I really wanted to like this one. I did.
A romeo and Juliet re-telling - where Romeo is moody and emotional (just like I thought he would be) and Juliet is fierce and a little...traumatized.

But...the rest of this world is different. There are castles and factions and some village area where there are fights with the leader being called a Cat. It's odd and hard to get into. I just didn't find myself drawn into the story or liking any of the characters. ( )

Too much is going on in this book. I literally got a headache while reading it. Apropos, I suppose, that I suffered through a whole novel largely about suffering, sacrifice, and death... ( )

Among the three Hodge books I've read thus far ([book:Cruel Beauty|15839984] and [book:Crimson Bound|21570318]), Bright Smoke, Cold Fire is by far my favorite, which is interesting, given that it has the lowest rating on Goodreads by almost half a point. It's actually the lowest rated full I've finished.

In essence, Bright Smoke, Cold Fire takes place in the single remaining city after a zombie apocalypse. The city is protected by a giant protective bubble powered by human sacrifice. There are a few different kinds of magic systems floating about, one dealing with magic words left over from the language of the gods, the other (powering the bubble) based on blood magic. Overall, it's the same fascinating world building that Hodge put into both Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound, although in this case, it feels rather more fleshed out (pun intended).

Up until the last 10% or so of the book, I probably would have rated it 5 stars. It really is quite an enjoyable read. Unfortunately, in the same manner as her previous books I've read, Hodge doesn't write particularly strong endings. Everything happens all at once, several plot points are resolved, a few characters die, and then... then end. I would have loved to read a book about twice as long that actually dealt with the consequences of those last few pages. Perhaps there will be a sequel (Goodreads notes that there will be a second half)?

Plotwise, we're vaguely following the plot of Romeo and Juliet. All of the characters I remember are there. The forbidden love angle is there. Other than that... I think I last read or saw a version of Romeo and Juliet about a decade ago, so that's enough for me. Honest, I think the story would likely have been stronger had it not been so strongly based on Romeo and Juliet.

Characterwise, I actually did like the characters, in particular Paris, Runajo, and Juliet. I didn't care as much for Romeo, but he was fine. The idea of pairing Paris and Romeo and then Runajo and Juliet wasn't entirely unexpected just before it happened, but was quite amusing.

Overall, if you like death/blood magic and necromancy and both don't particularly need the romance aspects but can handle a bit of it... then you might just like Bright Smoke, Cold Fire. On the other hand, if you're reading this because it's billed as Romeo and Juliet meets Sabriel... Don't. ( )

For whatever reason, I found the book synopsis quite confusing. However, the story was anything but, and I love how the characters of Romeo and Juliet were always present yet secondary to the two main protagonists. ( )

I had such high hopes for this as I LOVED both Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound so I'm a bit disappointed to say that while I liked it, I didn't love it.

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire is a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet and is told through two different perspectives happening at roughly the same time - Paris and Romeo, and Runajo and Juliet.

Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou, heirs of Viyara’s most powerful families, have fallen in love. Their families are enemies but their relationship is further complicated when Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin Tybalt in a duel. Magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to avenge her people which means she must kill Romeo. In an attempt to save him Juliet decides to make him her “Guardian” - the one person able to control Juliet.
When the ritual meant to bind Juliet and her Guardian together goes wrong it leaves Juliet dead and Romeo bound to Paris - Juliets intended Guardian - instead.
Meanwhile Runajo - a new member of the Sisters of Thorn - brings Juliet back from the mouth of death which unexpectedly binds them together.
Runajo is determined to save her people from the revenants beyond the walls of Viyara and is willing to do so no matter the cost.
Paris, after overhearing Lord Catresou say that he revised the sacred oath and was conspiring with necromancers enlists Romeo to help get justice for Juliet.

The story itself is very complex which I loved. The world-building and writing are phenomenal as expected but I had some trouble getting into the story...mainly because the pacing fluctuated between being just right and too slow. However, after that ending I need more!
I will definitely be picking up the next part to watch the drama unfold and see how this story ends.

*ARC provided by HarperCollins/Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. ( )