the Fae Rii know they must be careful with the wild, abundant energies of their new desert homeland. They must also downplay the awe they inspire in the Bronze Age humans around them. Still, they have managed to create some equilibrium between the two factions, primitive versus advanced—at least, until new outworlders arrive, tipping the scales out of balance.

Strict and power-hungry, the ruthless Efrijt take the phrase “deal with the devil” to a new level. A treaty may be possible; however, the solution proposed will in turn give birth to a new problem: A chaos that will dance its way through all three races trying to survive in the burning heat of the Flame Sea…

Review:

Demons of the Flame Sea by Jean Johnson is the 2^nd book in her Flame Seas Fantasy series.  Demons of the Flame Sea picks up years after the first book ended.  Here is a brief refresher of this series: a group of Fae’s known as Fae Rii, who are Fair Traders, live in peace with a human tribe, making life habitual for them.  Over the years the land now called Flame Sea has advanced into a wonderful community for all, including many fae/human inter species children.

Ban, the Fae Rii leader’s warrior, has been travelling around this world to gather information from various tribes, as well as bring back needed minerals for them.  Near his last stop, he visits a small tribe and learns about another species that is living nearby.  The Efrijt pay the tribe money to pull out mercury, which the Efrijt’s need to help them survive, but the mercury makes the humans sick.

Ban will bring this information home to Jintaya (the leader), and they will ask for help from the Fae council to send them more people.  We get to meet some more characters in this story, some who will be instrumental to negotiate a deal with the Efrijts, who the humans now call Demons.

What follows is an interesting storyline giving us a look at three different species (Fae, Humans & Efrijts).  Jean Johnson has written a very nice story that continues the flow of this world building, and has created some great characters.

This is fantasy and world building that is very well done.  However, if you are looking for an exciting, action filled story, you will not find it in this book.  It a slow build, but enjoyable story of meeting all the characters; learning how they survive together; and how they will handle a new species that could be dangerous.  The negotiations between the Fae and Efrijt has just begun, with the Fae looking out for themselves and the local humans who are suffering; the Efrijt, are willing to agree to terms, as long as they get what they want and to stay in this world.   I expect Jean Johnson will be pulling some surprises as we head toward the final book in this trilogy. I look forward to seeing how this ends.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher