Took a long bus ride today, read Force of Fire.

This is ostensibly the 4th Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond book, but it appears to be a prequel instead. And I think I like it more than the first three, which is great because I already liked the first three a great deal! You don't need to have read the others to understand what's going on in this one, it's not one of those prequels so weighted down with its own self-aware cleverness.

One note: The author continues to be socially conscious. The parallels to the real world are unavoidable. I may have cried in spots. Consider this for a read-aloud instead of just handing it off to your kid.