From Unseen Fire is a beautifully written and nuanced work of historical urban fantasy. The focus here is not on the magic so much as the interpersonal relationships and politics of a pseudo ancient Rome. Accomplishments are through intellectual decisions rather than random actions - a rarity in this age of 'tell and forget to show' fiction. I appreciated that we have a mature set of main characters who are navigating a tricky world and situation but also triumphing above adversity.

Story: Latona is the daughter of privilege but at the mercy of a vicious Dictator who has ruled Aven with greed and decisiveness. Her family has suffered, as has she personally, under the Dictator; his final death after years of subjugation means freedom but also challenges. As the politicians jockey for position, exiled aristocrats return, and a new threat emerges in Ibera, Aven is an empire in turmoil. Latona will find herself siding with the quiet and shrewd senator Sempronius Tarren - her contribution to his campaign to become the next leader of Aven being a very strong ability in fire and empathy magic.

Since this is Rome by another name, it is fairly easy to understand the plot - Aven standing for Rome, Iberia for Spain, and the Roman political structure. The magic is understated - aristocrats downplay the ability due to its potential for abuse and most with magic abilities seek to hide it if they are in politics. Especially in patrician women, it is a detriment rather than a benefit. There are darker, more forbidden magics, of course, and even more 'spiritual' magic in the pagan lands outside of Aven.

Main character Latona is a woman protecting her family members while also attempting to affect change quietly. Her struggles are nicely drawn and she triumphs or fails based on her intellect rather than random chance or deus ex machina abilities. This type of heroine is so rare in fiction lately - and I appreciated her characterization all the much more for it.

At its heart, it is a romance - the developing relationship between Sempronius and Latona. I was greatly reminded of Pride and Prejudice in several areas - not directly but more as an inspiration. Especially since we have a lead male character with a watchful sister and a lead female character with a large family in straightened circumstances. There are no great misunderstandings but the depth and strength of these characters were very reminiscent of Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett - as well as many of Austen's protagonists.

From Unseen Fire is written in a literary style that lets the plot unfold slowly and smoothly. It's not a book for those expecting huge drama points or excess battles over characterization. As such, it's a book to slowly savor rather than quickly consume. It's also a book that stays with you longer for that reason. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

The ancient country of Aven has been the victim of its Dictator for decades. When he dies of a chronic illness, the capitol city and the entire country is thrown into chaos. Those who were exiled under the previous regime flock to the capitol. Politicians scramble to capture power. Enemy countries make plans to attack. The lives of a trio of sisters and their historic family are turned upside down. 

I was excited to be sent a copy of From Unseen Fire. I'd seen it marketed on Twitter by the author and a number of different book marketing companies. The cover looked fascinating and once I read of the summary, I knew I had to read it. As I've mentioned in a few previous blog posts, I studied Latin for many years and, since this book appeared to be based in Rome or a similar setting, I was excited to learn more. 

I wasn't far off in my initial guess of the setting. While the city isn't exactly Rome, there are strong elements of Roman and Latin culture sprinkled throughout, including togas, the republic political structure, furniture and religion. It is implied that the city of Aven exists in an alternate world in which Remus (rather than his brother Romulus) founded the city. Regardless, I enjoyed the explored and learning more about the setting. It was an exciting change of scenery from many of the urban or medieval fantasy stories I've read so far this year. 

The plot of this novel was complex and detailed, if this wasn't clear from my summary in the first paragraph. There are at least five moving pieces of the plot, all equally important and interconnected. As is the case in any novel with multiple story lines, I was more interested in some character's point of views than others. The plot I found most compelling was of Latona, a mage of Fire and Spirit, from the prominent Vitalliae family, who fights the expectations put on her by her society, her family and her husband. 

The cast of character is absolutely immense. The first couple of pages of the book have a detailed directory of characters. While it was important and ultimately helpful as I went through the story, I was exhausted reading through the summary of the families and characters within them. I often times wondered if many of the characters could be cut out or combined to help the flow of the story and make things easier of the reader, but with such a complicated plot, each character does become necessary so it's difficult to say who I would get rid of. Instead of negative aspect of the book, I think it's more of a warning to any readers who are more interested in light or leisurely reading. 

Fans of Game of Thrones and myths, will love From Unseen Fire. The first book of the upcoming Aven cycle is a complex and compelling story. The setting is unique and fun, plus readers who are have studies Roman culture will get a kick out of many of the references. There is a large, somewhat daunting cast of characters, but the author does a good job of making sure they're all necessary and relevant to the plot. 

From Unseen Fire will be available on April 17th. In the meantime, you can pre-order the book on Amazon or through your local, independent bookstore.

FROM UNSEEN FIRE is filled with complex imaginings and political magical machinations in a slow building reader's trap.

FROM UNSEEN FIRE is beautifully written and descriptive novel thrusting the reader deep into the Roman error…well a magical Roman error.

You have a woman, Latona, fighting for the best outcome. She is basically doing whatever it takes to keep her family ahead. While, Sempronius Tarren, he wanted the best outcome for his family but also seemed to have a grasp of the land as whole and the ability to effect everyone around him.

Political machinations, religious beliefs, personal experiences, magical power and gender all play a part Aven’s future. Reading FROM UNSEEN FIRE gives the reader an upclose and personal look as it unfolds.

I received this ARC copy of From Unseen Fire from Berkley Publishing Group - DAW. This is my honest and voluntary review. From Unseen Fire is set for publication for April 17, 2018.

My Rating: 4stars
Written by: Cass Morris
Series: Aven Cycle
Sequence in Series: Book 1
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: April 17, 2018
ISBN-10: 0756412242
ISBN-13: 978-0756412241
Genre: Epic Fantasy

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This is not my type of read. No rating or review. Thank you for sending the book anyhow.

From Unseen Fire by Cass Morris is the 1st book in her Aven Cycle fantasy series. This is an epic fantasy that takes place in Aven, with an Ancient Rome background, where they worship the Roman Deity. The story is filled with magic, intrigue, history and romance. From Unseen Fire was a very good story, but I did have some mixed feelings, which I will note later in my review.

Latona, our heroine, is the middle sister of the Vitelliae family that is highly respected in Aven. With the Dictator now dead, Latona finds herself free to learn more about her hidden ability as a mage of spirit and fire. Latona is in a loveless marriage forced by her father, but she is loyal very close to her sisters. I really loved Latona, and her two sisters, Aula and Alhena, and how strong all three women truly were.
Sempronius Tarren, our hero, is a senator who has kept himself in the background because of the evil dictator. He is a very powerful shadow mage, who also has hidden abilities that he keeps secret that allows him to also see prophecy. Tarren is determined to run for political office to become their leader, and bring Aven to a better world for all citizens.

Tarren begins to notice how powerful Latona is, and how she tries to hide it. She is able to secretly calm people with her spirit ability and fight or stop fire with that ability. Tarren will be the one who will give Latona confidence in harnessing and controlling her powers.
Latona and her family all support Tarren, and she begins to feel an attraction to him. When trouble arises, Latona will find a way to help Tarren. Their attraction for each other grows, but they both know since she is married, even in name only, it is best to leave it as friendship.
There are a number of villains in this story, one being the deceased dictator’s 2nd in command, who wants to take over everything, including kill Tarren. The other main villain comes from another area, who murders people along the way to destroy Aven and become the power.

What follows is an exciting adventure that will put both Tarren and Latona in dangerous situations a few times. There slow build romance is kept loosely in the background, as we know how they feel and we root for them, but Latona is tied to a marriage with a husband who is becoming more difficult and anti anything she wants to do to help others. Latona is a strong woman, but can she find a way to utilize her ability to help Tarren and the good people of Aven?

As much as I enjoyed the story revolving around Aven, Latona, her family, Tarren, his sister & his supporters, I did have mixed feelings about the rest. The villain who was trying to stop Tarren was bad, it did blend in with that part of the story, which was exciting. I did not like the story around the other villain murdering villages and innocent people to gain control, as well as the story about Latona’s brother, who was in the army battling this villain. It was slow, and I lost interest, pushing along to get back to Latona and Tarren’s story. There is a lot of history in the background, and perhaps that is where I got lost.

Overall, From the Unseen Fire was a very good story, well written by Morris, with some very good characters. I want to see what happens in the next book; how will Latona’s strength grow; will Tarren be able to fight off his enemies; will Latona’ s youngest sister control her powers; and the people of Aven survive.

I've never herd of this author before, so when I seen the cover and read the blurb I was very interested in this story.

Unseen Fire is very political, a tale about magic and romance. The world building was great. From the beginning we are transported into the ancient Aven a city that is in a political war after the death of the dictator, set in Rome.

Latona struggles to keep her powers under control, she's had to keep them repressed for so long but her magic just wanted free. She pretty kick ass, strong women!

overall I am in two minds, I really enjoyed it but I found myself putting it down for a few days and then returning to it. I wasn't completely absorbed or connected to the story. I think for fans that love this genre are going to be surprised and will enjoy the beautiful words of this debut story.

4 out of 5 stars

First I would like to take a moment to appreciate the cover by Tran Nguyen who is one of my favorite traditional artists. Thank you Daw Publishing for always putting a lot into your covers - they’re always INCREDIBLE!

From Unseen Fire is an alternative retelling of ancient Roman history with magic. It is a tale of intrigue and love. It is a story of a woman struggling to contain her magic after so long, and falling in love with another man who is not her husband.

I was really skeptical when I picked the book up. I will warn the reader that the first 100 pages is a lot of information and a lot to absorb. However, like Lord of the Rings, if you stick through - you will be rewarded with an incredible tale. I absolutely adored the main character, Latona, - who is a very strong female character. It’s also very refreshing to see a strong female from the beginning of the book, Latona is not one of those characters who is weak in the beginning and then finds her strength. She is already strong and is not afraid of that strength. On the other hand, even she has her moments of doubt and I honestly found that incredibly relatable.

While, I do not condone cheating, in this book it simply works. It’s not that Latona is being abused by her husband or has it really bad in their marriage. It’s just that sometimes things do not work out. And while today we have divorce, from what I remember of my Ancient Roman history - getting a divorce then was equivalent to walking on water, especially for a woman. And maybe, maybe, what Morris is saying with Latona’s extra marital affair is that just like any other Ancient Roman man in power, Latona, a woman, can also have lovers.

I absolutely love that Morris stayed away from the female on female trope. There is something to be said about the authors today, Morris, Novik, Arden, Taylor, who are pushing the idea of female friendship in their novels, to demonstrate to readers that women should not hate women. Of course, not every woman gets along in this book, that would be ridiculous, but the sisterly affection from Latona and her sisters is refreshing, endearing and encouraging.

I understand that this is Morris’s debut, but my god can the woman write. Her descriptions are so vivid that I could almost touch them. The research that went into this book is also staggering. To write an alternative retelling of a time period, demands time, research and patience and Morris completely succeeded in this.

I would recommend this book for anyone who read Circe by Madeline Miller, Uprooter and Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik or The Bear and the Nightingale Series by Katherine Arden. You will not regret it, I promise.

Maybe it’s to former Latin student in me, but I’m really liking the minor trend toward fantasy novels that take inspiration from Ancient Rome. In this case, the setting was an alternate Rome where the biggest difference was the prevalence of magic in the society which had many ripple effects that were super interesting to watch the book explore. The characters themselves were interesting and sympathetic (I don’t require my characters to be sympathetic, but it worked well in this book) and I felt like the book had a lot of heart in addition to its world building and action. I’m excited to continue with this series and see where it goes.



I will post this review on Goodreads a week before publication, and may feature it on my instagram,

This book is epically good. Like, EPICALLY good.

Cass Morris somehow managed to take Ancient Rome, mix it with a dash of fantasy here, a pinch of science-fiction there, resulting in the best novel soufflé you've ever had in your whole life.

I am not exaggerating. It is seriously that good.

I love historical fictions set in Ancient Rome. They are my absolute fave. But I equally love books that have some magic, some mystery, some spells, some wizardry and so on. Never would I have dreamed that the two could be mixed. But oh, how beautifully they mixed. The characters are incredibly developed and progress as the timeline moves along. They are amazingly fun to get to know and will not be forgotten anytime soon. The scenes and circumstances are set up perfectly, plunking the reader right in the middle of the action and holding them hostage. The way magic was woven throughout the book...along with also somehow managing to keep things historically accurate...was so brilliantly done. I truly cannot say enough about this book.

Dear Publisher,

I need a physical copy of this book in my hands. I may even need to sleep with it under my pillow.

Love,

Stacie