Shimmer and Burn

Find my review of Shimmer and Burn here on Goodreads

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Right, ok. So Faris lives in a poor area of Brigandael (or something). Her father is useless and her mother tried to kill her when she was younger. Luckily, she only managed to stab and both physically and mentally scar poor Faris. Now fast forward, Faris is 17 and planning to run away with her noble sweetheart Thaelan so they can have a life outside of the of the overpopulated city they live in.(oh and he doesn’t want to marry his rich noble fiance, obviously).  Only problem bis that no one has EVER escaped Brigandael (or whatever). 

You see, when the magic plague (aka the Burn in Avinea)  was spreading throughout the lands, King Perrote saved his people by physically moving a mountain between Brigendael and the lands of Avinea. The plague couldn’t get in, but no one can get out either. The king forbids it. Every year he sends of magic shadow crows who deem the land a barren wasteland. And to question the king on this after he saved them would be insulting to him. Oh and he’ll kill you for trying. 

Well Faris and Thaelan decide to escape with her sister Cadence. Except Cadence is a whiny 13 yr old snot who cares only about being Gaga about Thaelan and not iminent danger and ends up getting Thaelan killed. Cadence is captured and Faris must watch as her sister is thrown into slavery where she has no mind of her own. Set to work like a robot under a magic spell. Faris knows she cannot save Cadence St this moment. She must travel outside to Avinea. 

How does this all go along. Well the King’s 7th child, Bryn, is a spoiled entitled shit who believes she’s BETTER than sliced bread. She was born to be a queen yada yada. She threatens Faris with Cadence’s life and leaves Faris no choice but to be her slave and travel with her to Avinea so she can rally up the royals and convince them to help her ovetake her father so she can be queen. Because she’s special and she just knows she deserves it. 

Anyway, when Faris agrees (by force) , the King’s executioner -and Bryn’s current fiance -injects Faris with *clean magic*. It is the bargaining chip Bryn will use to convince Prince Corbin to give her an army. Avinea has poisoned magic and the land is mostly poisoned by the plague/burn. Faris is her proof that Brigandael has clean magic. Oh also, anything that hurts Bryn gets immediately slapped onto Faris. There’s that too. 

Anyway, yada yada they get into trouble and uly cripple handed North saves them. He’s kind of an ass but agrees to help Bryn and Faris get to Avinea’s castle in exchange for money that he REALLY REALLY NEEDS, because reasons. Anyway his reasons for being angry and broody all the time slowly revealed. 

When a traveller and his sick poisoned daughter come to his door, he refuses to help them. Faris essentially forces North to help the little girl and finds out the magic/Poison is slowly seeping into his heart and he will die if he keeps doing that. 

Then Faris and North admit how much they love each other because there had to be a romance even though there really wasn’t any time for romance or anything. North is determined to get Faris unbound from Bryn. He grabs her and magic happens, poisoning Faris instantly. He sends of his lackey and Bryn to the court while he rushes to a healer he trusts with Faris in tow, dying. 

During surgery, they find out that Faris’ mother wasn’t trying to kill her. Embedded in the stitched up wound where she was stabbed is a spell. A spell to find Prince Corbin’s father, King Merlock. The bastard who ruinrd magic and everything in Avinea. And somewhere in here it’s revealed that…

North is Prince Corbin. Surprise! 

He needs the money Bryn offers because his kingdom is destitute. Army? Ha what army. They have nothing. Cornin’s sole goal is t9 find his father and end him. Seeing as Faris is a King finding compass, she’s just become absolutely essential.

Anyway, after the healer betrays them, they deal with it and rush to the castle in Avinea. only to find both Brynn and her father there. By the way, King Perrote is a fake king. He separated the lands and dubbed himself king of Brigandael. It’s a mystery for a while in the book about why Brigandael wasnt on any map and no one outside it had heard of it. It’s because imposter king here didn’t  want to lose his kingdom. it’s also why he won’t let anyone leave. He fears them finding out the truth. Anyway, I digress. Perrote and Bryn form a temporary true to stop trying to end each other, so they can rule Avinea. 

They do this by forcing North to get engaged with Bryn and promise Perrote a place on Nort-‘s council. In exchange for clean magic North desperately needs. Also they have to release Cadence from captivity.

He tells Faris he will choose her. He NEEDS her. She tells him to suck it up and that he needs to marry Bryn. 

Alastair is also along for the party and knows he’s about to to lose everything since his engagement with Bryn is obvious off. He convinces Faris to get North to demand he stays. He has promised that he can find a way to rid Faris and North of the poisonous magic that runs through their veins.