A huge fan of this book—I feel like it hit every niche I search for, especially in a low fantasy setting. I enjoyed the easy worldbuilding, especially done through the eyes of several characters learning to heal after being forged into child soldiers have left them unable to reconcile with the world at large. The depiction of trauma is visceral—everyone is messy, and better-written for it. The characters were all likeable in their own ways, and I was absolutely gutted when

so many of my favourites died in the end

. That's how you know a character is well-written: you laugh when they laugh, cry when they cry, and feel tense when they find themselves in dire situations. You root for them in many ways; and in this book, you root for all of them to succeed and earn their happy endings.

My only criticism is that with 7 characters who you explore the viewpoints of equally, the 500-page runtime feels like it isn't enough to spend with all of them, despite the novel's relatively slow pacing. There were a lot of characters who I felt like we could've spent more time with, but the book was done before we really got to do so.

This novel isn't a happy one. But it is hopeful. Kindling breaks your heart and then picks up the pieces and mends it back with you. I'm grateful to have found a story that hit so many of my specific interests and left me so satisfied but saddened.