Incendiary
By: Zoraida Cordova
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Originally Published: April 28 2020
Illusionary
By: Zoraida Cordova
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Originally Published: May 17, 2022
Reviewer Marisa Marquez
TW: minor violence, blood, death, minor thoughts of suicide.
The Hollow Crown duology by Zoraida Cordova is a story about war, love, and magic. A story that quickly won over my heart.
I have sincerely done this story a disservice by not reviewing Incendiary (book 1) when I finished it way back in June of 2023. A couple months later and I have just finished Illusionary, the concluding novel. Seems like a good time as any to implore you all to read this series!
First a summary of each book.
Incendiary:
Renata Convida is a Moria- the rarest kind: a Robari. As a Robari she has the power to take away a persons memory. Her powers work to the extent of completely draining an individual of all their memories; leaving them a “hollow”. Her own memory is in fragments. She recalls her time in the palace of Puerto Leones and of the King using her as a weapon. And she recalls the Whispers-a group of Moria rebels-rescuing her from the palace.
Now as a member of the Whispers, Ren works with them to overthrow the King. Within the Whispers, she is treated like an outsider being one of the only Robari and because of the many lives she was forced to take when in the palace. Dez, her unit leader and her best friend, is the only one who accepts her.
After successfully completing a mission Ren and her unit are attacked by the Bloodied Prince. With Dez taken captive and set to be put on trial Ren risks everything in the attempt to rescue him. When she fails, Ren chooses to avenge him and complete a new mission: infiltrate the palace and find a hidden weapon. She’ll have to convince the royal court that she is still loyal to the crown, despite the vengeful truth. She’ll find that completing the mission is next to impossible when dealing with the politics of the palace and the memories that are brimming to the surface.
Check out my Hollow Crown Playlist for vibes of the series:
Spoilers for book 2 ahead tread carefully…
Illusionary:
After being betrayed by the Whispers, Renata’s choices are limited. Having no one else to turn to she joins Prince Castian on his journey to find the mythical Knife of Memory, kill the king, and bring peace. But how is Renata supposed to be of any help as her powers are changing? She can feel herself being lost to the Gray, a part of her brain that she has used to control all of the memories she has collected through out this war. Renata will have to learn to use her newly developed powers and to work with the prince despite their complex emotions and memories that are resurfacing.
What did I love about the series as a whole?
The emotion that pours out from these pages. Ren is a complex character; she has the power to take away memories, but she doesn’t know who she is because her own memory is in fragments. Cordova takes a lot of time to develop her and takes care to tell her story gently as her past is fairly traumatic. She provides details about Renata thoughts and the pain she feels as she struggles to learn who she is when she knows so little about her family and who she could be if not being a pawn. Ren’s inner monolgues were my favorite as I really empathized with her and connected with her. Ren will forever be one of my favorite heroines, forget Katniss Everdeen, I live for Renata Convida.
What did I love about Incendiary?
I loved how it went in the exact opposite direction of what I’d expect. You think you know what’s going to happen, but there’s plot twist after twist. It’s a medium paced read with a great balance of intense battles and palace intrigue. As well as a strong main character, With Renata as the main character, readers will admire her strength and her wit. She is loyal and stays true when it comes to her friends. She is kind and empathetic when it comes to meeting new people. She can also be cunning and sneaky when need be! Lastly, the framing of the story, it begins very much in the middle of the war, a lot of fighting has occurred and readers know just as much as Renata does (which isn’t a lot). Readers are given a small frame, but its the puzzle of this magical world that makes it a page turner; I wanted to know more about Ren’s past, her powers and the kingdom.
What did I love about Illusionary?
The Moria world develops so much, readers will leave Puerto Leones and discover so much about the magical element of this world. A lot of secrets are revealed and Renata learns about her past and how to better use her powers. She discovers who she is and by embracing it she becomes stronger. I love this message so much for young readers. There is also the camaraderie that is developed between the new gang: Ren, Leo and Cas. Leo continues to bring is good humor and charisma. Cas is a new character to be explored, aside from being the Prince, readers don’t know much; so it was fun to read about him and to see his character develop from who he was originally perceived to be. Ren continues to be determined and strong, but with her boys she finds she is willing to make new connections. All three of them together make for a fun group to root for. In the first book Ren is very much on her own, but here she learns that she doesn’t have to be. Lastly, the romance levels increase immensely in this book; filled with banter and longing glances. I loved it, we go from friends to enemies to friends to lovers! All together a solid conclusion for the series.
What makes this story unique?
The story has many popular tropes found in YA novels like: a rebel group taking on the crown and the chosen few. However, I thought Cordova’s world was very unique. A world filled with Moria, magical people who can create illusions, or persuade you to feel a certain emotion or take away your memories.
I also found it amazing to be able to see the many layers that must have inspired Cordova as she was creating Puerto Leones (said to be inspired by Inquisition Spain). I personally saw a lot of Latinx culture weaved into the kingdom especially when it came to the names of the cities, the food, and the celebrations. Such as when the gang share augas frescas. Consider also all of the translations that can be made; the kingdom is basically the port of lions and Robari could arguable be based on the Spanish word robar-which means to rob. Little things like these are what made me happy as I was reading. When it comes to Latinx stories they are often limited to stories about immigration. Though these stories are very important and just as amazing, it is just as important for the Latinx community to see themselves as the chosen ones, the rebel spy, to have the magical powers.
In short:
5 stars, go read this book!
Thank you for reading my review, if you’re interested in this book/series and thinking about purchasing it please use my bookshop link. It’ll support me a little as well as encourage me to keep reviewing more!
