Review - Fire by Heather James

BLURB

Is control over the elements a gift, or a curse?

Roxy thinks that she is in control of everything: with flames flaring at her fingertips and an equally fiery attitude, what more could she need? But then she meets Brae, a prince from a rival Realm, who turns her assumptions of superiority upside down.

Jasmine has none of Roxy’s confidence or intensity. But she does have a secret - and Brae - and she’s not going to give either up willingly.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6879785.Heather_James

REVIEW

This was one of those serendipitous findings; it simply appeared on my home page and I was immediately intrigued. It was clearly meant to be!

World-building is a major strength of the novel; the author has clearly spent a lot of time getting to know every detail of her fantasy world and it shows in her writing. The history and politics of the realm are revealed using the right balance of show and tell so that you do not feel like you are having information thrown at you, or that the story is brought to a standstill. I particularly thought that getting Roxy to display her powers whilst at the same time meeting a historian with a first-hand (and thus quite passionate) account of an important historical event was very clever.

Roxy herself is a very interesting character; she has a lot of admirable qualities but also a lot of flaws which we can see are a result of her upbringing as a princess in the Helian Realm. Though the reader can of course empathise with her a lot through the link of POV her selfishness, and even at points her relish in creating misery, is rather shocking. She is exciting and I wanted to know how the events of the novel would affect and change her.

Jasmine at first runs the risk of being seen as the wet blanket as she is a lot quieter and is finding it difficult to adjust to the changes happening to her. And yet as her story progresses we recognise in her a strength which she does not even seem to realise that she has. She worries, yes, but never about herself, and she rushes off into the unknown without hesitation to save someone she cares about. Jasmine’s powers and heritage are a mystery; though I think I may have some idea of her parentage (I may be completely wrong!).

The romance in the novel was refreshing; there is no heroine who is new to town and has boys falling at her feet, or has to choose between the mysterious stranger and the reliable best friend. Having two viewpoint characters with feelings for the same boy is of course interesting, but their feelings develop and express themselves in very different ways; love is not the same for every person. There is no sudden love at first sight or long descriptions of how every physical aspect of the hero is perfection. The author recognises that love is hard, and can actually make you feel awful as well as great, and leads you to do things you never thought you were capable of.

It was also very interesting that Brae remains a bit of a mystery throughout as we never see inside his head. We know he cares for both girls but for the most part I could not guess whether he is in love with one or the other, or both, or if he even thinks of either romantically at all. I can’t wait to see this love story develop!

The only issues that I had with the novel are very small. I felt that the party, including the setting up and the cleaning up, which is part of the introduction to Jasmine’s home life, dragged on for too long. It seems that the purpose was to introduce Jasmine’s friends and their powers and to let us know that Brae is worried about her and knows something is wrong, but I think there could have been a different way to do this. In fact the aftermath is actually the most interesting part of this scene and so maybe the party could have been summed up in a few lines and then we learn more in the following section. This was the only part that I skim read – and I’m glad I didn't put the book down because I would have missed out on a great story.

One other tiny issue is that when describing a certain power of the Helians the phrase ‘like honey’ is overused. It is a very effective description but it is used several times within the same scene, or scenes which are very close together. As I say this was just a tiny detail that I noticed, and it didn’t tar my enjoyment of the novel.

The ending is very fast-paced and it is one of those endings where you get to that page saying ‘Now you are finished…’ and cry ‘NO! I want to find out what happens next!’ It feels like there is much more to come, in terms of story, but also for the characters; their relationships and personal development.

I feel like there is a lot more to come with this series, and that the story and character development will get better in the following books.

The Zoë-Trope: MEGA EXCLUSIVE THE NIGHT ITSELF GIVEAWAY

If any lonesome person has somehow stumbled across my previous review of Frostfire you can see what a big deal this is! So ENTER (but if you win I will have to seeth across the Internet at you!)


The Zoë-Trope: MEGA EXCLUSIVE THE NIGHT ITSELF GIVEAWAY: Hello and happy Thursday, my duckies! Today I'm going to tell you about a plan cooked up between Lovely Lass and me to get The Night I...

Book Review - Frostfire - Zoe Marriott

I don't really have anywhere to put these thoughts I have about books and so I'll post here in case some day someone stumbles across this page and is enlightened somewhat about the brilliance of this book!

BLURB

Cursed. Betrayed. Imprisoned. Only love can set her free... Cursed: Frost is possessed by a wolf demon that brings death everywhere she goes. Betrayed: On fleeing her home, Frost is captured by a band of warriors sworn to protect their country from rebel fighters. Imprisoned: Trapped until she can proved she is not an enemy, Frost grows close to the warriors' charismatic leader, Luca, and his second in command, the tortured Arian. Torn between these two very different men, Frost fears she may not be able to protect either of them ... from herself.

REVIEW

The blurb of Frostfire cannot express the ride this novel will take you on. If you read it around people they may wonder why you have gone from laughing hysterically to sobbing into your hanky within no time at all – and yeah, definitely have a hanky to hand.

The three main characters are some of the most developed and three dimensional characters I have read about in a long time. Frost is simultaneously a very strong character, who has pulled herself through a lot, and at the same time such a very weak and fragile person. She is not a heroine that you always agree with – sometimes you just want to give her a shake – but you do always empathise with her. Frost’s history is revealed to the reader slowly and with each revelation we become more awed at her strength. Frost is forced to undergo a massive emotional transformation and you are rooting for her all the way.

 

Luca and Arian are just as developed, although we never delve into their minds. My loyalties to the two men just kept switching until I decided that I just love them both equally.

 

One character experiences something that completely changes their entire personality for a time, and the reader is left shaken as the foundations that they are relying on are smashed apart and we are wondering if they can ever be rebuilt. As a reader I was completely wrong-footed as I did not see it coming. This, of course, added to the amazingness of the story but it also makes you wonder what it takes change a person completely, and whether this change is permanent.

 

The novel fearlessly tackles all different types of love; friendship, family (the difference between blood and family), hero worship, love built simply from having somebody try to understand you ... but most of all, what is real love. When Frost first begins to fall in love the reader completely supports it and falls in love along with her. It is not until almost the end of the novel that we realise that what we first thought of as love was mainly hero worship and a feeling of security that has never been felt before. The true love is built up over the course of the book and kind of hits us in the face with a frying pan of emotion.

 

The book is full of kick-ass heroines (not just Frost) and heroes and packed with action. But it is the underlying story of friendship that binds the narrative together and will have you in tears. If you want thrilling fight scenes alongside your romance, and fully developed characters then you’ll enjoy this book!

It is not necessary to read Daughter of the Flames before reading this book, though it is set in the same world. However, I would definitely recommend all of Zoe’s other books, especially Shadows on the Moon.

RECKLESS by Cornelia Funke - Book Review

Why hello there! Well, I finished this book last night and realised that I had a lot to say about it but no one to say it to so I decided I'd tell you - yes that's right YOU! I've never reviewed before so feel free to throw your brutal words at me as you choose! No, really criticism is much appreciated!

RECKLESS

BLURB For the first time in his life, Jacob Reckless is afraid. For years he's stolen across to another world. A dark enchanted place he's loved for its treasure, secrets and dangers. Until now. Will, his younger brother, has followed him with terrible consequences: The boy will turn to beast; the girl he loves will break her heart and chaos will rule forever, unless Jacob can spin a fairytale to save them ...

REVIEW

The Grimm’s fairy tale world in which the story is set is very rich and textured, giving the stories back their eery tone and removing any Disney-style frivolity. It is an excellent setting for a story, one you can submerge yourself in completely. I loved the description of the Sleeping Beauty who was never awoken and though she never ages her skin as turned yellow from being left there so long, and Funke cleverly works a lot of these familiar plot devices and backgrounds into her own character’s story.

The plot, too, does not seem lacking: the brother who will turn into a monster if they cannot help in time – his brother’s girlfriend whom he develops feelings for – the world at war – and a greedy old dwarf!

But it is the characters which prevent the novel becoming un-put-downable. I never seemed to get really close to them, even Jacob – whose mind the narrative enters the most – does not seem to have many features distinguishing him from any other hero on a mission. Will seems a stereotypical quiet, sensitive younger brother, and his girlfriend Clara, was almost annoyingly passive. The narrative enters her head for a couple of chapters in the first half of the novel yet completely neglects to show us any glimpse of her feelings at the end of the story, which means we have no idea how she feels about Jacob and Will, as the narrative does little to reveal this either. Fox was probably the most interesting of the characters, and I would have loved to find out more about her, but again this was denied the reader!

After the Prologue – which tells us how Jacob stumbles upon the Mirror-World and describes the relationship between the two brothers as children – we are dropped into the middle of the action, where Will is already contaminated by the Goyl and they are trying to save him. I can see the benefits of this, I mean aren’t we readers always complaining about how long it can take to get into a book which starts of slowly? Yet I think this just added to the problem of character development; I mean I didn’t know Will yet so how could I truly care about what happened to him? It seemed like I was trying to care about the character more than the text allowed me to. This probably would have been fine if in another couple of chapters there had been a display, an event, big or small, or even just a conversation that revealed something about Will’s personality, about who he really was – where I could think ‘Wow! That’s Will.’ Then I’d have a reason to care. But still all I can tell you about the younger brother is that he is nice (*shudder*), kind, quiet and sensitive – and turning into a monster of course – but, hey, maybe he’d be more interesting that way.

The ending was quite disappointing. I don’t want to give anything away but one problem is solved very, very quickly – and there is no reason given for why the person who helps acts in this way. Will and Clara disappear very quickly; there’s very little emotion conveyed at all. It is, however, the first in a series, and of course, Funke doesn’t want to give in all away at once – but even so, I was left unsatisfied, like the book was incomplete somehow. Writing a series myself, I do realise how hard it is to make a book seem complete without giving everything away, and so far I have definitely not been more successful than Funke – however, the frustration I felt with the conclusion of ‘Reckless’ has prompted me to do some MASSIVE rewrites!

There were some really nice passages of prose, for example the description of the Chamber of Miracles, but the very fact that these stood out shows that a lot of the writing was simply average. I do wonder how much of that was due to the translation, and how much we have lost in tone and effect from the German. I did notice that this was a different translation that The ‘Inkworld’ Trilogy, in which I found the language much more rich and rewarding.

Despite all this, the book is an enjoyable read, it’s just not one of the ones you put on your ‘Favourite Books’ shelf of your bookcase. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series, as I’m assuming the characters carry on developing – but I kind of wish I’d waited until the whole series had come out and read them as one long book as I think it would have been more satisfying that way. Its strengths were definitely in dept world building, as the world was almost as rich as the Inkworld, and plot. It is easy and enjoyable reading, and if you are already a Cornelia Funke fan you’ll definitely enjoy it, as long as you don’t compare it to the Inkworld – and if you haven’t read Funke before then go read ‘Inkheart’! Go on – Shoo!

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