A review by sparklynreads
Prelude of Fire by Christine E. Schulze

adventurous challenging emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.75

This was a very high fantasy YA read. I found it hard to like Ashlai for about seventy percent of the book. She was brash, kind of rude, and did not have a handle on her emotions. She seemed to lash out alot and I just had a hard time with her outbursts. She did end up finally growing on me a bit but the book was mostly over by time I felt like she started getting a handle on herself. Along for the journey was a whole motley group of rather enjoyable side characters. I enjoyed the banter between Aryl (a teenage sprite) and Mandolin (a water-skipper elf). They had a really cute brother sister dynamic that I thought was well done. There are a few magical items and elements that I found really unique in this story, and a rather loveable giant green bat. The magical talents people had, however, were quite powerful, and at times, maybe too convenient. I loved the found family theme in the story, and thought the ending was well done and tied everything up nicely. 

*This book was an ARC provided to me in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.