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A review by katyanaish
Firespell by Chloe Neill
2.0
I have a love / hate relationship with Chloe Neill.
I love her heroines, and the heroine's best friend. In both her series, that core relationship has been fun, funny, and undeniably real - it is well-drawn and compelling.
I love her world, and the systems of magic that she creates. The details are rich and captivating.
But here's what I hate: in both her series (CLV, which I have quit reading, and this one, which I expect I will also quit), the heroine is a fucking doormat. True to form, in this book, Lily is treated like shit by everyone from her parents to her school to the "good guys" (quotes are because I think the "good guys" are sanctimonious and full of crap). She's manipulated by everyone, and in the end, she just shrugs and does what they want her to do. And this is supposed to be a rebellious teenager! Where is the "Fuck you!" Where is the backbone? The independence? When the Enclave dismisses her - for like the THIRD time - when she is trying to save Scout, why doesn't she tell them all to FUCK OFF, and go save Scout herself? And then come back and throw it in their fucking sanctimonious faces? But no. She's utterly dependent on them, and she's still panting over the boy who has frankly treated her like a doormat all the way through this book.
I can't get into yet another Neill series where the heroine is a fucking passive, weak-willed idiot, content to be the tool of whoever feels like using her today. And it's too bad, because like with CLV, I think this is an intriguing world.
I love her heroines, and the heroine's best friend. In both her series, that core relationship has been fun, funny, and undeniably real - it is well-drawn and compelling.
I love her world, and the systems of magic that she creates. The details are rich and captivating.
But here's what I hate: in both her series (CLV, which I have quit reading, and this one, which I expect I will also quit), the heroine is a fucking doormat. True to form, in this book, Lily is treated like shit by everyone from her parents to her school to the "good guys" (quotes are because I think the "good guys" are sanctimonious and full of crap). She's manipulated by everyone, and in the end, she just shrugs and does what they want her to do. And this is supposed to be a rebellious teenager! Where is the "Fuck you!" Where is the backbone? The independence? When the Enclave dismisses her - for like the THIRD time - when she is trying to save Scout, why doesn't she tell them all to FUCK OFF, and go save Scout herself? And then come back and throw it in their fucking sanctimonious faces? But no. She's utterly dependent on them, and she's still panting over the boy who has frankly treated her like a doormat all the way through this book.
I can't get into yet another Neill series where the heroine is a fucking passive, weak-willed idiot, content to be the tool of whoever feels like using her today. And it's too bad, because like with CLV, I think this is an intriguing world.