rebelspykatie 's review for:

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

4.0

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This was such a fun surprise. I honestly thought I would get a couple chapters into it and then chuck this book. But I ended up really liking this. The system of magic is fascinating and the characters are so compelling. I really loved that it started off as this classic YA contemporary novel and then turned into this epic fantasy where I forgot the characters were teenagers. Lily is basically a fantasy version of me. I have horrible allergic reactions that I wish were my body secretly trying to tell me I'm a witch. I love that the Outlanders are basically a mix of Native American backgrounds. It was refreshing to read a story that was diverse without trying too hard. My only complaints about this book are the kill the gays trope (I won't say who dies) and that Lily comes into her power pretty easily with little training. It was a little too easy at times for Lily to just get with the program, like the pyre at the end. But overall very interesting and I can't wait to continue with the series.