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.
A YA fantasy about opposing nations, each holding different
elemental powers, Fire is one of
those self-pubs that you could easily see being picked up by a publishing
label. With just a bit of work and
polish, this novel could compete with YA fantasies like Graceling and Touch Of
Power. Not without its flaws, Fire is a short and compelling journey
told through the eyes of two very different protagonists.
The first thing I noticed about this novel was its prose and
structure. I love me my indie writers,
but let’s face it. Most of them could
use with some major editing. Heather
James writes like a pro, making it easy to immerse yourself in her world and
her characters. The build-up of her
world was a bit slow, but it was smooth and believable. If I’m completely honest, there were a few
times when I’d feel my attention drifting, but it was never very long before it
was back on track.
Jasmine and Roxy, the sets of eyes through which we see the
story, are polar opposites. Jasmine is a
somewhat self-conscious girl gifted with the ability to manipulate wind, and
Roxy is a strong-willed, feisty fire-user.
Both girls soon have one thing in common; Prince Brae, another wind user. Ambassador sent to court Roxy and best friend
of Jasmine’s, he is the center of another YA love triangle. Normally an eye-roll would accompany a
sentence like that from me, but this time, I didn’t so much mind the
triangle. It was refreshing to see it
reversed; two girls and one guy, both with a legitimate reason to feel for the
lucky fella, neither seeming more obviously suited to him than the other.
The storyline of feuding nations with a magical backdrop and
a strong dose of romance is nothing we’ve never seen before, but it wasn’t a
clone copy or predictable mess like some I’ve read lately. It wasn’t completely riveting, true, but the
pace was steady and the read enjoyable.
I’m very satisfied with my experience with Fire, and very thankful to Heather James for having been given the
opportunity to read it. For my fellow
indie lovers, you’ll definitely want to check this one out.
My sincere apologies to both the author and my readers for
this unforgivably late review. I’ve been
having a lot of technical issues with my laptop lately, so it’s growing
increasingly hard to find time to write and post reviews. Hopefully these issues will be sorted out
before my next Indie Spotlight review.
Fire - 3.5 out of 5 stars
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