The Earthly Blaze (Sword Maiden from the Moon #2), by Alice Poon
The Book
Synopsis:
The Earthly Blaze is the concluding part of the Sword Maiden from the Moon duology. This duology is a blend of the wuxia and xianxia genre that evokes the vibes of cdramas like The Untamed, Nirvana in Fire and Word of Honor.
In this propulsive sequel to The Heavenly Sword, the heroine Sai’er is beset with grim challenges as she leads the White Lotus Sect to oppose Emperor Zhu Di. When the Green Dragon threatens to kill villagers to punish Sai’er for wounding Zhu Di, she is forced to fight the demon in an undersea battle.
Aided by her immortal friends, Sai'er engages in violent clashes with the enemy camp. All the while, she yearns to start a new life with her lover Sanbao, but is haunted by the prospect of a final showdown with Zhu Di.
The Earthly Blaze is the second and concluding part of Alice Poon’s magnificent duology combining Chinese mythical folklore and speculative history into a sweeping tale of family love, fellowship loyalty, loss, sacrifice and kung fu rivalry.
My Review
The Earthly Blaze is the second and final book in the wuxia series Sword Maiden from the Moon, written by Alice Poon, and published by Earnshaw Books. In this thrilling conclusion, Sai'er and the White Lotus Sect will try to confront emperor Zhu Di, while delving into some subplots that give us more intimacy into the human aspects of our heroine.
An action packed sequel that picks immediately after The Heavenly Sword, taking the foundations left by the first instalment to build an intense story, continuing the fight against the incarnation of the Sky Wolf; a fight that will take the bonds between the characters to the limit, and especially Sai'er, taking her to question many times if she's really the one for the task.
A Sai'er who takes a different role in this second book, being much more centered around her, with her acting as leader, but also showing her humanity and weaknesses; having to leave all the people she has bonded with after fulfilling her mission makes her struggle even more. The secondary characters, despite losing importance in comparison, are also well fleshed, and become really memorable.
Poon's writing is really descriptive, evoking vivid images of the places and the folklore mentioned in the book, shining especially when the group's mission takes them to the Forbidden City. It is faster paced than the first book, partly because the first one acts a bit as an introduction; action scenes are simply delightful.
The Earthly Blaze is the conclusion Sai'er's story deserved; if you want to immerse yourself into Chinese folklore and traditions with your fantasy, the Sword Maiden from the Moon duology is excellent.
The Author/s
Alice Poon
After a childhood spent devouring Jin Yong’s wuxia (or martial arts heroes) novels, Alice Poon has, over the years, fed herself a steady diet of modern wuxia/xianxia and historical C-dramas, Chinese history and mythology masterpieces.
Since the release of her two historical Chinese novels: The Green Phoenix and Tales of Ming Courtesans, nostalgia for the magical world of wuxia has spurred her desire to write in the Chinese fantasy genre. Her writing has been inspired by the wuxia/xianxia media, Chinese mythology classics and period history.
She lives in Vancouver, Canada and wishes to indulge herself in putting her imagination on the page.