Reviews with content warning for Violence - Firelight

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Firelight by Kristen Callihan

3 reviews

allingoodtime's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

I had no idea what to expect from this book. I already knew I love this author’s contemporary romance so I figured I’d enjoy her writing in other genres. The problem was, I wasn’t sure what the genre of this story really was. I’m still not sure. The best I can say is historical romance mixed with paranormal romance. I’ve seen steampunk classifications but I’ve never read steampunk, yet this doesn’t fit my visions of what that would be. Maybe later in the series it veers more that way? Regardless of the genre, I am happy to report I did enjoy this story.

When it comes to the love story, this had all the elements and feelings I’m looking for. There is a fantastic connection between Miranda and Archer, even with the relationship being forced on Miranda by her father. She has an instant trust in Archer and something about him puts her at ease enough that she feels she can be herself. This is saying a lot since the man wears a mask and gloves and often has a cape on as well. Of course, when first meeting Archer it is easy to pigeonhole him into a Phantom of the Opera box, but as the story goes on I’d say its vibes are much more those of Beauty and the Beast.

Miranda has her own secrets, they’re just not hidden under masks or clothing. As much as Miranda’s power has affected her life and that of her family, Archer is unaware of just how special she is. This is a case of two people keeping secrets from the one person who may truly empathize. Archer’s secret had me guessing all over the place. While my guesses were mostly wrong, they gave me hints of what is to come in this series.

There are places in this story that moved too slowly for me, but I think that’s the world-building. Being the first book, this book has to do a lot of heavy lifting. There are characters to meet, gifts to discover, and social norms to understand. Yet when it came to Archer and Miranda, things were exciting and beautiful. I loved their love.

I’m looking forward to exploring this world Kristen Callihan has created. Regardless if her stories are contemporary, historical, paranormal, or fantasy, she knows how to write amazing characters.

Content Warnings

sydapel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-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? Yes

3.75

Paranormal + historical = my new hyper fixation???

To be fair, I found some of Archer's martyr attitude to be tiresome and the mystery is a little hard to follow and tedious, but the last 100 pages or so are do enjoyably dramatic that I cannot help but love it.

Content Warnings

thoughtsstained's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Trigger Warnings: Anger issues, graphic injuries, blood, gore, cult, death, needles, threats, murder, sex, rape (suggested/threatened), trauma, violence

Likes

The chemistry. Like I mentioned in my post on Monday, it is VERY important for me to believe the chemistry between characters in romance. And oh wow, did Firelight deliver. I absolutely adored Miranda and Archer together. Not only was the chemistry fantastic, but I really enjoyed Miranda as a character, too. She protects herself, both with her ability and her own interests. She's not afraid to do what needs to be done. Archer's respect for her abilities and intellect made me swoon over him even more.
The world and the magic. Everyone knows I'm a sucker for alt-Victorian romance! This paranormal world where magic wasn't unheard of surprisingly clicked for me, considering I'm not usually a paranormal fan. Yet, the magic was fun and the world inviting!
The beautiful writing. I won't lie, Callihan knows how to write a fantastic story! It was very easy to slip into this world and very hard to put down (evidenced by reading this book in two sittings). Whether describing the world, the characters, the scenery or sex, I enjoyed reading all of it!

Dislikes

The miscommunication/secrecy trope. This is my least favorite romance trope. Unfortunately, it's also the one I see most often, including in Firelight. I would have rather Archer and Miranda share their concerns with one another after trust was developed between them. That way, they could work together to overcome them, instead of knowing they were holding back from one another.
The lack of magic-development. Miranda has some sort of fire magic and we don't learn a ton about how she got it or what she can do it with. In fact, while I thought it was awesome, there were a few instances, including the ending, where the lack of fleshing out this skill and it's "rules" became very clear. It felt more like a "no rules so it can be used however it needs" kind of out, instead of properly developed to explain limitations, consequences and strengths.

Rating

I was torn on how to rate Firelight. It was definitely a 4 star read for me, but I faltered on whether it could be a 5-star. On one hand, I flew through it and immediately bought the rest of the series, because I just enjoyed it that much (oops). On the other, there were still elements I didn't like and I may have enjoyed it this much because it's been a while since I read a romance. But, I haven't read a romance where I was inclined to spend money on the next books in the series, so that's why it was a 4.5 gems for me!

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