Titles: A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless
Author: Rebecca Ross
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: February 15, 2022, December 8, 2022
Format: Kindle Unlimited editions
Length:  480 pages, 512 pages

Read if you like:  enemies to lovers, rivals to lovers, elemental magic, marriage of convenience, stories of duty, slow-burn romance, folklore-style magic

Rating: 

Typically, when I write reviews, I write them for each individual book that I read. However, during the early stages of motherhood, I simply didn’t have the mental capacity to write reviews as I adjusted to life with a little one. I continued to read in the pockets of time I could find, but I didn’t get back to writing more comprehensive reviews until recently. 

For this reason, I didn’t write individual reviews for The Elements of Cadence Duology (except for my Goodreads reviews, which you can find for all the books I read here). Instead, I’ve opted to review both books in the series at once. Luckily, I’ve found reflecting on these books easy since I loved the series so much.

Over the past year, I fell completely in love with Rebecca Ross’ writing through the Letters of Enchantment Duology. Iris and Roman might be one of my favourite fantasy couples ever, and I was keen to relive the feeling of seeing them come together once I’d finished the series. 

The Elements of Cadence duology was beautifully written, in a universe that was lush with elemental magic and tragic love stories. Ross is exceptionally good at evoking feelings and making her magical settings feel both ethereal and familiar. Even though the pace was slow at times, I was still very always enraptured. 

These books were such a gorgeous reading experience and they’re ones I’ll definitely be thinking about for a long time to come. Both books in this series earned five stars from me, and I’ll continue reading Ross’s books for as long as she chooses to write. 

The Book Synopsis: A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

A River 

Enchantments run deep on the magical Isle of Cadence.

The capricious spirits that live there find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home, but that mischief turns to malevolence as girls begin to go missing.

Adaira, heiress of the east, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, enticing them to return the missing girls. But there’s only one bard capable of drawing the spirits forth by her childhood enemy, Jack Tamerlaine.

He hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years.

A Fire 

East and west. Humans and spirits.

The tenuous balance of the Isle of Cadence is under threat from Bane, the spirit of the north wind.

In the west, Adaira struggles to find her place. And, though magic blooms there, the spirits suffer beneath Bane’s harsh power, felt in every gust of wind.

In the east, Jack Tamerlaine is adrift without Adaira, until he acquires a mission destined to lead him back to her. But among the Tamerlaines sickness is spreading and Torin desperately strikes.

The Review

I picked up Ross’ duology the Elements of Cadence in an attempt to recapture the feelings I had while reading Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows, and I’m happy to say that while the books were incredibly different, Ross’ trademark storytelling had much of the same effect on me. 

A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless follow several characters through what feels like a fantasy-infused version of a Scottish-inspired setting. A world where music holds power over the elemental spirits that wreak havoc and magic across the land, and where two clans divided must face their prejudices and come together for the greater good of the isle. It’s a stunning, lush world that is so well built that you can feel every aspect of the landscape as Ross depicts the trials and the magic that flows around the characters and the elementals they face. I felt completely immersed in this world that felt familiar and also not, like a place that’s very nearly tangible, but not quite.

The main characters the story follows include Jack, Adaira, Sidra and Torin, with the perspective of others filtered through periodically when the weight of their view is most significant. They’re all flawed and struggling with their own demons while also trying to be what the isle needs of them and what they need of each other.  The way that Ross connects them feels so human that even in a fantasy setting, you feel a deep sense of empathy for their plights. I also loved that Ross fully formed each of them as people on their own with unique complexities above and beyond their romantic entanglements. While the romances are gorgeously enthralling, they’re made more so because of how intimately you as a reader come to understand the characters.

Ross’s writing is what brings these stories to life, which is exactly how I felt about the Letters of Enchantment series as well. She writes so beautifully, in a way that evokes so much emotion that I find it entrancing. I’m not a person who annotates, but I often find myself pausing or taking notes of passages in her books that are moving or that so accurately capture the meaning of the emotion being felt. Her ability to tell a story with so much heart is such a strength that I can’t put her books down.

I loved this full duology. The magic, the setting, the characters, and the plot were all so beautifully executed and interconnected. It felt like folklore spun into something that was equal parts ethereal and grounded, with issues that were, on the surface, very fantasy-rooted, but also deeply connected to core human emotions and conflicts like love and duty and regret. I read these books in the throes of my post-partum haze, so I didn’t write individual reviews, but I can honestly say that both books were easy 5-star reads for me. If you also read the Letters of Enchantment Duology and enjoyed it,

I think the odds are in your favour that you’ll enjoy this Duology as well.