Book Review: Dual Fires

In a world with two separate peoples, lightbreathers and darkbreathers. Both sides war against each other with hate in their hearts. Life is lived around the ebb and flow between attack and retreat. Only legend talks of a world without war. Only the dual breather can change fate. Gyver Lightbreather hopes the dualbreather will show in his lifetime. He fights for the light in the name of the destiny he hopes will come.

Dual Fires by J. L. Anderson is a novel about Gyver Lightbreather and his friend Hessen Airbreather who end up working together to make destiny happen. In this world, lightbreathers and darkbreathers war against each other with airbreathers, forgotten but caught, between the two warring peoples. Both sides have their own versions of prophecies dictating what will happen when the dualbreather is born and changes the world.

The first thing that really stood out about this book was the interesting world it is set in. I really enjoyed the concept of this divided world. Each side has their own powers and abilities, and they are constantly at war against each other. Though it isn’t really explained as to why they are at war, the concept is super interesting to learn about. When seeing the people from each side, both groups evolved into their own cultures and communities, and their abilities alone dictate what side they belong to. Plus, both the lightbreathers and the darkbreathers each have their own view of the future and what it might hold when the dualbreather is born. Even though the concept of a world divided by war isn’t a new idea, the details of it made the story feel fresh and unique.

I also appreciate how the entire story fits into one book. Nowadays, series are the most common set up for fantasy stories. Normally, this is good because most readers want more story when they like a novel. However, it is nice to have the entire plot put into one novel instead of having to commit to multiple books in order to find out what happens. If you don’t have time to read a large series and just want  something small to read, this book does complete the storyline by the end of the novel.

On the other hand, the storyline itself could have been a bit stronger. The plot felt a bit easy. The beginning starts the story really strong with some important story set up. We get to know the different characters and get an introduction to the world. Then, after the first third of the book, I don’t feel like the story has many obstacles or heavy stakes. Events go fairly smoothly, and the tension, created by the conflict, is fairly weak. I would have preferred more danger or more complications to make the book more exciting and interesting.