A review by katsa6
A Moonrise in the Fire by Tessia Ives

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Reads quite YA to start. Almost nostalgic with the love triangle trope written here. Rian is her childhood love and someone who she has conflicted feelings for after she is given alot of responsibilities due to her family's roles as guardians of a temple. Caelan is a Fire elemental who is staying with her who seems to make her burn in more ways than one. When Rian is kidnapped and taken out of the world she knows this book opens up to become almost a portal fantasy with a lot of whimsy and fun puzzles. It gets serious and dark at the end with a satisfyingly heartbreaking conclusion. All in all a good book for those that enjoy a nostalgic Love Triangle book with strong side characters and an interesting world to dive into.

my main critique with this book is the insta love/smut. I feel like it was a little out of left field for the tone of the book. The first love scene could have moved where the second one was for a bit more impact. Also dayum they were frisky in front of their friends in the woods. Just felt a bit fast for me anyway.