Age of Deception (The Firebird Chronicles Book 2)

I was going to give this four stars because some of it is really over the top. There are a too many epic main character always saves the day and stuns everyone around her with her amazing and uniquely powerful super hero-esq. abilities -to sit comfortably, even in a fantasy sci-fi. (But I also have to admit that I pushed through it and shamelessly enjoyed every second of those scenes too) I had to give it five stars however because I am currently basking in the ending. ( how could you do that to me?!) Although this is not a romance novel, ( it’s too complex for that), I am enjoying the romance between the two leads, even some of the slightly cheesy parts. I have to seriously congratulate the author because the build up and flirtation is perfect. Timing is everything when it comes to believability and enjoyment of a romance IMO as is dialogue and this author has excellent instincts for the pacing of character/relationship development. I do thoroughly enjoy the banter between all the characters, even if the two leads can occasionally be, again, over the top. I’m also enjoying that the romance is a parallel thread woven through the story, a compliment to the other multiple plot lines that are just as important, if not even more so. I love the world that the author has created and the escapism it offers. I would also like to note that I am impressed with the layout of the story lines. A book within a series needs a focus and resolution to certain pieces so that the reader isn’t frustrated, while at the same time weaving the larger series plot through the book with enough interest and forward movement to keep the reader wanting more. The author does this with ease so fans can look forward to starting any of her series. I would highly recommend that others try reading the authors other books. Her imagination is vast and spreads to multiple worlds and themes that don’t disappoint. Now, please tell me that the next book was already half finished before this one was published because it would be cruel to make the readers wait for a year with an ending like that! I’ll keep an eye out so that I can preorder the next installment.

Follow along with Kira as she learns about her heritage, trains and participates in a potentially deadly rite of passage, reveals more of her mysterious past with Humanity, and uncovers more details of the Tsavitee menace threatening Tuann and Human alike! If you loved Rules of Redemption (and if you haven't read it, do so, you WILL love it) you will love AGE OF DECEPTION even more. I strongly recommend reading RoR first, or you may be lost trying to catch up with the in-depth world building and complex, thoughtful characters that populate the book. AoD follows Kira on her further adventures with the Tuann, learning about more about them in general and her father's family specifically. Kira's strength, honor, brutal honesty, and intelligence are her support in uncertain and dangerous times - we can only hope to have a friend like her in our lives. As she comes to understand the Tuann history and her place in it, she begins to see how it ties into her experiences in humanity's war with the Tsavitee, and the danger to bot Tuann and Human of the Tsavitee plans. As Kira learns more, we also get a broader glimpse into her backstory, which makes her an even more compelling main character. I've re-read this book multiple times already, because there is SO MUCH GOING ON I keep finding nuggets I missed. TA White love to keep us wanting more, so this is a complete book but it does include a tease of future revelations that will leave you desperately hoping she writes Book 3 ASAP! I received a copy of this book for an honest review- AND I bought a copy to support the author because I so LOVE this story. Take a chance on RoR and AoD. You won't regret it.

I really liked too many elements of the story to list without spoilers. I like our MC and love the fact she is tough but does not feel the need to smart off to everyone around her or engage every time a gauntlet is thrown down. Except maybe in the case of the love interest. Their relationship is very competitive and it was interesting to see why they are match for each other even if they aren't much alike on the surface as their personalities and motivations are revealed to us. I enjoyed the fact that she had to prove herself without super-powers in this one-so often the power just keeps growing until it overshadows the character when magic is involved. The plot is unfolding nicely with a plans-within-plans scenario that is pleasantly engaging. Descriptions are great, you get a feel of immersion in the world. Some plot elements you saw coming a mile away, but it was still fun getting there. Others were nice twists and surprises. There were some areas that I thought were repetitious or that were needlessly dragging the story out without really providing a lot of benefit, honestly I think more solid storyline could and should have been in this one, but overall I stayed engaged and kept flipping those pages to find out what happened next or what was revealed about the background or the world. It ended on a cliffhanger, or a surprise reveal I suppose, which was pretty frustrating but not entirely unexpected given the ending of the last book.

I love space opera. I love big, sweeping stories with world shattering consequences, and plucky hero-and-heroines who defy the odds and come out of nowhere to overthrow the established, possibly corrupt or infiltrated order. Maybe I was spoiled by watching Star Wars at an impressionable age. Throw in a love story and I'm over the moon. I even love bad space opera. This is not bad space opera. The plucky hero, the damaged heroine (yes, a reversal) the kingdoms and species and villains all are well written, well thought out and engaging. The overarching plot has been well thought out, the plot of each story is obviously building to a stunning conclusion of some sort where, in a Shakespearian conclusion, order is once more restored. Here is the bottom line. The writing is excellent, the characters are real and engaging, the plot is well thought out, the world-building is excellent, there are believable good guys and bad guys and traitors and patriots, the story is well thought out and well plotted. The only quibble I might have is yes, you have to read the books in order. They aren't stand alone. I'm kind of wishing I'd discovered this series in another year or two so the entire cycle would be done and I could gobble them all up at once instead of having to wait for the next couple of books to be written. I'll be waiting impatiently for the next book in the series! (And reading the rest of the author's stuff in the meantime).

*I highly recommend reading this series in order. I don't think the story will make much sense and it will not be as good without first reading Rules of Redemption (book 1 in the The Firebird Chronicles). The author continues her engaging pattern, giving you the answers to some of your questions, hinting at other answers, and leaving you guessing for the rest. This series is very good. There is no instant-love or instant-badassery here. The characters continue to grow and develop through their merit and hard work, but none of the development scenes are boring. The author is realistic with her physical expectations of the main character, who has not engaged in war or strenuous activity for a long time. The character needs to build her endurance and skills back up. The author continuous to develop complicated relationships between all of the characters involved and all of the characters have both good and flawed qualities. I highly, highly recommend this book to those who love a slow-burn romance, a strong, independent heroine, and a novel with lots of mystery and action packed adventure! Each book ends a plotline, but the overall story continues into the next book. The last chapter will leave you gripping your seat, eagerly anticipating the release of the next book in the series (which the Author has stated she expects to be released Fall of 2020 and Goodreads displays the expected publication of December, so hopefully we don't have to wait too much longer).

This 2nd installment in Kira Forrest's story was a well plotted, well paced story that gave readers the background of the Tuann, information about the Tsavitee, and the mysterious Makers that Kira has been determined to thwart from the very start. T A White tends to pack her stories with action, heartache, growth, and redemption each and every time. However, she does leave it on a cliffhanger. I almost chucked my phone across the room when I got to the very end. What a way to leave it! That said, this book did not, in my opinion, have the usual issues that many 2nd books have in a series. The character growth was well developed and we were forewarned that Kira would have to continuously prove herself over and over. Not just with her new House and the Tuann but also with her human friends. Leaving, whether well intentioned or not, still has an impact that she will need to deal with. And Kira is not the best at dealing with interpersonal relationships. This book didn't solve all of Kira's problems and I liked that very much. It stayed true to her character of being distrustful yet showed the growth of her struggling to let people in and showing them WHY she acts the way she acts. Graydon's understanding and knowledge of her and what she represents was wonderful. You could see him growing with her both in his love for her and his admiration of what she potentially means to his people. As with all T A White books, I will be pre-ordering the next one and will re-read this one multiple times. This author has consistently given me a world and characters that I can sink into and simply... enjoy.

I truly love this book. It is refreshing to see an author with a new idea. I was on the edge of my seat through the whole book then wow the surprise ending was fantastic. I bought the next book right away!! I think the main character Keira is very engaging and very in-depth. I do believe the character is written well with great development. The story is progressing and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

I do not know how T A White is able to write multiple engrossing series set in disparate universes at once but boy am I glad she does. Most other authors seem to just do spin off series set in the same universe they have created- to me this demonstrates T A White's exceptional talent in that she can keep more than one series going at the same time and each is top notch. She has become my favorite author surpassing even Ilona Andrews (which takes some doing) and I eagerly await every book in every series she writes. But the Firebird series, which is her entry into space opera, is without doubt my favorite of her series thus far. Like each of her series, it features a strong female lead. In this case it is Kira who is a Tuann rescued by humans from a camp where she along with others was tortured as a child. In Book 1, Kira learned she was Tuann and about the maternal side of her heritage. The Age of Deception (Firebird Book 2) picks up where book 1 left off and in this book, Kira learns more about her paternal heritage and herself as she undergoes training for the Trial of the Broken on the capital planet. More of her backstory is revealed in this book including why she had exiled herself from her former teammates and what she is searching for. This book made it more apparent why Raider has the chip on his shoulder that he does with Kira. I hope the friendship they appeared to be on the way to regaining isn't further damaged by the revelations at the end of Book 2. Kira's difficulty with trusting others makes more sense in this book given revelations about past and present betrayals but it was gratifying that she allowed herself to make more personal connections and begin to trust others again. Definitely enjoyed the deepening relationship with Graydon. I find myself torn on Jin. While AI Jin is a character I really like, after learning more of his past as well in this book, I hope somehow he does end up with a body again. But if he does, will he and Kira still have the same special relationship? Like book 1, while the primary story in book 2 wraps itself up, the final chapter brings new revelations that sets up the storyline for book 3. It will be torture waiting for that book. While I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review, I chose to purchase the book when it was finally released because I enjoyed it so much I wanted to make sure I had the most up to date version and I wanted to show my support for this author by actually purchasing the book (because I want her to write many, many more).