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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-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
i strive to have a qpr like ingrid and alex 💜
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this up because the cover is beautiful. The story is LGBTQ+ Jazz Age fantasy which I have to say is a first for me. But the book is decent and a quick read.
Fire Becomes Her follows Ingrid Ellis, an ambitious girl from an impoverished background who attends a posh private school in the hopes of making a better future for herself. During her final year, she completes an internship with a senator and is thrust into the politics of a presidential campaign where she is forced to reckon with her own motivations, values, and relationships.
I really enjoyed this book. While it is set in an alternate universe with strong 1920s fashion vibes, it is definitely a book of our times. It celebrates and calls for revolution — discussing systems of oppression, the need to redistribute wealth (and flare - the book’s form of magic), and tearing the whole system down to build something better that works for everyone. I loved Ingrid’s character growth, and perhaps even more, the evolution of her understanding of relationships (from something quite transactional to embracing the beauty and nuance of queer platonic friendships). There is some great queer rep in this book as well, including characters who are trans, nonbinary, aro/ace, demiromantic, bisexual, and/or sapphic.
Highly recommend.
I really enjoyed this book. While it is set in an alternate universe with strong 1920s fashion vibes, it is definitely a book of our times. It celebrates and calls for revolution — discussing systems of oppression, the need to redistribute wealth (and flare - the book’s form of magic), and tearing the whole system down to build something better that works for everyone. I loved Ingrid’s character growth, and perhaps even more, the evolution of her understanding of relationships (from something quite transactional to embracing the beauty and nuance of queer platonic friendships). There is some great queer rep in this book as well, including characters who are trans, nonbinary, aro/ace, demiromantic, bisexual, and/or sapphic.
Highly recommend.
Around a 3.5 here and really waffling on whether to round up or down. Up for the aromantic rep and prominent queerplatonic relationships, down for how "meh" the book felt as a whole. I love the concept and the vibe (20s jazz age, drinkable magic, political campaigns, students doing internships, "eat the rich" sentiment), but it didn't spark any real fire within me, if you'll pardon the pun. The plot was beyond predictable, but it had a couple threads running--some internal battles, some external--so it didn't become overly simplistic.
The magic was such an important thing but I still don't feel like I quite understand how it works--you drink it, but it also powers utilities, and it can be used as a cosmetic as well, and you vote by using that same substance?
Though some characters were a little bland as individuals, I did appreciate the time that was devoted to Ingrid's relationships with Alex, Linden, and her father, exploring three different kinds of love, all of which are perfectly valid. I do wish some of the female relationships were fleshed out more, though; Louise and Charlotte deserved more page-time.
As a final note, I listened to this one as an audiobook. The narrator was largely good, and I appreciated her overall pacing and style. My one quibble was with some odd accent choices--she made Charlotte British, I guess? And there was this inconsistent half-accent for Ingrid's father and Louise that I think was supposed to sound like an east coast city accent, but it only showed up half the time and didn't make a ton of sense.
Overall, not a bad book, and has that extremely rare QPR rep, but otherwise it was a bit forgettable.
The magic was such an important thing but I still don't feel like I quite understand how it works--you drink it, but it also powers utilities, and it can be used as a cosmetic as well, and you vote by using that same substance?
Though some characters were a little bland as individuals, I did appreciate the time that was devoted to Ingrid's relationships with Alex, Linden, and her father, exploring three different kinds of love, all of which are perfectly valid. I do wish some of the female relationships were fleshed out more, though; Louise and Charlotte deserved more page-time.
As a final note, I listened to this one as an audiobook. The narrator was largely good, and I appreciated her overall pacing and style. My one quibble was with some odd accent choices--she made Charlotte British, I guess? And there was this inconsistent half-accent for Ingrid's father and Louise that I think was supposed to sound like an east coast city accent, but it only showed up half the time and didn't make a ton of sense.
Overall, not a bad book, and has that extremely rare QPR rep, but otherwise it was a bit forgettable.
Character - 8
Atmosphere - 7
Writing - 7
Plot - 9
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 8
Enjoyment - 9
Rating: 8.00 / 4 stars
Atmosphere - 7
Writing - 7
Plot - 9
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 8
Enjoyment - 9
Rating: 8.00 / 4 stars
It was fine, kind of boring, characters not compelling
I was so excited when I saw the cover of The Fire Becomes her, and after reading the synopsis I felt like it was something I could love. I had such high hopes, but for me the book fell a bit flat.
For a significant part of the book I was completely enthralled. The overall story was something that I felt connected with, and I could for the most part understand where the main character was coming from. The character development was lacking. The main characters had pieces of their personalities that could have been interesting but were written in a way that made them feel a bit uninteresting and not very cohesive. For the storyline, I was able to push through all of that until towards the end I found myself getting more and more disappointed with the direction the story was taking. The book became predictable in all the worst ways, including giving away an important plot detail that made what should have been the climax just another part of the story.
All in all it’s not a book I could see myself reading again, and it’s not something I can see myself recommending to someone else.
For a significant part of the book I was completely enthralled. The overall story was something that I felt connected with, and I could for the most part understand where the main character was coming from. The character development was lacking. The main characters had pieces of their personalities that could have been interesting but were written in a way that made them feel a bit uninteresting and not very cohesive. For the storyline, I was able to push through all of that until towards the end I found myself getting more and more disappointed with the direction the story was taking. The book became predictable in all the worst ways, including giving away an important plot detail that made what should have been the climax just another part of the story.
All in all it’s not a book I could see myself reading again, and it’s not something I can see myself recommending to someone else.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes