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betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and HMH Books for an advanced copy of this to review! I loved Beneath the Citadel also by Soria, so I was excited to pick this up. Plus, dragons! There aren’t that many YA books with dragons nowadays, and I love reading about them.
To start, the world building in this was fantastic. The way that Soria weaves in the little details of this world of dragons and sorcerers is so effortless. As is the way we’re introduced to Dani and Eden. They each have their distinct personalities, and it comes out in little details throughout the book.
Dani was definitely my favorite of the two sisters, especially the way she forms a relationship with Nox. She’s also bisexual and proud of that; it’s just there and doesn’t really have much bearing on the story itself. Also I’m partial to Nox because that’s the name of my cat--but fits the dragon in the story so well. I would read a whole book about Nox, to be honest.
On the other hand, Eden’s sections were a little difficult to read for me. There was just something about her voice that didn’t read as smoothly as Dani’s did. Her point of view and her character arc is important, as she works through her problems with anxiety, it just wasn’t my favorite.
All in all, this felt like a refreshing fantasy in the YA realm. If you want to read a book about dragons this summer, definitely check this one out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Confinement and Torture
nerdynatreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
~Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Fire with Fire in exchange for an honest review. ~
I was automatically sucked into this because it seemed reminiscent of How to Train Your Dragon and I love good sibling relationships in stories. I did like the basis and struggle we see between Dani and Eden, the thing that should bring them closer is also what's driving them apart. However, I think the dual perspective was used so that we could connect and sympathize with both characters, but I had a very hard time doing so with Eden. Her anxiety gave her a bit of depth, but all in all, she seemed pretty heartless and narcissistic. Dani, on the other hand, was funny and proud of who she was, if a bit annoying at times, but she's a teenager.
Other characters? Nox was a sarcastic ass and I loved him. Tomas fell a bit flat for me. I liked the drama revolving around Sadie and Dani's past and actually wish more time had been focused on questioning one's sexuality. Kiernan was intriguing and brought some depth to the history of dragons, but my god, the romantic aspect was so insta-lovey and creepy as well. Can we please stop putting teenagers with dudes who are hundreds of years old? Oh, and the villains were fairly bland.
When I initially went into this, I thought the setting would be more fantastical, rather than urban fantasy, but I was intrigued to see how it would be handled. Unfortunately, the worldbuilding was pretty minimal and not explained very well, which meant I was never completely immersed in the world.
The writing was very tell, not show, and possibly because I thought this would be more fantastical, I also expected much more action and fighting, but that didn't really happen until the final climax. The story dragged a lot and ended up being pretty predictable. I thought there'd be some surprising twists, but in the end, this fell pretty flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Moderate: Torture
outsidestar's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book reminded me so much of Dragonheart it hurt.
Please tell me you've seen Dragonheart - aka the 90's movie featuring Dennis Quad (and Lupin from Harry Potter) and one of my favorite childhood movies.
Anyways, I heard "dragons" and came running, as I tend to do because that's who I am. And now that I've met Nox, I must say I need a soul-bond with a dragon more than I need a boyfriend (or anything else, really).
Fire with Fire is essentially a story about family, friendship, forgiveness and learning to live with your demons. It is told in alternating POVs between two sisters who come from a family of dragon slayers and can't be any more different.
Eden, the older sister, doesn't let herself be anything less than perfect, she literally sees herself as one of the last bastions protecting humanity from dragonkind, like the world depends entirely on her being able to someday kill a dragon. That is a lot of pressure for anyone so, of course, she suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. I can't tell you how much I loved to see this included in a fantasy. Not every character can handle being a badass with equal grace.
Then we have 17 year-old Dani, who is The Chosen One. She effortlessly achieves every benchmark that Eden had to fight tooth and nail for, but she doesn't really care that much about the whole being a slayer thing, All she wants is to be normal.
So yeah, now throw in a soul-bond with a dragon and some sorcerers and you get a pretty good book.
However, I must say this did somehow feel like something I've seen before. The Chosen One saving everyone from the big bad evil with the help of a dragon. I think I would've 5-star-loved this if I had read it back when I was 15 years-old. I still really liked it, I actually liked it more than I expected to: the pacing as quick, the characters were great, it was funny, the stakes were high... there's nothing bad I can call out.
Maybe the thing about it all happening while their parents were out and them not ever picking the phone kind of bothered me a little. It was obviously the easiest way for the story to progress but it felt unoriginal. Like Eden going to Calla instead of her parents when she finds out about Dani... In what world do you go to someone you know your parents don't trust when you believe your sister has been taken by a dragon that may very well kill her?? I see where she's coming from but in that situation I wouldn't care if my parents get mad at me or not, it's my sister's life and they are the ones known for tracking and killing dragons, not Calla.
Anyways, keep in mind this is a fantasy stand-alone, so there aren't that many side plots that can be explored to elevate the story if you still want to get everything wrapped up by the end without it being a 800 page book.
Also, great rep overall. Not only through Eden's anxiety and panic attacks, but Dani is bisexual and I believe they're half Mexican, half Irish. Tomás' family is from Latin America and Saddie is plus-size.
Please tell me you've seen Dragonheart - aka the 90's movie featuring Dennis Quad (and Lupin from Harry Potter) and one of my favorite childhood movies.
Anyways, I heard "dragons" and came running, as I tend to do because that's who I am. And now that I've met Nox, I must say I need a soul-bond with a dragon more than I need a boyfriend (or anything else, really).
Fire with Fire is essentially a story about family, friendship, forgiveness and learning to live with your demons. It is told in alternating POVs between two sisters who come from a family of dragon slayers and can't be any more different.
Eden, the older sister, doesn't let herself be anything less than perfect, she literally sees herself as one of the last bastions protecting humanity from dragonkind, like the world depends entirely on her being able to someday kill a dragon. That is a lot of pressure for anyone so, of course, she suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. I can't tell you how much I loved to see this included in a fantasy. Not every character can handle being a badass with equal grace.
Then we have 17 year-old Dani, who is The Chosen One. She effortlessly achieves every benchmark that Eden had to fight tooth and nail for, but she doesn't really care that much about the whole being a slayer thing, All she wants is to be normal.
So yeah, now throw in a soul-bond with a dragon and some sorcerers and you get a pretty good book.
However, I must say this did somehow feel like something I've seen before. The Chosen One saving everyone from the big bad evil with the help of a dragon. I think I would've 5-star-loved this if I had read it back when I was 15 years-old. I still really liked it, I actually liked it more than I expected to: the pacing as quick, the characters were great, it was funny, the stakes were high... there's nothing bad I can call out.
Maybe the thing about it all happening while their parents were out and them not ever picking the phone kind of bothered me a little. It was obviously the easiest way for the story to progress but it felt unoriginal. Like Eden going to Calla instead of her parents when she finds out about Dani... In what world do you go to someone you know your parents don't trust when you believe your sister has been taken by a dragon that may very well kill her?? I see where she's coming from but in that situation I wouldn't care if my parents get mad at me or not, it's my sister's life and they are the ones known for tracking and killing dragons, not Calla.
Anyways, keep in mind this is a fantasy stand-alone, so there aren't that many side plots that can be explored to elevate the story if you still want to get everything wrapped up by the end without it being a 800 page book.
Also, great rep overall. Not only through Eden's anxiety and panic attacks, but Dani is bisexual and I believe they're half Mexican, half Irish. Tomás' family is from Latin America and Saddie is plus-size.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Torture
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Grief, and Murder
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