Special thanks to HarperCollins and Riley at SparkPointStudio for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

TL;DR: This book took me on quite an emotional and mental journey! I went from being unsure whether I could get into this due to the narrative being told in the second person to desperately trying not to cry in public when I got to the last 30% to sobbing at home while reading the last 10% of it. This story is tragic and heartbreaking but beautifully written and somehow also hopeful. I loved going on this journey with these seven brave, powerful yet haunted teenage warriors and I have a feeling I’ll think of them and their experiences for a while to come.

First of all, I have to mention again that this is told in the second person and I can’t remember the last time I read from this perspective so it was rough going at first. I’m glad I persisted though because I would’ve missed out on a fantastic story otherwise. If you struggle with it at first, I would encourage giving yourself a bit of time to get used to it because the story you get at the end is worth it; at least, IMHO. I loved the significance of the perspective and the narrative voice not only made the story more impactful but also made me more emotional by the end.

As the author writes in her background letter, Kindling is her “homage to The Seven Samurai” a popular movie from the 1950s but one that I’m entirely unfamiliar with (I also haven’t seen the remake). It helped to set the stage for what was to come though and it was nice to read her inspiration and passion for the story. I enjoy stories that start with starkly different individuals coming together for a common cause and learning to work together and form a connection despite said differences, and I think the author did this well! These seven child soldiers, most of whom were in their mid to late teens at the time of telling, were such interesting characters and I loved how well-written they were. They have distinct voices and personalities and it was a pleasure to get to know each of them more, even though it was heartbreaking to hear how haunted they were, how they all suffered from PTSD, and how lost they were in the aftermath of the war. It was very sad to read how they were trying so hard to make sense of who they are now that they are no longer the soldiers they were made to be, while simultaneously trying to reconcile their actions from during the war. My heart broke seeing them come to terms with the loss of their childhood and the way society views them as a means to a better future that they won’t even get to experience because they will most likely be dead. It’s a weighty subject and frankly, a rather depressing read, but Chee uses a frank yet sensitive hand to unpack all of their experiences.

I can’t say that I had a favourite character of the seven but I appreciated them all for what they brought to the group. Amity, their leader and the one who brings them all together. Leum, the grumpiest second-in-command who’s soft-hearted underneath the disgruntled exterior. Ket, the heartbreaker and runner. Emara, the goofiest and most easy-going “enemy” Kindling. Kanver, the heartbroken drunk who has too big a heart for her good. Ben, the stoic, quiet and sharpest knife. And Siddie, the youngest, clumsiest trainee who longs to be a Kindling. I will admit that I probably struggled with Siddie the most just because her “good intentions” led to some devastating consequences and it was frustrating but also very true to her character. All of them are imperfect and fallible. They are angry, confused, and broken. But they are all looking for a place to belong in this peace and it was so easy to root for them individually as well as the found family they come to be.

I will say that the world-building is rather light. We understand that for a long time, there has been a war and children with the ability to draw on magic, channelled through balar weapons, have been trained as brutal killing machines until the invention of hand cannons turned the tide of war. Exactly how the magic is wielded is not very clear but I didn’t mind it as the story focused more on their emotional and mental journeys. Despite despising the enemy in this story, I also kind of wish that we got more of their history to understand what drove them to become who they are now, especially considering what we come to know about them. I think it would’ve increased the intensity of the final battle and made the ending a bit more satisfying (or maybe not, lol).

Ultimately, I have a feeling that Kindling will stay with me for longer than I expect it to. I’m so glad that I kept reading despite my initial uncertainty and I’m happy to finally have picked up a book by Traci Chee because she’s an author I’ve been meaning to read for some time. I hope this book will get the attention it deserves! 😃

Do you have Kindling on your TBR or does it sound like something you’d read?

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