I loved this. This was a great start to a new series. This isn't really like Thrones of Glass - it's infinitely more interesting. If anything I would say Dara's dedication to duelling and the action, adventure and romance is more on a par with [a:Tamora Pierce|8596|Tamora Pierce|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1209044273p2/8596.jpg]'s Tortall world. It's definitely not as good but then I think Tamora Pierce is the greatest author in the entire world and everything she has written is epic brilliance but Steel and Fire definitely reminds me of this and I very much enjoyed this.

Dara is awesome. She is set on making her own way in the world and has worked hard to achieve her goals. Her dedication to dueling is admirable. She is undoubtedly uptight but she is loyal and brave and caring. Siv is perfect for her because he brings out the best in her. Siv is kind of a mess but he really cares about his kingdom and his people. He might be foolish at times but he does care and when he becomes King he works very hard to do his best for the people. One of the best things about this book though was that Dara was the one to keep saving Siv. At one point she pushed him aside, grabs his own sword and fights off an armed attacker. And it was freaking epic. I think the best bit was the fact she tells him to run and he actually does - like listen to a GIRL? How often do you see that in young adult fiction?

The action was intriguing, even if a bit obvious. Well some, some had me going for a while. Sel was kind and funny and Sora was a strong woman determined to meet her own goals and implement her own ideas. I really liked how the siblings were so supportive of one another and had such a close and affectionate relationship.

I adored Nightfall. The lengths they went to to plot and achieve the more dramatic outcome was hilarious. The focus on dueling itself and the theatrical elements and of course the desire for patronage was riveting. I love how Dara is so dedicated to dueling that she is willing to go along with whatever schemes Siv and Sel and Sora come up with in order to have a patron and be able to duel forever. There were also some really important points brought up with relation to women and men and sport. But it was also nice to see that the balance was perhaps not as bad in the book as it is in reality and that Dara was able to overcome the odds to tip the balance in the women's favour.

Siv and Dara's friendship wasn't as developed as I would've liked but it was nice that the romance didn't impact it as heavily as the usual young adult books do.

As far as rating goes, I've given four stars. It's probably closer to 3.5, but it's a lot better than three stars, so four it is. ( )

3.5 stars. I think I would have enjoyed this book even more if I wasn't getting sick of ya tropes. It seems like they are always the same. I think I need to take a break but I really want to read the next book in the series 🤷🏻‍♀️ ( )