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troetschel's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
An overall enjoyable read with an extremely enjoyable protagonist and some parts that didn't really make a whole lot of sense. There's more religious imagery in here than I really processed, so perhaps someone with a deeper history in the Christian faith would get something different/something more out of it,
Anya is the best part of this book, and Weymouth has some great lines for her. She's occasionally unlikeable and sometimes confusing but she's incredibly fierce and complicated in a good way.
I didn't really understand why Tieran was what he was and I feel like Anya could have done without his part at the end of the book. It robbed her somewhat of what was otherwise an incredibly powerful arc. His reveal came totally out of left field and way too late in the story - no matter what hints were laid along the way, they couldn't make that twist feel anything other than jarring.
Anya is the best part of this book, and Weymouth has some great lines for her. She's occasionally unlikeable and sometimes confusing but she's incredibly fierce and complicated in a good way.
I didn't really understand why Tieran was what he was and I feel like Anya could have done without his part at the end of the book. It robbed her somewhat of what was otherwise an incredibly powerful arc. His reveal came totally out of left field and way too late in the story - no matter what hints were laid along the way, they couldn't make that twist feel anything other than jarring.
maysedai's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent and Animal death
evergarden144's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
alongreader's review
4.0
I always get the feeling in Laura Weymouth books that there's a lot of backstory and history we don't know about. In one way that's fine - worlds have history that aren't always necessary - but it does make it harder sometimes to connect to the characters. Of course that's true of most fantasy, so I don't know why I feel it so strongly in these books.
This is set in a version of Britain where the Romans withdrew when some kind od demon woke in Scotland. A new religion based on appeasing the demon and formed with parts of Christianity arose, involving sacrificing young girls to the demon each year. Most of them don't die, but they lose something very important, because only important things can calm the demon. This year's sacrifice is determined that no more young girls should be sent to face him.
One of the things that drew me to this book (apart from the writer) is that the blurb made no mention of romance. I was expecting "Anya teams up with a renegade priest" or something of the sort and I was pleasantly surprised not to see it. Of course, there is a romance here, where a boy who everyone describes as standoffish and quick to run is inexplicably drawn to Anya. Don't get me wrong, I liked the character a lot, but I would love, just once, to see a 'fiercely feminist heroine' do it on her own, without leaning on a man for help. That's a me issue, though, and doesn't say anything about this book in particular.
I also would have liked it to be a bit longer! The pacing was great, I flew through it, but I thought the ending was very abrupt - I would love to know what happens next, considering that what happened in that ending will turn their world upside down. It's a sign of a good book that I don't want to leave it behind too quickly.
Overall I really enjoyed this, I highly recommend it and I hope it does really well.
This is set in a version of Britain where the Romans withdrew when some kind od demon woke in Scotland. A new religion based on appeasing the demon and formed with parts of Christianity arose, involving sacrificing young girls to the demon each year. Most of them don't die, but they lose something very important, because only important things can calm the demon. This year's sacrifice is determined that no more young girls should be sent to face him.
One of the things that drew me to this book (apart from the writer) is that the blurb made no mention of romance. I was expecting "Anya teams up with a renegade priest" or something of the sort and I was pleasantly surprised not to see it. Of course, there is a romance here, where a boy who everyone describes as standoffish and quick to run is inexplicably drawn to Anya. Don't get me wrong, I liked the character a lot, but I would love, just once, to see a 'fiercely feminist heroine' do it on her own, without leaning on a man for help. That's a me issue, though, and doesn't say anything about this book in particular.
I also would have liked it to be a bit longer! The pacing was great, I flew through it, but I thought the ending was very abrupt - I would love to know what happens next, considering that what happened in that ending will turn their world upside down. It's a sign of a good book that I don't want to leave it behind too quickly.
Overall I really enjoyed this, I highly recommend it and I hope it does really well.
msghani's review
5.0
Laura Weymouth is the perfect example of what an author who grows and improves their craft with every book they put out looks like. I didn't think her previous novel, A RUSH OF WINGS, could be beaten, but A CONSUMING FIRE absolutely earns the title of her best work yet. The setting, the characters and their arcs (ANYA! TIERAN!!! I love them SO much!), and the plot are deftly woven together into an unforgettable tale about a girl who sets out to avenge her sister's death in a way that would label her as a heretic to the world - all because she intends to do the right thing.
scarcoll's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cakt1991's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A Consuming Fire is the next book I chose to pick up from Laura Weymouth’s backlist. Weymouth is one of the handful of authors who writes stories that simultaneously have familiar tropes and archetypes, yet feel very fresh and original, and that was definitely the case here.
I was immediately drawn to the world, surrounding primarily the isolated village of Weatherell, where innocent girls are sent to sacrifice parts of themselves (whether it be body parts or worse) to a vengeful god. It’s a deeply messed up system, especially when you consider how young these girls are, and that they’ve been raised with it, making the inciting incident of the book all the crueler.
This backstory colors Anya’s life in the village, as she and her twin sister, Ilva, grew up with the knowledge of it, and Ilva ended up volunteering, only to end up being killed. I felt for Anya in her grief and desire for revenge, and how it isolated her, even from a cruel and dysfunctional community. I rooted for her to find her strength to confront this monster, not to mention the self-serving assholes that stood in her way. And while she isn’t equipped for the outside world prior, I enjoyed watching her adapt and learn, with some assistance, even if these people cannot know her true purpose.
One of the people she encounters is a young thief, who is about to be punished, and her compassion for him is an example of how she hasn’t completely hardened her heart. The romance that develops between them is quite cute, even if it is complicated by her need to hide her true self for the sake of her mission.
This was another solid read from Laura E. Weymouth, and I’d recommend it to other YA fantasy readers.
corners_of_cozy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
3.75