Incendiary

I am Renata Convida.

I have lived a hundred stolen lives.

Now I live my own.

Renata Convida was only a child when she was kidnapped by the King's Justice and brought to the luxurious palace of Andalucia. As a Robari, the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria, Renata's ability to steal memories from royal enemies enabled the King's Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people.

Oh wow. I loved this story so much. It was a wild, emotional ride that I didn't want to end. I'm only going to list two things I loved about it, instead of my usual three, because everything I want to say is full of spoilers and I definitely don't want to give anything away. 

1) The emotion in this story was what made it so special. I felt keenly for Ren - her sadness, her elation, her victories and her losses. There were moments when I thought I might cry, and others where I cheered. She is a wonderful protagonist and Córdova does a superb job of making you feel every second of her journey. 

2) The magic in Ren's world is fantastic and so well defined. I loved all the limitations and details, the way it made the characters feel and the way it drove the plot. Ren's memory magics were particularly intriguing. There was so much complexity to her role as a Robari, she is wielded as a prize and a weapon, valued but also feared. Stealing memories takes a toll on Ren, shrouding her own past in  the fog of the Grey, and it also alters how she sees and values herself. 

I can't wait to return to Ren and her brilliant friends in book two. I wish I could start it straight away!

I was provided with a proof of this novel for review via Netgally