Book Review: “To Bind Fire” by D. E. Carlson
This clean Christian fantasy romance beautifully portrays a young woman discovering God in a world ravaged by chaos.
The Premise
The world used to live in harmony—Harmony with each other, and harmony with El (God). But that harmony was broken when one line of magic-users, the Firebloods, deserted to the god of chaos and used their power to conquer and suppress the other races.
Now the Fireblood emperor reigns supreme over a broken land. But the world is unraveling. With the people no longer in harmony with El, earthquakes and tempests are threatening to rip apart the land.
But there is a prophecy: a prophecy that an uncorrupted young Fireblood will arise to turn their bloodline back to El.
Iris spent her whole childhood in a remote mountain cabin. The only people in her life were her mother and her older brother. When both die in a fire—a fire that Iris blames herself for—she must set out down the snowy mountainside, alone. A band of nomadic traders take her in, though many hate or distrust her because of her Fireblood lineage. As Iris navigates the complex social tensions in her new family and tribe, she also begins to learn about the ancient Prophecy—and her role in fulfilling it.
(Oh, and there’s another storyline about a good-hearted Fireblood prince who manages to construct not one but TWO gliders on his balcony with no one in the palace noticing, but that’s a secondary plotline.)
Some Things I Liked About the Book
The spiritual resonance! This is a Christian fantasy book, so it explicitly explores themes of connecting to God. My favorite parts were a couple scenes where Iris learns about and is taught how to commune with El. The description of her experience, and the words El speaks to her, are incredibly beautiful (see the quote below).
The magic system is song-based, which was a new twist I really enjoyed. D. E. Carlson does some interesting things with people being able to “share their song” with each other as a way of deeply connecting emotionally.
The book explores the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy romantic relationship, which is something I think is much, much needed in fiction. The author develops a romantic relationship that you think is going somewhere, until by the end of the book one of the characters has seen enough behavioral red flags from the other (including not respecting physical boundaries) that they choose to end the relationship.
There are dragons! And they are quite, quite terrifying—as dragons should be. (They appear in only one chapter but completely change the trajectory of the book.)
There were a few twists at the end that took me quite by surprise.
It took me a few chapters to really get into the story, but once the plot started to pick up, I couldn’t put it down.
Quotes I Especially Liked
From a chapter where Iris communes with El:
“A laugh rolled around her, a comforting blanket made of light, surrounding her in warmth different from any she’d ever known before. Strong, empowering. Like she could do anything, be anyone. Like she was free. It was a little like being hugged by Ben [her older brother], but more, somehow.
Maybe it was like being hugged by a father.
The words of an old storyteller:
“Few remember the old times. . . . They’ve gotten used to hiding. They’ve forgotten El did not make this world to be a burden to them, but an adventure.”
Is it Clean?
Yes! The author very deliberately writes clean, Christian fantasy romance. There was nothing in the book I was uncomfortable with. (There are a few graphic moments involving injury and death, but they are treated with the gravity they warrant.)
How I Heard About the Book
I came across D. E. Carlson through her Instagram posts and was attracted to her books because of their promise of clean, Christian fantasy. I requested that my library system acquire the book, they did, I checked it out, got three chapters in, then let it sit unfinished on my nightstand for an embarrassingly long time before finishing it on a plane ride. (I have very little time for reading, unfortunately.)
(From Amazon): Dorothy Emeline Carlson grew up wild and free on the Dakota plains. True to her heritage, she now homesteads with her husband and homeschools her two girls—when she isn't writing, which admittedly is not often. She's always loved the written word. You can visit her on her website, https://decarlsonauthor.com, for more Empire of Ash and Song awesomeness, or you can reach out to her on social media. She loves hearing from her fans!