Kindling by Traci Chee

Kindling by Traci Chee. HarperCollins, 2024. 9780063269354 






Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5



Format : Hardcover



Genre :  Fantasy



What did you like about the book? The war between Amerand and Vedra is over, peace has settled in the lands, and the kindlings – elite teenage warriors with great and lethal magic – are of no use. Their life-draining magic is outlawed by the queen, punishable by death, and their impressive balar weapons and armor are seen as relics of the past. What is someone, built and bred only to die on the battlefield, supposed to do when granted a chance of life? Seven kindlings will have to ask this question when, as if by fate, they find themselves in the Northlands, the northern border of the new kingdom. Whether drawn by the quiet and the isolation, or by the chance to escape their past and carve a new future, these seven warriors will discover a new purpose. Raiders have plagued the village of Camas ever since the war ended, and it’s only a matter of time before the residents starve to death. This is the kindlings’ chance to have one last battle, to figure out what they fight for, and what future they can have. They must battle grief, PTSD, and trauma, overcome lies and trust issues, and learn the importance of relationships, found family, and renewal. To survive the raider attack and save the village, each kindling will have to save their souls first, and they can only do that with each other’s help. 



Kindling is a heart wrenching and poignant novel of war and its effects, child soldiers, and finding purpose and life. Readers will follow seven kindlings and their points of view – gruff Leum, bold Amity, elusive Ket, reserved Ben, playful Emara, drunk Kanver, and naive Siddie – as they come together, willingly and reluctantly, in one last stand against a common enemy. Each has their own well-written character arc, propelled by their specific trauma and by one another. Everyone’s interactions are meaningful, adding, revealing, or changing something about each character, with no wasted time or conversation. The story is written in second-person present tense, with the spirits of the dead narrating the events and inner thoughts of the protagonists, focusing on specific characters in each chapter. The writing is gorgeous and raw, digging into what the kindlings feel at a given moment, written like flowing poetry. The latter third of the book really ramps up as the raider’s attack begins, and readers will pray that the kindlings they have been with all this time make it out alive. Overall, Kindling is a beautiful read with emotional characters and intense plot, and is another wonderful fiction novel by Traci Chee. 



Anything you didn’t like about it? All seven of the kindlings are girls. Before you raise your pitchforks, there’s nothing wrong with that. It just would have been nice if a few of them were boys or nonbinary. It might put readers off (though many would be pleased) that all seven soldiers just coincidentally were the same sex, especially since the publisher’s summaries don’t point this out. 



To whom would you recommend this book? Teens who like multiple perspectives, fantasy based on East Asia, sapphic romance, second-person voice, and found family. 



Who should buy this book? High schools and public libraries



Where would you shelve it? YA Fantasy or YA Fiction



Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No



Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Laila Carter, Cheltenham Township Library System, Glenside, PA



Date of review: March 20, 2024