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Ash’s grandmother was a gladiator. Her mother was a renowned champion in the arena. Now that her mother has been killed, Ash is a gladiator too.
Ash knows the brutal nature of war firsthand. For ages, the gods have used the arena games to settle their wars, but when her mother dies and each god claims foul play, a new set of opulent skirmishes is held, and Ash finds herself in the center of yet another war between the earth god and the fire god.
It’s the fire god’s fault that Ash’s mother is dead. It’s because of his greed that her mother was forced to fight in so many petty wars. It’s because of his temper that her country has been stripped of its resources and teeters on the brink of devastation. Ash is determined to avenge her mother and her country, even if attempting to kill a god is the last thing she does.
Madoc grew up fighting on the streets to pay his family’s taxes, pretending he has the earth god’s powers like his opponents. It’s a dangerous secret — one that could get him disqualified or killed — but when he’s thrust into the arena games as one of the earth god’s champions, he begins to realize that he’s not as powerless as he always thought.
When Ash’s and Madoc’s paths cross, Ash believes his strange powers may be the very weapon her rebellion needs to vanquish her god. Madoc refuses to jeopardize his family, but when the gods force Madoc’s hand, he and Ash uncover an ancient war that threatens more than just their countries: It threatens to destroy their world.
Once I heard that Set Fire to the Gods was pitched as “Gladiator” meets “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” I knew I had to read it. This story has a lot of potential — with an arena backdrop, elemental gods and magic-wielding gladiators — but ultimately it fell flat for me. Perhaps I went into it with too high an expectation, but I found the first half of the story dragged, bogged down with information, until a mystery surfaced halfway through the book, which finally led to a climax with the deathly action and high stakes I’d hoped for all along.
Rated: Moderate, for one use of strong language, one use of moderate language, and five uses of mild language. There are several sexual jokes and innuendos. Characters kiss passionately a few times, but nothing happens beyond that. There is quite a bit of magical violence, but nothing really graphic.
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