Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame

Meg Long

YA Fantasy

A girl hellbent on finding the friend she lost. A planet on the brink of total destruction. Only one way to find answers amidst the chaos: team up with a traitor to stage a revolution,in Meg Long’s Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame.

After a mission gone awry two years ago, Remy Castell has been desperately searching across worlds to find the friend she failed to save—the friend who changed her life by helping her overcome the brainwashing she was subjected to as a genetically engineered corporate agent.

Since then, she’s been chasing the only lead she has: fellow genopath Kiran Lore, the same secretive ex-squadmate who left her for dead when she compromised that mission. She nearly caught up to him on Tundar before joining the infamous sled race alongside outcast Sena and her wolf companion Iska. Now, all three of them have tracked Kiran back to Maraas, the jungle planet where Remy lost everything. But nothing on Maraas is how it was two years ago. Syndicates and scavvers alike are now trying to overthrow a megalomaniac corpo director, which Remy wants nothing to do with; fighting against corpos is as useless as trying to stay dry in the middle of the giant hellstorm that encircles the planet. But the storm—and the rebellion—are growing stronger by the minute.

When Remy finds Kiran, he doesn’t run away like she expects. Instead, he offers her a deal: help with the revolution and he’ll reunite her with her friend. But can she really trust the boy who betrayed her once before? With the entire planet on the edge of all-out war, Remy will have to decide just how far she’s willing to go to save one girl before the impending storm drowns them all.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(3.5 / 5) Honestly, I’m not sure if this is book 2 for Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves or if Long wants it to stand on it’s own? It very well could stand on its own with very little information needed to fill gaps.

We have Remy as our protagonist. She is engineered from animal and human parts to create the best product for a corporation in control. She looks human, but her body can heal quickly, and she has better reflexes and strength than others. She also has a perfect memory which both haunts her and comes in handy. She is on the hunt for an old friend and gets herself involved in a rebellion which ends up being the fight of her life with her friends. Many adventures ensue and dangerous threats all while trying to beat the storm that is coming. The adventure is high and it was a fun ride.

“I realize this promise is more than just saving her from the immediate threat. It means I have to stop the coup.”

The book seemed overly long. While it was full of rebellion, action and strategy, I found my attention waning multiple times. I could put it down for days at a time without thinking about it. There were many times I was entertained and loved the adventure but there were many times I walked away from it without another thought. I also would have liked to experience more of the storm. It’s talked about through the entire book, this ominous storm that takes over the planet every few weeks. Landscapes are changed and people are killed. Once the storm finally came I felt I only got a glimpse. It’s in the title, give me more!

The “romance” aspect of the book really confused me. Throughout the story there were hints of something between two young women. Sometimes it played out as a friendship but many times it had me wondering if there was more? Then you add a male character in and there are hints with him too but nothing ever really happened? I’m not opposed to no romance, but I am opposed to being confused and I’m definitely confused.

“It doesn’t matter where or how you start. It only matters what you do to change things and where you end up.” 

General content summary: F words= 1, moderate language, previous killing (no details), spaceship malfunctioning (intense moments, crash), gun threat, previous sedative given without permission, stories of an ape draining blood and killing, previous physical and physiological child abuse (few details), cigarette addiction, physical violence (few details, multiple, weapons, fists, syringe and sedation), consequence/punishment where one is made to hold breath underwater until passing out then being revived just to do it over again, flash bombs, captivity, large ape-like bats are sent to attack and kill (death, screams), explosion and fire (many hurt), a small bomb thrown in a flying machine making it crash and people jump out, gunshots, small bomb, wolf bite (some detail of the damage), previous parental deaths (few details), large crocodile creatures, hints of a previous f/f relationship (fairly vague), inhumane treatment of animals, animal attacks (screams, multiple), mudslide threatening and killing many (few details), explosion harming many (some details), train accident (injuries, deaths assumed), gunshot (wound, blood), falling from a large height, stabbing and blood, grief, hint at a f/f romance or at least crush (no details).

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the gifted copy!

The book releases January 17, 2023.

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