Release Date: July 20th 2021
Publisher: Orbit Books
Pages: 401
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Synopsis

Ven was once a holy man, a keeper of ancient archives. It was his duty to interpret archaic texts, sorting useful knowledge from the heretical ideas of the Burning Age—a time of excess and climate disaster. For in Ven’s world, such material must be closely guarded so that the ills that led to that cataclysmic era can never be repeated.

But when the revolutionary Brotherhood approaches Ven, pressuring him to translate stolen writings that threaten everything he once held dear, his life will be turned upside down. Torn between friendship and faith, Ven must decide how far he’s willing to go to save this new world—and how much he is willing to lose.

Review

Notes From the Burning Age is the newest release from Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. The story follows Ven who is tasked with interpreting ancient texts and sorting through the information inside. The information inside is closely guarded to stop a repeat of the burning age. When the Brotherhood persuade Ven to translate stolen texts, Ven has everything he knows turned upside down and Ven will have to use everything he knows to save the world.

This was such a fascinating and engrossing read and is one of those stories you end up getting completely wrapped up in. I usually read a couple of books at the one time and I ended up abandoning all the others because I just could not look away from this one. This is my first book by Claire North (though I have quite a few of her books on my shelf) and it will definitely not be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style and the story was well-paced throughout. I thought this was such a fascinating premise – a future where Earth has been ravaged by pollution and the new world where information is closely guarded to protect it.

Ven was a really interesting main protagonist and I felt the world was really well explained. All the characters in this story felt really well developed and I really enjoyed seeing Ven grow as a character as the story progressed. Notes From the Burning Age also has elements of a spy thriller and there is tons of suspense in the story. North weaves elements of science fiction and spy thriller in a really clever way and this story will definitely appeal to a wide range of readers. Notes From the Burning Age is an unforgettable story and completely unlike anything I’ve read before. If you’ve read books from Claire North before you’re bound to love this one. If you’re in the mood for some speculative fiction that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Notes From the Burning Age is a must read.