Review: To Bind the Court by D.E. Carlson
Young Adult Fantasy
This year I have decided to read some Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) from authors I have been enjoying. To honor their gift of a free book, I plan to dedicate an entire article to reviewing the ARCs that I read. All opinions below are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
Release Date: May 14, 2024
To Bind the Court (Empire of Ash & Song #2) by D.E. Carlson
4.5 STARS!!, Young Adult Fantasy with Christian Themes
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on Amazon
Reviews in Ash & Song series: #1 To Bind Fire
Author bio:
Dorothy Emeline Carlson grew up wild and free on the Dakota plains. True to her heritage, she now homesteads with her husband and homeschools her two girls-when she isn't writing, which admittedly is not often. She's always loved the written word. You can visit her on her website, or you can reach out to her on social media. She loves hearing from her fans!
Find D.E. Carlson on her website, Amazon, and Instagram.
Quick Synopsis
Iris has made it to the Fire City and now needs to find her way on her own. Besaun feels betrayed by all of those around him and has to decide between loyalty to the Fire Emperor and saving the lives of his people.
Initial Thoughts
Oh my, what a journey. I was delightfully horrified at the crazy emotional adventure this book took me on.
I waited in suspense for my favorite characters from Book 1 to show up.
I pondered the seemingly contradictory actions of the new characters, trying to decide if they could be trusted or not.
I cried at special moments with friends, and then cried again when special friends were lost in one way or another.
I cheered, I agonized, I annoyed my husband with a play-by-play of the most exciting parts.
I highly recommend.
The Setting
Iris has made her way to the Fire City in this second installment. The first part of the book has her searching desperately for someone who might be on her side. She encounters some strange beings in the run-down parts of town and we get to see what day-to-day life is like for citizens of the Fire City.
In about the last two-thirds of the book, we are in the Fire City palace with the royal family, the Fire Guard, and a clear view of the Flame at the center of the city that keeps the Fire Emperor alive.
The royal court in the Fire City is striking. I love the descriptions of the interesting rooms, like the one where Prince Allsander spends his spare time being worshiped by random people. And the descriptions of the outfits were so neat. The leather armor was unique and the elegant outfits that Iris wore to the midsummer’s celebrations would be so beautiful to see.
The Characters
Oh, so many complex characters! Iris has matured so much since the first book. She is confident and learns to hold her head high. I absolutely love the bondswoman that she becomes friends with.
Besaun is given a new role as Lieutenant in the Fire Army where he is put in command of men who have been trained for years as a Fire Guard. The tasks he is given cause him to have to make some very difficult decisions. And, just like the last book, I don’t really like all of the decisions he makes. However, his character probably has the best redemption arc of this book and he is turning into one of my favorites.
Who am I kidding, they are all my favorite.
Some of the minor characters are SO interesting and I want to know more about a lot of them. Casandra is a brave soul and I would like to read her novella (it’s free if you sign up for D.E.’s newsletter on her website). Prince Allsander is devious but sometimes not. He’s a tricky one. Captain Veldan has a story he’s hiding, and Iris is wrong about him. And I want to know more. Master Gendau is our wise leader and I admired his part in the story.
There was a character from the first book that I was really hoping to see in this one, and he’s there. He shows up. I was so happy. But I can’t tell you who it is because it’s definitely a spoiler. So you just have to read to find out.
The Story
The whole premise of this book is resisting the Fire Emperor. Everyone has their own journey to go on, but in some way the Fire Emperor has an impact on their story. The most difficult battle happens inside of Iris as she has to resist the fire demon almost the entire book. Sometimes that got a little creepy, and may be part of why I didn’t give the book a full 5 stars.
I really loved the traditions of the Fire City. It is so interesting that every society has traditions and celebrations that bring people together and remind them of their history, no matter how evil the society is.
The trials that Iris has to go through and how everyone around her reacts to her experiences was really well done. She has to train to understand how to use her fire, so we get to learn along with her how she controls her gift and what she can accomplish with it.
Content Warnings
one swear word is used (it is used “correctly” in context, but I still didn’t like reading it), there is more descriptive violence in this book than the last one and a couple scenes were slightly disturbing, one character is physically tortured, the demon is trying to possess Iris for the majority of the book