The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

Publisher: Orion Children's Books

Format: Paperback

Published: 6^th November 2014

Number of Pages: 448

Book: For Review*

Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Action-Adventure, Contemporary, Gritty-Realism, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing, Alcohol, Drug and Sexual Assault References

Author's Site: Ryan Graudin

“There are three rules of survival in the Walled City:

RUN FAST.  TRUST NO ONE.  ALWAYS CARRY YOUR KNIFE.

Right now, my life depends completely on the first.

RUN, RUN, RUN.”

These streets are a maze.  They twist into themselves – narrow, filled with glowing signs and graffitied walls.

DAI traffics drugs for the most ruthless man in the Walled City.  To find freedom, he needs help from someone who can be invisible…

JIN LING hides under the radar, evading the street gangs as she searches for her lost sister…

MEI YEE survives trapped in a brothel, dreaming of escape while watching the girls who try fail and die.

Damaged and betrayed, can these three find the faith to join forces and escape the stifling city walls?

                                                                   Review:

“Hak Nam Walled City.  A recipe of humanity's darkest ingredients - thieves, whores, murderers, addicts – all mashed into six and a half acres.  Hell on earth, he called it.  A place so ruthless even the sunlight won't enter…”

In a city full of violence, correction, death and abuse, run by a vicious and all-powerful gangster, three teenagers try to find a way out...

Dai has been trapped in the Walled City, smuggling drugs, whilst he attempts to clear his name of a crime he did not commit so he can finally go home.  And he is running out of time.

Jin Ling knows that girls cannot survive in Hak Nam, and so she disguises herself as a boy, stealing to survive, doing her best to seem invisible.  She is searching for her sister, who was sold by their father and is being used as a slave in a brothel.  All Jin Ling wants is to save her sister.

Mei Yee is Jin's lost sister, trapped in a brothel.  She knows that to attempt to escape will get her a fate worse than death – but that doesn't mean she doesn't dream of freedom.

Alone, these three teenagers stand no chance of escaping the Walled City.  But can they make it out together...?  With just eighteen days left...?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up The Walled City.  Certainly not just how brilliantly dark, dangerous and addictive it turned out to be.  From the moment I began The Walled City, I was just hooked.  I was thinking it would be a dystopian, a fantasy, but it was just... real.  Too real at times.  And that was just so gripping, so shocking.  And so utterly original.  I've never read anything like The Walled City before – and that's saying something.  I've read a lot.  It might not be for everyone, but it was absolutely addictive and amazing and stunning and eye-opening for me. 

Jin Ling was brilliant – clever, brave, fast, caring.  I loved seeing her with her cat, Chma, and with Dai, loved when she thought of her sister, who she protected as best she could.  She was just such an amazing character, one I truly rooted for, from the very beginning, because Jin was fierce, loyal and fearless.

Dai was an enigma – to begin with.  And then... I got him.  And I loved him.  He was brave and solitary and clever and caring.  He was haunted, like everyone in Hak Nam, desperate to get out, but he knew how to save himself, was willing to sacrifice himself for others.  He was, in short, a hero – just as Jin was a heroine.

Mei Yee was perhaps the quietest and subtlest of the heroes, the one who was doubly trapped.  She wasn't badass like Jin and Dai, but she was brave in her own way.  She may have started out as the typical damsel in distress, but she wasn't helpless.  Mei Yee was clever and brave and strong – stronger than she thought, than I thought.  

There were few other characters in the book with large parts – after all, the second rule is to trust no one – but the minor characters all felt so real to me, even the ones that were just memories.  But none were as vibrant and alive as our three narrators.

Because the writing was just... wow.  I love multiple perspectives – like love them to death.  And I adored getting to read from Jin, Dai and Mei Yee's points of view – it made everything so much more vital and intriguing and gave the book more depth.  And Graudin had a way of writing: dark, gritty, suspenseful, addictive.  It utterly put me under a spell and kept me hooked from the very first line to the very last.

The plot was just nonstop: always running, always fighting, always hiding, always sneaking...  It was relentless and so addictive.  And the way Graudin wove these three people together, wove their lives and chances for escape together, was nothing short of genius.  And the action – the running and hiding and fighting... It was like a blockbuster movie put into words.  Like reading a gritty thriller movie, watching it all play in my head...  And yes, some might be... disappointed by the ending.  But I, personally, loved it.  So... there.

This world... it was stifling, oppressive, so very dark and bloody.  I can't believe that this city really existed once, where children are just...  It’s horrible.  And it's still happening, isn't it?  All over the world, so many children are at risk – and this book is, as Ryan herself says, inspired by children who are invisible to most.  It's the dark, hidden world no one wants to admit exists.  Maybe The Walled City is a dystopian, set in a dystopian world inspired by this city that once existed.  But, to me at least, it felt too damn real to be dystopian.  So real and so brutal.  I can't say it's a world I loved reading about, but it was amazingly crafted – and made the three teenagers feel all the stronger for simply surviving in it.

I've read few books that feel utterly original and utterly amazing.  That leave me speechless, leave me reeling.  Leave me... different.  But The Walled City... it was one of those books.  It took my breath away, had me utterly hooked from the very first line.  The Walled City...  It's probably the most original thing I've read for a long time and it was stunning.  

I will say that The Walled City isn't for everyone.  It is dark.  It is brutal.  But it's the kind of book that makes you think – without forcing a message down your throat.  It shows a city based on one that once existed.  It shows a city ruled by corruption, gangs and violence.  It shows you how hard children have to fight to survive, what they are forced to turn into when confronted by the hopelessness and death around them.  It shows you survivors, surviving in their own way, and it makes you feel like you're besides them as they fight.  It's an amazing book that is hard to read at times, but all the better for that fact.  

The Walled City blew me away: it is deep, dark, pretty damn near perfect – I was left speechless for days, unable to say anything but 'My god, READ IT' to all my friends.  The Walled City was simply stunning – I literally can't find the words to truly do it justice.   It put me under a spell, an enchantment, and has left me breathless, needing, absolutely desperately needing, Graudin's new book, Wolf By Wolf.  

And so I conclude this review by pointing out that dystopian worlds don't have to be the same – with revolutions and warriors.  They can be set in a world that is dreadfully real, following three amazing characters as they try to save themselves.  You can write storylines worthy of films or comic books as YA novel, show the darkest sides of the world and create something that is utterly unique, utterly amazing and so freaking brilliant.

I know I'm rambling.  I'm sorry.  But can't you see?  This book, The Walled City, is worthy of my rambling.  It is worthy of nonstop recommendations.  I just...  Ugh, I still don't have the right words.  Just, if want to think whilst being thrilled, if you don't mind darkness and violence, and if you want brave, real characters, read The Walled City.  You will not regret it.  Trust me.  Trust the rambling.  Read The Walled City now. 

Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Fearless by Emma Pass

The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Street Duty by Chris Ould

Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Indigo in exchange for an honest review

Black Horizon by M.G. Harris - On The Big Book Project

I loved Black Horizon - it get's four stars from me!  If you want to  see my full review, check out The Big Book Project!

“Caroline, Addison, Ben; welcome to Gemini Force One..."

When Ben Carrington's father dies, his mother decides to set up a mountain-rescue team, based in her homeland Austria.  But when disaster strikes again, she joins forces with a rich businessman and together they create the secretive rescue team named the Gemini Force.

All Ben wants to do is be part of the team – to save people.  But being at college, it's a little hard to convince his mother to let him take part…  

He'll just have to prove himself – while observing the heroic rescues carried out by the Gemini Force, of course.

But he has no idea what is waiting for him aboard Gemini Force One...

I remember watching old reruns of The Thunderbirds with my Dad and younger brothers.  I remember loving the action and quirky humour, even if the puppets and special effects were a bit odd for me.  I was so excited when I heard about Gemini Force One – a modern day Thunderbirds team written for teens?  Yeah, I needed to get my hands on that book as soon as poss.  And I must say, even with all the set-up, this book was truly exciting.  I mean, when you open with someone falling from a plane, a second pilot throwing herself from a second plane to catch him and a Countess and her son climbing out on a ledge of one of the highest buildings in the country to rescue the pilots, you know you're in for an adrenaline-pounding ride.  And I just know that the rest of the series are going to be a million times more amazing, now that the Gemini Force has been set up and established....

To Read On Click Here...

The Big Book Project

I'm part of a new Tumblr blogging group, made up of book bloggers and vloggers.  If you're interested in a wide variety of genres and reviewing styles, as well as some (soon to come) different kinds of posts, check us out!

Shadow Study Blog Tour: A Q&A With Maria V. Snyder

I adore Maria V. Snyder: she is one of my favourite authors ever. I freaking loved the original Study trilogy and was over the moon when I found out about Shadow Study! I was even more excited when I was asked to take part in the Shadow Study Blog Tour! Yay! So here is a Q&A with the amazing, lovely Maria V. Snyder! Enjoy! :D

Me: Shadow Study is the first in a new trilogy starring Yelena Zaltana.  What will this new series be about - and will it be as action-packed as the original trilogy?

Maria V. Snyder:  The new series will be about Yelena and Valek and will have chapters from both their POVs.  They are both dealing with various problems and issues.  Yelena is shot with a poisoned bolt and her magic is blocked so she’s searching for a cure while trying to keep ahead of her enemies who have learned she’s vulnerable. Valek is dealing with a young hot shot assassin who is trying to take his job as Security Chief.  His interactions with the assassin cause him to remember when he was a young hot shot so there are many details about Valek’s past in the first book.  The second and third books continue with both stories.  And of course there will be LOTS of action – I can’t write a book without it!

Me: What made you revisit Yelena and Valek? Did you originally plan to revisit the series? And what made you decide to have Shadow Study narrated by Yelena, Valek and Janco?

MVS: My readers are the reason I revisited Yelena and Valek.  They’ve been clamouring for more stories since Fire Study was published back in 2008 and I finally had an idea that I thought would be good enough for a novel.  I decided to switch between three characters because I really wanted to explore Valek’s past and that’s hard to do from Yelena’s POV.  Plus I was in Yelena’s head for 3 books and I wanted a change and a challenge.  I put in Janco’s because he’s such a blast to write, I couldn’t resist.

Me: Now, from your Study series, I of course love Yelena, Valek, Janco and Leif, but I think my favourite has to be Kiki!  Do you have a favourite character from this series?

MVS: I’d have to say Janco.  I just like his humour and cockiness and rants against sand.  I think with all the action and problems and bad things going on, Janco adds a bit of humour and a bit of a break for readers.

Me: You've created many worlds – magical and dystopian – which would you most like to live in and why?

MVS:  I’d live in Ixia.  I attended 12 years of Catholic school and never once minded wearing a uniform – it just made my mornings easier J.  I’d also like to think I’d be one of the Commander’s advisers or one of Valek’s spies and that sounds like fun.

Me: In the Study and Glass series, which clan do you think you'd most like to be a part of?

MVS: The Zaltanas.  I climbed trees when I was younger and just loved being up in the branches where no one could see me.  The thought of living in a huge treehouse….heaven!

Me: If you could have any magical power, what would you like to have and why?

MVS:  I’d want to be a healer like Avry.  I’ve so many friends and family members who suffer with various ailments and pain that I just want to be able to touch them and make them instantly better!

Me: What drew you to the fantasy genre and how do you come up with all of your amazing ideas?

MVS: I like reading fantasy and science fiction so writing in those genres was a natural thing to do.  I enjoy being able to go beyond the everyday world and incorporate magic or to take science to the next level in my stories.  I get ideas from everywhere – life is a sea of stories and I’ll spark on the strangest things—like a comment from my kids, or an article in a magazine, or when I’m travelling, or from a random conversation with a stranger on a train.  I dreamt the idea for Inside Out – yep in one night, I dreamt the entire story—characters, antagonists, world, and even the twists at the end.  I wish I could remember what I ate for dinner that night as that hasn’t happened again!

Me: How much research do you do for your books - I heard you're pretty hands on!?

MVS: I do quite a bit as I’m a stickler for accuracy.  If I’m going to have a horse in my book, then I’m going to learn everything I can about horses, including riding them.  Yes, I try to do as much hands on as possible.  I think that’s the best way to translate the experience to the reader and again, it’s great for accuracy.  I don’t want my readers to email me that I got something wrong about blowing glass or anything else.  Although the beauty with fantasy is I can create things in my world, but even then I must stay consistent.  The poisons in Poison Study are all created because I couldn’t find real poisons to do what I wanted them to do – my kids are still not talking to me for experimenting on them ;).

Me: What book are you most looking forward to in 2015?

MVS: Gail Carriger’s Prudence.  I loved her Parasol Protectorate series and this is the next generation.

Me: Finally, what advice would you give all aspiring fantasy authors out there?

MVS: Read a lot of books in the genre you’re writing and write a lot (every day if possible).  Also persistence is key!  Keep working on your story even when you think it’s terrible and has gone in the wrong direction.  So many people start writing, but then don’t finish.  If you wish to be published by a traditional publisher, then persistence will help you find one.  You need to keep sending out your story until you run out of places to send it!  That’s what I did with Poison Study and 57 rejections later, I found a publisher.

Quick Fire Round!

Pen and paper or computer?  Computer

Fantasy or science fiction?  Both

Reading or writing?  Reading (writing is hard!)

Scientific genius or Master Magician?  Master Magician

Favourite book of all time?  The Gate to Women’s Country, by Sheri S. Tepper

MVS: Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog. If your readers would like more info about me and my books, I have the first chapter of all my books on my website as well as a number of free short stories (including ones with Yelena and Valek) they can read.  Here’s the link: http://www.mariavsnyder.com.  My Facebook page is where I’m the most active with updates and news.  Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/mvsfans.

---

Thank YOU, Maria! It's been lovely having you! Everyone, go grab yourself a copy of Shadow Study RIGHT NOW! It is AMAZING!  Grab it on Amazon, mark it To Read on Goodreads, just read it!  

And check out my co-host for the blog tour today, Becca from Lost In Thought.  Oh, and yesterday there  were two more stops to check out: Jess Hearts Books and Midnight Reads!  Enjoy!

Happy Reading Everyone!

The Darkest Part Of The Forest by Holly Black

Publisher: Orion

Format: ARC

Published: 5^th February 2015

Number of Pages: 272

Book: ARC*

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Faerie Tale, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Thriller, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Violence, Swearing, Alcohol References

Author's Site: Holly Black

Faeries.  Knights.  Princes.  True love. 

Think you know how the story goes? 

Think again…

Near the little town of Fairfold, in the darkest part of the forest, is a glass casket.  Inside lies a sleeping faerie prince that none can rouse.  He’s the most fascinating thing Hazel and her brother Ben have ever seen.  They dream of waking him – but what happens when dreams come true?  In the darkest part of the forest, you must be careful what you wish for…

                                                                   Review:

“Hazel had seen a surfeit of faeries awfulness, but she was still lured by stories of its beauty and wonder.  She'd hunted them and feared them, but, like the rest of Fairfold, she loved them, too...”

In the town of Fairfold, humans live alongside the fae.  The fae pray on naive tourists, but those who live in Fairfold know the real danger of the faeries' magic.

Hazel and her brother Ben were born in Fairfold to forgetful artists.  As children, their imaginations reigned supreme – they went on quests, fought monsters and even killed fae.  But what they did most of all was dream about the horned boy with pointy ears in the glass coffin.

The boy has been there for as long as anyone can remember, sleeping, never waking.  Hazel and Ben used to dream about him – about rescuing him, about him falling in love with one of them, about how he is a prince and that one day he will wake up.

But then he does.  He disappears from the coffin.  And everything changes.

A monster stalks the town.  Wishes turn deadly.  Panic spreads.  

And the Alderking hunts for the horned boy - for the one who broke the curse...

I have been so excited for The Darkest Part Of The Forest – like, ridiculously excited.  So excited that I was terrified even the amazing Holly Black wouldn't be able to live up to my hopes.  Oh, how foolish I was to worry!  Holly, as always, blew me away.  She delivered a faerie story with a difference, something dark and beautiful and enchanting and dangerous.  It was intoxicating, addictive and so brilliantly Holly Black!  And I just... I freaking loved it.

Hazel was such a complicated character – I was so, so impressed with the amount of characterisation Holly managed to fit into one girl in one book.  Hazel was a character that really grew on you; you started off thinking that, yeah, she was pretty cool, but by the end you were blown away by her strength and bravery and foolishness and love and stubbornness and badassness.

Ben, I adored.  The gay big brother with a difference and a dark secret that broke your heart.  He was so sweet and clever and funny.  I loved him!  And I loved watching him and Hazel, watched them get close all over again.  He was an awesome brother!

Jack – oh, I was so torn about him for ages, because he wasn't really in the book that that much.  But then there was this chapter from his perspective and... I totally fell for Jack.  He made so much sense and my heart hurt for him.  He was complex and sweet and funny and brilliant.  Totally love him!

And as for the Horned Prince – or Severin, to use his real name.  Unfortunately, I found it hard to read Severin without thinking Severus...  Oh well.  Severin intrigued me and I think I may have become almost as infatuated with him as Hazel and Ben were.  I really don't know what it was about him, but I fell for him.  He was... a prince: noble, loyal, brave, caring...  I loved him.

None of the characters in this book were perfect – they were so far from it.  And that just made me love them more.  Well, 'cept for the Alderking.  Hated him.  Wasn't fond of Jack's elf mother either.  But other than that, brilliant!

Holly Black is one of the most versatile authors when it comes to writing style.  She can write excitingly and simply, like in Spiderwick.  She can write snark and angst, like in Curse Workers.  And she can write beautiful, simple and otherworldly prose, like in The Darkest Part Of The Forest.  This writing... it was so very beautiful.  Seriously: there was so much backstory, so much description, but it was all just so beautiful and perfect and enchanting that it was just... effortless, to learn it all.

This plot... it was just so unexpected!  I literally never knew what to expect.  Just like the Folk, it was unpredictable and freaking addictive.  I couldn't get enough.  The action sequences, the fighting, were amazing.  The way Holly racked up the suspense was genius, wrapping fae magic up with mysterious happenings, a mystery, fighting and an Alderking.  It's safe to say that I freaking loved it.

I adore the world Holly created so so much.  She's a master of writing fae – seriously, a freaking black-belted, multi-award-winning master – and The Darkest Part Of The Forest might be my very favourite of her faerie tales to date.  The idea of this town living on the edge of a forest inhabited by wild fae was amazing – especially when you added the horned boy in the coffin, the tourists coming to see the fae and the fae doing all kinds of cruel things to the tourists because Fairfold residents were off-limits.  Yes, a fascinating, terrifying, beautiful, breath-taking world indeed!

The Darkest Part Of The Forest was pure magic – and far exceeded even my highest of expectations, also managing to be something totally different than your usual YA faerie book.  In fact, it was the best possible faerie tale imaginable; enchanting, magical, addictive, stunning, unexpected, twisty.  Full of fey, changelings, knights, kings, monsters, friends and a very odd town, The Darkest Part Of The Forest has left me both utterly satisfied and yet thirsty for more of this special blend of magic.  And, really, can you ask for any more than that?

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Indigo in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book

The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig

Series: The Fire Sermon, Book One

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Format: ARC

Published: 26^th February 2015

Number of Pages: 432

Book: ARC*

Genre: Dystopia, Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing and Alcohol References

Author's Twitter: Francesca Haig (@FrancescaHaig)

“When Zach and I were born our parents must have counted and recounted: limbs, fingers, toes.  The complete set.

They would be disbelieving – nobody dodged the split between Alpha and Omega.

Nobody.”

Born as twins.  Raised as enemies.

One strong Alpha twin and one mutated Omega; the only thing they share is the moment of their death.

The Omegas live in segregation, cast out by their families as soon as their mutation becomes clear.  Forced to live apart, they are ruthlessly oppressed by their Alpha counterparts.

The Alphas are the elite.  Once their weaker twin has been cast aside, they’re free to live in privilege and safety, their Omega twin far from their thoughts.

Cass and Zach are both perfect on the outside: no missing limbs, no visible Omega mutation.  But Cass has a secret: one that Zach will stop at nothing to expose.

The potential to change the world lies in both their hands.  One will have to defeat the other to see their vision of the future come to pass, but if they’re not careful both will die in the struggle for power.

                                                                   Review:

“The blast shattered time.  In an instant, it cleaved time irrevocably into Before and After.  Now, hundreds of year later, in the After, no survivors remained, no testimonies.  Only seers like me could glimpse it, momentarily, in the instant before waking, or ambushing us in the half-second of a blink: the flash, the horizon burning up like paper…”

After the world ended, the survivors began to have twins – all of them.  A boy and a girl.  One perfect, strong, healthy: an Alpha.  The other sick, deformed, weak, infertile: an Omega.  The Omegas are sent away – out of sight, out of mind, far away so they can't contaminate the Alphas.  But there's more: a link between the twins – they are tied together, their fates entwined.  If one is sick, so is the other.  If one dies, the other dies too.

Normally, it's easy to tell which twin is the Omega.  Not for Cass and Zach.  Both babies were perfect – but no one escapes.  Cass hid a secret for thirteen years – that she was a seer, an Omega with strange and powerful abilities.  She is discovered and sent away.  She begins to build a life for herself in the Omega settlement.

But then Zach gains political power and he sends someone to grab Cass.  To stay safe, he locks her away, isolates her, sends another seer to interrogate her.  Haunted by visions, she slowly begins to lose control...

Her twin is not the boy he used to be.  He isn't the person she played with, whispered with in the night.  

And so she decides to escape.  She needs to leave – before Zach hurts her more, before her visions come true.

Along with an amnesiac one-armed Omega, Cass goes on the run, desperately searching for the one place she will be safe: the rumoured Omega-rebellion-ruled island.  But with the way Alphas treat their Omegas shifting, getting worse with every passing moment, would they even be safe on the island...?

Wow.  Just... wow.  I really don't know where to start with The Fire Sermon.  It was so stunning.  It took the dystopian genre, turned it on its head and made it about a million times more amazing.  I was expecting great things from The Fire Sermon – impossibly great things, I thought.  But it lived up to every single one of my expectations – and totally overtook them.  I adored the writing, world-building, characters and plot lines.  I adored the addictiveness, the suspense, the excitement.  And I just can't believe I have to wait a whole freaking year until the second book comes out.  I don't know how I'll survive so long!

Cass was amazing – damaged, but so strong, naive, but smart too.  I adored her and just know she's going to continue growing to be a truly strong leading lady.  Maybe she needs to be a little less trusting, a little more worldly, but I kind of liked that about her: that even though she's a Seer, even though she sees horrible things so often, she's still hopeful, idealistic.  It was a nice change to all the cynical antagonists we see nowadays.  She's also totally real and relatable; she felt just like someone I'd meet in the real world today.

And I really loved Kip: he was adorable!  He was just the sweetest and loveliest and funniest and cutest thing!  He was good and kind, without being as naive as Cass – which is odd, since he was the amnesiac one with no memories of himself...  But I loved Kip and I loved the relationship between him and Cass – how naturally it grew, how adorable they were together.

Piper really grew on me as the book went on.  I began a little nervous of him, a little sceptical.  But he was so brave and good and honourable.  I really liked him by the end – especially with that little twist...

As for Zach...  God, I don't know what to do with Zach.  It was clear Cass still loved him – he was her brother, after all – but he was so horrid to Omegas.  I just... don't know what to do with him.  I mean, the relationship between Cass and him killed me.  My little brothers are twins, and they always have each other’s backs.  That's what being a twin should be – what being siblings should be.  To see the way Zach treated Cass... horrible.  To see the way all Alphas treated Omegas (and, at times, Omegas treated Alphas) was horrifying and devastating.  But the way Cass felt for Zach, the way she tried to look after him, even after everything he'd done... it was so beautiful.

There were scores of other small characters, some I adored, some I hated.  The one that terrified me the most was, of course, The Confessor: that woman was evil and terrifying!  I truly admired the character development in the story: they all felt real, even the small characters, even the ones who were so different from today.  Amazing.

The writing was so, so beautiful – haunting, descriptive, addictive, elegant, authentic.  Like how Cass described a battle: it held nothing back, no sweet sugar coatings.  It was bloody and honest, and the lyrical way it was written made it beautiful and dreadful and, strangely, real.   Cass felt real: her voice was authentic and beautiful and so absorbing.  Not many authors can put me instantly under a spell when writing fiction such as this (with huge amounts of world-building) but Francesca managed it effortlessly and left me wanting more.

As for the plot... I'll admit, there were definite slow-burner moments in the book, but the racking-up of suspense made up for that.  Also, in the first books of epic fiction like this, there has to be time for world-building!  But more on that in a minute.  Back to the plot: I really loved it.  It was unpredictable and gripping and amazing.  I was totally hooked and desperate to know how everything would end.  I had a few ideas of where it was all going: many turned out to be so very wrong, some were right and some were in the general(ish) vicinity.  I do like being surprised – generally speaking.  But this part at the end... a few parts really... just NO!  No, Francesca, how can you do this to me?  Not only have you done... that... but you've also left off in a place that will drive me crazy with unanswered questions 'til the second book comes out next year.  And so again I go NOOO!

But this world... wow wow wow.  It was so just breath-taking.  And, in an odd way, so real.  Sure, it's a dystopian world where one 'perfect' twin is just awful to the 'flawed' twin.  It's a world with secret islands, dreadful experiments, seers, rebellions and a sinister Council.  But the way all these people act is so human, so real and believable.  I couldn't – still can't – quite put my finger on what it was that made this world so three-dimensional, real and tangible to me, but it was there.  I saw Cass, Kip and the Keeping Rooms, Piper and the island, in my head as I read.  This world... it blew me away.  It was horrible and it was brilliant.  I can't wait to go back.

I also think The Fire Sermon has true crossover appeal: teens will love it, but adults will too.  It's not like Hunger Games or Divergent, which are definitely aimed at teenagers.  The Fire Sermon is both perfect for the typical YA audience, but is also sophisticated enough for adults to adore it too.  

As for the upcoming (hopefully!) film adaption, I'm very interested to see how they will do it.  It looks like it's got a great team and the breath-taking scenery will look stunning on the big screen.  I'm really hoping they do this great book justice!

I've said something similar before, in other reviews, but I simply must say it again for this book: The Fire Sermon had a magic to it, something different and unique and beautiful and utterly compelling.  I was drawn in from the very first sentence and not let go for all four-hundred-and-seventeen pages, not even for one moment.  I know The Fire Sermon won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I adored it – if you haven't gathered that by this point!

The Fire Sermon was unique and beautiful and chilling and addictive.  If you're looking for an eloquent dystopian novel with an epic-fantasy feel to it, I honestly can't recommend The Fire Sermon enough.  I will be dying until the next book and want to tell you all now: Francesca Haig is an author to watch!  If this is how amazing her debut novel is... I can't wait for her second!

Star Rating:
4¼  Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Chronicles of Ixia by Maria V. Snyder

The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Grisha by Leigh Bardugo

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book