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kidawalker's review against another edition
5.0
This is a perfect story.
Knox takes her time laying the groundwork and erecting the frame that will shape her novel. I anticipate she'll lose some less patient readers along the way, but that's alright. This isn't for them. It's for those of us who do see, or want to see, magic–a little Extra–everywhere.
Many things come together in this story: magic, adolescence, family, ethnicity, science, romance, the power of nature, and the golden taste of good cider.
Knox takes her time laying the groundwork and erecting the frame that will shape her novel. I anticipate she'll lose some less patient readers along the way, but that's alright. This isn't for them. It's for those of us who do see, or want to see, magic–a little Extra–everywhere.
Many things come together in this story: magic, adolescence, family, ethnicity, science, romance, the power of nature, and the golden taste of good cider.
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Knox's latest fantasy, set in mid-20th century, on the South Pacific Island of Southland (in a world similar to, but not quite the same as, ours), tells of the momentous summer experienced by uncanny 16-year-old math genius Akensi Mochrie, daughter of wartime hero Sisema Afa and an unknown father. Canny has always felt different from her peers, not only because of her intellect and her darker skin (her mother is a Ma'eu, not one of the white settlers of Southland), but because for as long as she can remember, she's seen fragments of an words from an unrecognized script in the air, words no one else can see. When Canny travels with her stepbrother Sholto, who is researching a famous mining accident for his history professor father, and Sholto's girlfriend, they find themselves in the midst of a strange valley, a valley imbued with the same magic that drives Canny's mysterious words. Why do all the Zarene children have to leave the valley when they reach puberty? Why is seventeen-year-old Ghislain Zarene exiled to a house on a hill, a house that no one is supposed to find? Was it more than accident that took the lives of so many of the Zarene men working in the mine?
This gets off to a slow start; it took me a while to become interested in Canny, and in all the slightly strange things that happen before the trip begins. But once the three traveller arrive in the Zarene valley, the mysteries begin to grow intriguing; you sense that surprising connections are likely to be drawn by what appear to be entirely disparate events. The workings of the magic in this secondary world are not entirely clear, and the love story a bit too understated, but the slowly developing air of menace Knox creates, as well as the uncertainty about just who is wrong, who is right she creates, results in compelling tension and suspense. But this is far more than an adventure story; Knox asks readers to consider what it means to live, and what it means to accept death; the purposes of punishment and retribution; and the ways that anger can turn back upon itself.
This gets off to a slow start; it took me a while to become interested in Canny, and in all the slightly strange things that happen before the trip begins. But once the three traveller arrive in the Zarene valley, the mysteries begin to grow intriguing; you sense that surprising connections are likely to be drawn by what appear to be entirely disparate events. The workings of the magic in this secondary world are not entirely clear, and the love story a bit too understated, but the slowly developing air of menace Knox creates, as well as the uncertainty about just who is wrong, who is right she creates, results in compelling tension and suspense. But this is far more than an adventure story; Knox asks readers to consider what it means to live, and what it means to accept death; the purposes of punishment and retribution; and the ways that anger can turn back upon itself.
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
5.0
I think I liked this just the TINIEST bit less than Dreamhunter and Dreamquake, but I loved it all the same. I am now a confirmed fan of Elizabeth Knox. I love that her books are complex in terms of plot and back stories and cause-and-effects and have just this touch of supernatural to them but that it's not all about the magic. I love the way they pull my heart out of my chest for a while even as they make my brain spin with all the possibilities and awe for how all the pieces magically come together at the end. They are books with heart and soul. I love that. I highly recommend them.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/mortal-fire-young-adult-book-review/
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/mortal-fire-young-adult-book-review/
lisawreading's review against another edition
3.0
I loved this author's Dreamhunter Duet, so I had high hopes for Mortal Fire. Unfortunately, I just didn't fall in love with it, although there are many beautiful, magical moments. The plotline is very slow-moving at first, and the system of magic and the mystery surrounding a coal mine disaster are so convoluted that they slow down the story. Still, certain characters really shine, and the set-up is intriguing.
weweresotired's review against another edition
3.0
I first started reading Mortal Fire way back at the beginning of summer, and it was a book that I just immediately took my time with. It's very slow moving at first and full of detail, so it wasn't something that I could just rush through or skim and hope to have any chance of fully digesting what was happening. I got maybe a third of the way through the book and had to put it aside -- not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I had too many other books stacked up to read, and this review was already overdue.
So many months later, I picked it up again in my effort to get through all the half-read books I've got strewn around my house... and apparently I initially stopped reading Mortal Fire right before things got really good, because I read the last two thirds of the book over the span of a few days, while the first third took about a month. Whoops.
We spent a lot of time getting to know Canny, her complicated family history and her relationship with her mother, who is somewhat of a local hero from actions taken long before Canny was born. Canny herself is a mathematical genius, but there's a little something more -- sometimes she can see magic written in the air, symbols that no one else can see but which she can sometimes untangle the meaning of. On a summer trip with her step-brother and his girlfriend, Canny finds a place where this magic runs wild. It's here that she meets Ghislain, a mysterious young man who lives by himself, away from the rest of the village. Canny's attempts to learn magic and understand Ghislain's secrets don't go unnoticed by the rest of the village, who are wary of outsiders.
As I mentioned, this book is slow to start, and things don't really pick up until Canny and Ghislain meet, since it's here that she begins to get a greater understanding of the magic she sees, and also begins to learn some of the secrets of the Zarene Valley and the people who live in it. The relationship that grows between Canny and Ghislain is sweet but a bit strange, for reasons I can't go into because of spoilers. I can't say that I understood all of the magic and mythology that went into creating the story, but it's very beautifully done anyway. You do have to keep reading for a lot of things to pay off -- there are a lot of stories that get told in bits and pieces along the way, so it often takes a while for you to understand the significance of a story or an event that's mentioned.
Despite being a bit tough to get engaged with at first, this is a very beautifully written story. You spend time getting to know all of the characters, even ones who you don't necessarily think would be important. Don't be afraid to take your time with this one, or put it down and come back to it later, because it does eventually pay off in the end.
So many months later, I picked it up again in my effort to get through all the half-read books I've got strewn around my house... and apparently I initially stopped reading Mortal Fire right before things got really good, because I read the last two thirds of the book over the span of a few days, while the first third took about a month. Whoops.
We spent a lot of time getting to know Canny, her complicated family history and her relationship with her mother, who is somewhat of a local hero from actions taken long before Canny was born. Canny herself is a mathematical genius, but there's a little something more -- sometimes she can see magic written in the air, symbols that no one else can see but which she can sometimes untangle the meaning of. On a summer trip with her step-brother and his girlfriend, Canny finds a place where this magic runs wild. It's here that she meets Ghislain, a mysterious young man who lives by himself, away from the rest of the village. Canny's attempts to learn magic and understand Ghislain's secrets don't go unnoticed by the rest of the village, who are wary of outsiders.
As I mentioned, this book is slow to start, and things don't really pick up until Canny and Ghislain meet, since it's here that she begins to get a greater understanding of the magic she sees, and also begins to learn some of the secrets of the Zarene Valley and the people who live in it. The relationship that grows between Canny and Ghislain is sweet but a bit strange, for reasons I can't go into because of spoilers. I can't say that I understood all of the magic and mythology that went into creating the story, but it's very beautifully done anyway. You do have to keep reading for a lot of things to pay off -- there are a lot of stories that get told in bits and pieces along the way, so it often takes a while for you to understand the significance of a story or an event that's mentioned.
Despite being a bit tough to get engaged with at first, this is a very beautifully written story. You spend time getting to know all of the characters, even ones who you don't necessarily think would be important. Don't be afraid to take your time with this one, or put it down and come back to it later, because it does eventually pay off in the end.
mirable's review against another edition
4.0
Booklist review:
Sixteen-year-old Canny Mochrie has always been different: too cold, too brown, and too strange. She can see something extra—unreality along the edges of things—so she knows immediately that the Zarene Valley is not what it appears to be. A strangely familiar magic has permeated everything, and as Canny is drawn to Ghislain, a handsome 17-year-old boy, she discovers a secret that has defined the Zarenes and the valley for years may be tied to her own murky family history. Knox takes readers on a journey to a world just slightly askew from our own. Intricately plotted, highly literate prose, along with alternating points of view, illuminates the fantastical heart of the story. This is a superficially straightforward tale of girl meets boy (and falls in love and loses him and then fights to save him) made complex through magic and dreams and their repercussions on reality. This is one of those books that, when finished, prompts the reader to go back and reread it in hopes of catching all the clues along the way. Grades 7-11. --Charli Osborne
Sixteen-year-old Canny Mochrie has always been different: too cold, too brown, and too strange. She can see something extra—unreality along the edges of things—so she knows immediately that the Zarene Valley is not what it appears to be. A strangely familiar magic has permeated everything, and as Canny is drawn to Ghislain, a handsome 17-year-old boy, she discovers a secret that has defined the Zarenes and the valley for years may be tied to her own murky family history. Knox takes readers on a journey to a world just slightly askew from our own. Intricately plotted, highly literate prose, along with alternating points of view, illuminates the fantastical heart of the story. This is a superficially straightforward tale of girl meets boy (and falls in love and loses him and then fights to save him) made complex through magic and dreams and their repercussions on reality. This is one of those books that, when finished, prompts the reader to go back and reread it in hopes of catching all the clues along the way. Grades 7-11. --Charli Osborne
caszriel's review against another edition
5.0
an amazing tale. Elizabeth Knox has several basic ideas, and she twists them together amazingly. Most of it is unpredictable- not like Canny to Sholto!
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
2.0
**I read this book for a 2020/21 library challenge, so it is not necessarily be my taste and I may be harsh because it's not my personal preference. Or it could be a total surprise and I ended up really enjoying it.
Rating: 2 stars
If you can't be bothered reading this whole review, (and I don't blame you) I'll save you the trouble and just say all I do is complain about the YA-ness of this book (if you are immature like me, say "YA-ness" aloud, as in the letters not the words they stand for, and you will get a good chuckle). But if you're sticking around, enjoy... I guess.
The magic system, while rather unique for the age range (from what I've read of it), isn't all that new to me. It kind of felt like a mesh of the magic in Elantris and actually ancient Egyptian mythology, as well as a bunch of movies. Basically, it has Special Alphabet and Special People say the Special Words. And of course the main character is Super Special and can walk in on these magic people at 16 and miraculously understand this. The words "you're a prodigy" were even mentioned once. (I'm holding the rant in. I can do it. Hold it in.)
Fortunately the romance doesn't start developing until about half way (though it begins weirdly, with the characters referring to each other as "the man" and "the girl" in their own respective thoughts), but when it does start, well I don't like to use the word cringey, but it's hella cringey.
The amount of cringe this elicits in me is astounding.
And the last chapter was just the biggest info dump I have ever read. The only reason I am not giving this one star is because the author is from NZ. Maybe over time this won't matter to me anymore and I will downgrade my rating.
Rating: 2 stars
If you can't be bothered reading this whole review, (and I don't blame you) I'll save you the trouble and just say all I do is complain about the YA-ness of this book (if you are immature like me, say "YA-ness" aloud, as in the letters not the words they stand for, and you will get a good chuckle). But if you're sticking around, enjoy... I guess.
The magic system, while rather unique for the age range (from what I've read of it), isn't all that new to me. It kind of felt like a mesh of the magic in Elantris and actually ancient Egyptian mythology, as well as a bunch of movies. Basically, it has Special Alphabet and Special People say the Special Words. And of course the main character is Super Special and can walk in on these magic people at 16 and miraculously understand this. The words "you're a prodigy" were even mentioned once. (I'm holding the rant in. I can do it. Hold it in.)
Fortunately the romance doesn't start developing until about half way (though it begins weirdly, with the characters referring to each other as "the man" and "the girl" in their own respective thoughts), but when it does start, well I don't like to use the word cringey, but it's hella cringey.
" 'Can't you see me?'
He squinted in her direction. 'I can't look at you. That's how it works.'
She put a tentative hand on his arm. 'Here I am.'
'There you are,' he said. Then, 'Don't go.' "
The amount of cringe this elicits in me is astounding.
And the last chapter was just the biggest info dump I have ever read. The only reason I am not giving this one star is because the author is from NZ. Maybe over time this won't matter to me anymore and I will downgrade my rating.
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
5.0
An astute, well-judged novel, about a young woman who is a Pacific Islander living in a magical version of New Zealand. Canny is a math genius, strong-minded and courageous, and dislocated from the world. When she, her stepbrother, and his girlfriend, travel to the rural Zarene Valley, she discovers a new side of herself. She's always seen 'Extra', patterns of symbols and numbers that no one else can see. In the Valley, she begins to discover what these symbols mean, and how that relates to who she is. The magical elements of the novel are imaginative and logical, and the story is fast-paced, hinging on believable characters and a beautiful, rural world. This is connected to Knox's Dreamhunter novels, but these are not required reading to follow this book: it is a rich, complex world, complete in itself, although the story leaves you wanting more. A delightful reread.
Review from 2016:
Really wonderful novel. Surprised me at every turn. I loved the main character: how difficult she is, how prickly, how resourceful. The magical elements are so well thought-out and fit into the world the author creates, which is based on New Zealand of the 1950s, but is not exactly the same. The plot is well-judged and keeps the reader guessing while also being completely satisfying and works within the internal logic of the story.
Review from 2016:
Really wonderful novel. Surprised me at every turn. I loved the main character: how difficult she is, how prickly, how resourceful. The magical elements are so well thought-out and fit into the world the author creates, which is based on New Zealand of the 1950s, but is not exactly the same. The plot is well-judged and keeps the reader guessing while also being completely satisfying and works within the internal logic of the story.