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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was very well written and had great storylines and characters. I found the book was not confusing and it had a good flow. I also loved that the book started off interesting I didn’t have to wait for the middle of the book for it to get good!!!
Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley is the first in a new YA Fantasy series. The premise is that ghostly monsters called phantoms have begun terrorizing the world and are only barely held at bay. There are four Effigies, each associated with a classical element (fire, water, earth, air), who are chosen by fate to fight the phantoms.
We join the story when Maia Finley learns that she has been chosen as the newest fire Effigy. Early in the novel, Maia struggles with her selection, especially given her former fangirling of one of the Effigies. Maia followed them in internet forums, created homage videos, and knows every detail about them. And now she has to learn how to become one of them.
I love the process of world-building in a new series and this culture is technologically unique. I wanted to know more about why the phantoms exist, how the technology was developed, and why it kept failing.
A few holes in the plot and some places where the pacing dragged a bit for me kept me from getting completely carried away by this one. Even so, I'll pick up the second, Siege of Shadows, hits shelves in November 2017.
We join the story when Maia Finley learns that she has been chosen as the newest fire Effigy. Early in the novel, Maia struggles with her selection, especially given her former fangirling of one of the Effigies. Maia followed them in internet forums, created homage videos, and knows every detail about them. And now she has to learn how to become one of them.
I love the process of world-building in a new series and this culture is technologically unique. I wanted to know more about why the phantoms exist, how the technology was developed, and why it kept failing.
A few holes in the plot and some places where the pacing dragged a bit for me kept me from getting completely carried away by this one. Even so, I'll pick up the second, Siege of Shadows, hits shelves in November 2017.
3.5 stars. Anything that mentions Sailor Moon as a comp/influence is an automatic read for me and I did enjoy this. Maia was my favorite character and I can't wait to see where she goes in book 2.
There’s a lot of interesting stuff going on in FATE OF FLAMES. It was one of the rare books I picked up and bought it on blurb alone, so it certainly had my attention enough. And I liked it, but I didn’t love it.
For a character, Maia is rather short on agency. She doesn’t do a whole hell of a lot throughout the story except get shoved from one side of it to another. She has her moments where she comes roaring in as herself, but they’re few and far between. With that being said, though, I really didn’t have an issue with that. I really liked her concept: superhero super fan becomes a superhero herself and really doesn’t know how to cope and kind of sucks at the whole thing. It felt very authentic and very realistic to me in that regard. I can appreciate that.
In that same vein, Lake and Chae Rin were also somewhat in that same boat. Didn’t really want the hand dealt to them so they bucked against it. I wonder if later books will show the adverse side of that at all. We already see some of it with the Lake hate (she used the fame she received as an Effigy to become a pop star and not really for what she was supposed to do and save the world). There’s just an abject realism to the whole thing as it centers on these everyday girls who get shoved into these impossible situations against their will. It’s also a comment on celebrity, right? Plenty of people can dish it, but when you’re forced to take it everything changes.
The world is interesting. A sort of alternate history/reality with these phantoms. They come in mid to late 19th century, I think? And there’s something going on with Saul and the start of all of this, sure. That’s fairly heavily insinuated throughout. And the concept of past Effigies inhabiting the same headspace as the current one? That’s trippy and creepy all rolled into one. Bunch of dead girls in your head, trying to take over your body? Yeah, creepy. And why are the Effegies only women? No answer yet to that.
So yeah. I liked FATE OF FLAMES. It was compelling and I’m obviously into the characters and the concepts and everything. I’m just not itching to read the next one immediately. If I come across it, yes. But I’m not going to run out and get it. I didn’t like it THAT much. But it’s worth a read. Seems like one of those books that didn’t get a ton of attention out of the gate, which is a shame. Because it was deserving of it, I think.
3.5
For a character, Maia is rather short on agency. She doesn’t do a whole hell of a lot throughout the story except get shoved from one side of it to another. She has her moments where she comes roaring in as herself, but they’re few and far between. With that being said, though, I really didn’t have an issue with that. I really liked her concept: superhero super fan becomes a superhero herself and really doesn’t know how to cope and kind of sucks at the whole thing. It felt very authentic and very realistic to me in that regard. I can appreciate that.
In that same vein, Lake and Chae Rin were also somewhat in that same boat. Didn’t really want the hand dealt to them so they bucked against it. I wonder if later books will show the adverse side of that at all. We already see some of it with the Lake hate (she used the fame she received as an Effigy to become a pop star and not really for what she was supposed to do and save the world). There’s just an abject realism to the whole thing as it centers on these everyday girls who get shoved into these impossible situations against their will. It’s also a comment on celebrity, right? Plenty of people can dish it, but when you’re forced to take it everything changes.
The world is interesting. A sort of alternate history/reality with these phantoms. They come in mid to late 19th century, I think? And there’s something going on with Saul and the start of all of this, sure. That’s fairly heavily insinuated throughout. And the concept of past Effigies inhabiting the same headspace as the current one? That’s trippy and creepy all rolled into one. Bunch of dead girls in your head, trying to take over your body? Yeah, creepy. And why are the Effegies only women? No answer yet to that.
So yeah. I liked FATE OF FLAMES. It was compelling and I’m obviously into the characters and the concepts and everything. I’m just not itching to read the next one immediately. If I come across it, yes. But I’m not going to run out and get it. I didn’t like it THAT much. But it’s worth a read. Seems like one of those books that didn’t get a ton of attention out of the gate, which is a shame. Because it was deserving of it, I think.
3.5
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well this was a fun ride! I never expected to enjoy this book as much as I did. From the moment I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. I liked the character development a lot, from all four girls, and I liked that the reader can't trust any of the characters, you have to be on edge constantly. The unreliable narrator is one of my favourite tricks in writing, so that was a nice surprise as well. I can't wait to see what happens in book 2!
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Folks. I'm going to level with you. This is some hot garbage.
Two out of the main four girls are unbearable, and one of them just so happens to be the main character. I'm convinced the only reason Chae Rin is somewhat likeable is because she's Toph But Older. Lake is fine. Lake can stay.
Belle, however, is boring. Incredibly boring. And for some ungodly reason, she's the one our main character looks up to the most, even though by all rights, that should be Natalya. I don't know why it isn't Natalya. Speaking of the main character, Maia has to be one of my least favorite protags I've encountered in a while. She's whiny, a coward, and a massive hypocrite. She begs everyone to keep fighting and judges them for not doing so -- and yet runs away every chance she's given. Seriously. She's not an asset to any of these battles. She can't even use her powers, which is the only reason the Sect sends these girls into battle.
The Sect sucks. They don't know how to run anything. They should have been defunded and restructured decades ago, because apparently they've been messing things up for a while now. Also! The love interest? Holy cow, he's even more boring than Belle. He's the blandest character, and there is absolutely zero chemistry between him and Maia. I can't think of a single scene where their interactions were even charming.
And honestly, what is up with everyone having multiple names? Lake/Victoria, Maia/Marian/Natalya, Aiden/Rhys, Nick/Saul/Alice?? WHY?
Two out of the main four girls are unbearable, and one of them just so happens to be the main character. I'm convinced the only reason Chae Rin is somewhat likeable is because she's Toph But Older. Lake is fine. Lake can stay.
Belle, however, is boring. Incredibly boring. And for some ungodly reason, she's the one our main character looks up to the most, even though by all rights, that should be Natalya. I don't know why it isn't Natalya. Speaking of the main character, Maia has to be one of my least favorite protags I've encountered in a while. She's whiny, a coward, and a massive hypocrite. She begs everyone to keep fighting and judges them for not doing so -- and yet runs away every chance she's given. Seriously. She's not an asset to any of these battles. She can't even use her powers, which is the only reason the Sect sends these girls into battle.
The Sect sucks. They don't know how to run anything. They should have been defunded and restructured decades ago, because apparently they've been messing things up for a while now. Also! The love interest? Holy cow, he's even more boring than Belle. He's the blandest character, and there is absolutely zero chemistry between him and Maia. I can't think of a single scene where their interactions were even charming.
And honestly, what is up with everyone having multiple names? Lake/Victoria, Maia/Marian/Natalya, Aiden/Rhys, Nick/Saul/Alice?? WHY?
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Na jaren roepen om deze samen met Evelyn te gaan lezen, eindelijk gedaan. Enorm van genoten!
Sommige dingen zijn wel veranderd van wat ik me nog herinnerde van 5 jaar geleden, maar de grote lijnen en wat dit boek gaaf maakt staan nog.
Erg stoer en gaaf verhaal. Naar de normen van nu misschien niet zo divers als je nu zou willen, maar daar doet het verhaal niet voor onder. Wel even rekening mee houden dus als je het nu leest en het boek afzet tegen de standaarden van nu ;)
Maar vooral een echte aanrader als je houdt van een boek met monsters en girlpower waar liefde geen hoofdzaak in is. En als je houdt van prachtig mooie voorkanten, check die cover joh.
Anyway, deel 2 lezen we vast sneller he? ;)
<b>2016</b>
So, back in March, the Dutch publisher Blossom Books asked their ambassadors (including me) to read some manuscripts for them. This is one of the books I've read in this period, as well as The Witch's Kiss and one other, which I'm allowed to mention when that one is published :)
This is an awesome book about girlpower. The world is under attack by monsters, and only 4 girl, Effifies, on the globe have to power to really fight them. What you get is 4 chicks constantly saving the world, how cool is that.
This story is set in the future, and what I really like is that the story includes the influence of the internet en social media. Those 4 girls are famous AF and people are big fans of them. Including the main character, she has a blog about one of the Effigies. When the Effigy is spotted somewhere, she finds out what closes she wears, and she keeps up to date with the latest gossip.
So, when one of the Effigies dies (this happens), the powers are given to another girl. This girl will be found by the company/institution that is behind getting the girls where they need to fight, so guess what happens to our main character.. (this is not a spoiler, this is on the back flap of my book).
Of course, this is a YA book, so all the guys are super handsome and there is some love in this book while it is not completely necessary. But later on, there was more attention for the connection between the girls, their friendship (which is partly forced because they have their powers) and the fact that they share the power to fight the monsters.
When I finished this book, I wanted to read the sequel right away, but first I had to wait MONTHS to be able to talk about this book because it was not released yet, and now I have to wait another ages for the seuqel.. so I'm going to reread this in 2017 :P I will add to my review :)
As you may have noticed, I'm a big fan of this book. But the published asked the opinion of more people of course, and not all agreed with me and they decided to not translate this book :( So, you just have to read it in English Dutchies :)
Also, I'm not a big fan of hardbacks with a dustcover, even when the dustcover looks as pretty as this one, because they are so easily damaged when transported to The Netherlands. My edition is not perfect either, which I think is a bit of a shame, but because I could not order a paperback and i wanted to own this book so badly I was like well whatever :)
Sommige dingen zijn wel veranderd van wat ik me nog herinnerde van 5 jaar geleden, maar de grote lijnen en wat dit boek gaaf maakt staan nog.
Erg stoer en gaaf verhaal. Naar de normen van nu misschien niet zo divers als je nu zou willen, maar daar doet het verhaal niet voor onder. Wel even rekening mee houden dus als je het nu leest en het boek afzet tegen de standaarden van nu ;)
Maar vooral een echte aanrader als je houdt van een boek met monsters en girlpower waar liefde geen hoofdzaak in is. En als je houdt van prachtig mooie voorkanten, check die cover joh.
Anyway, deel 2 lezen we vast sneller he? ;)
<b>2016</b>
So, back in March, the Dutch publisher Blossom Books asked their ambassadors (including me) to read some manuscripts for them. This is one of the books I've read in this period, as well as The Witch's Kiss and one other, which I'm allowed to mention when that one is published :)
This is an awesome book about girlpower. The world is under attack by monsters, and only 4 girl, Effifies, on the globe have to power to really fight them. What you get is 4 chicks constantly saving the world, how cool is that.
This story is set in the future, and what I really like is that the story includes the influence of the internet en social media. Those 4 girls are famous AF and people are big fans of them. Including the main character, she has a blog about one of the Effigies. When the Effigy is spotted somewhere, she finds out what closes she wears, and she keeps up to date with the latest gossip.
So, when one of the Effigies dies (this happens), the powers are given to another girl. This girl will be found by the company/institution that is behind getting the girls where they need to fight, so guess what happens to our main character.. (this is not a spoiler, this is on the back flap of my book).
Of course, this is a YA book, so all the guys are super handsome and there is some love in this book while it is not completely necessary. But later on, there was more attention for the connection between the girls, their friendship (which is partly forced because they have their powers) and the fact that they share the power to fight the monsters.
When I finished this book, I wanted to read the sequel right away, but first I had to wait MONTHS to be able to talk about this book because it was not released yet, and now I have to wait another ages for the seuqel.. so I'm going to reread this in 2017 :P I will add to my review :)
As you may have noticed, I'm a big fan of this book. But the published asked the opinion of more people of course, and not all agreed with me and they decided to not translate this book :( So, you just have to read it in English Dutchies :)
Also, I'm not a big fan of hardbacks with a dustcover, even when the dustcover looks as pretty as this one, because they are so easily damaged when transported to The Netherlands. My edition is not perfect either, which I think is a bit of a shame, but because I could not order a paperback and i wanted to own this book so badly I was like well whatever :)
I want to like this story so much. The concept is original and with the right work, I think it could've been great. However, there isn't enough time spent on the world-building and making the characters more than just the roles they are. It all comes off as fabricated instead of fantastical.
This whole book was a premise based on a short question.
Why?Why help others and put your life on the line and be not only a witness, but a key player in horrific massacres? What is the reason that encourages you to keep going along with this insanity when you never asked to be part of it?
This book really questioned what we believe heroism is.
Maia Finley is sixteen and a total fangirl of the four Effigies, girls who are randomly selected to use either water, fire, earth or air to combat the bad guys, phantoms that also randomly show up.
She idolizes Belle and Natalya and wishes she could be strong and badass and put together, just like they both seem to be. She wants to be a better, cooler and easier version of herself. Where she can be a real hero, but without all the trimmings of PTSD and self doubt and fear.
Maia and the other Effigies all deal with this random selection to basically be a sacrifice for others. They are held up as a desperate sort of hope, where people blindly put their faith in them because nothing else can help.
I would have given this book three stars had it not been for the sheer direction of this book. In my opinion, it really showcased that all these fears and doubts that people have are complicated and hard to deal with. It really underlined that every person hides their true selves behind a version they want to present to the world.
All in all, it's a good book. The world building and setting could have been a bit more clarified. At certain points, it seemed like the character was too preoccupied with the thoughts in her head than the action outside it.
Still, I'm going to be on the lookout for the second in the Effigies series.
Why?Why help others and put your life on the line and be not only a witness, but a key player in horrific massacres? What is the reason that encourages you to keep going along with this insanity when you never asked to be part of it?
This book really questioned what we believe heroism is.
Maia Finley is sixteen and a total fangirl of the four Effigies, girls who are randomly selected to use either water, fire, earth or air to combat the bad guys, phantoms that also randomly show up.
She idolizes Belle and Natalya and wishes she could be strong and badass and put together, just like they both seem to be. She wants to be a better, cooler and easier version of herself. Where she can be a real hero, but without all the trimmings of PTSD and self doubt and fear.
Maia and the other Effigies all deal with this random selection to basically be a sacrifice for others. They are held up as a desperate sort of hope, where people blindly put their faith in them because nothing else can help.
I would have given this book three stars had it not been for the sheer direction of this book. In my opinion, it really showcased that all these fears and doubts that people have are complicated and hard to deal with. It really underlined that every person hides their true selves behind a version they want to present to the world.
All in all, it's a good book. The world building and setting could have been a bit more clarified. At certain points, it seemed like the character was too preoccupied with the thoughts in her head than the action outside it.
Still, I'm going to be on the lookout for the second in the Effigies series.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes