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owlyreadsalot's review against another edition
5.0
Right from the beginning of Pyromantic I am introduced to the funny and spunky character that is Ava. She is a Firebug which is a sibling to the phoenix and dragon. "Not genetically, but in spirit." Even with that, she can joke about melting an ice-cream truck's tires and tackling the driver just to get her hands on a little bit of the contents waiting inside. She lives everyday in servitude to the Coterie, and a new boss in Alistair who is making the job a little bit easier to deal with. And I might have become a little biased with this read when I saw the doctor references, which included the love of bow ties and Sylvie's love interest possibly dressing up as the tenth doctor.
Aside from all of that, this gets even better. I couldn't get enough of Ava's character. Not only does she have all of the mentioned attributes from above, but she is also strong and fierce with no end in sight. And though she may have to answer to the Coterie, she is bent on finding a way out of her contract. Having to no longer be part of any form of torture or dirty work they instill upon her. Her abilities are more than that, more than what the Coterie has made of them.
If that didn't compel me enough into this novel, the attraction and unrequited feelings going on between Ava and Lock are just as fiery as she is. She is constantly trying to avoid him, making it part of her mission to not make further eye contact, answer messages coming from him, having any meaningful discussions. And somehow even with all of that, or lack thereof, there is still the want and hopes that Ava stops the unpleasant stance, lets her guard down and gives in to what we know is going to be a great YA couple.
There is tons more brewing between these pages. As necromancers make an appearance, bringing back the dead that have been killed by a new fungus affecting only magical beings. And Ezra, who is just as charming and swoon worthy as Luke, tries to prove his point to Ava that they are both needed by her side, keeping vigilance and helping her as she tries and finds the reason for these occurrences. Where is the fungus coming from? Who has created it? And what do snails have to do with all of it?
I couldn't place this book down. I loved every aspect of it and enjoyed the quirkiness of it all. Every character caught my attention and I rooted for each and every one of them. There was humor, mystical findings at every turn, and enjoyed even more how they all meshed as a team. The imagined creatures in Pyromantics are interesting and eye catching. And the creepiness factor increases the further you delve into this read. Will definitely be getting myself a copy of the first novel in this series, Firebug.
***I received this copy from Henry Holt and Co./Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
Aside from all of that, this gets even better. I couldn't get enough of Ava's character. Not only does she have all of the mentioned attributes from above, but she is also strong and fierce with no end in sight. And though she may have to answer to the Coterie, she is bent on finding a way out of her contract. Having to no longer be part of any form of torture or dirty work they instill upon her. Her abilities are more than that, more than what the Coterie has made of them.
If that didn't compel me enough into this novel, the attraction and unrequited feelings going on between Ava and Lock are just as fiery as she is. She is constantly trying to avoid him, making it part of her mission to not make further eye contact, answer messages coming from him, having any meaningful discussions. And somehow even with all of that, or lack thereof, there is still the want and hopes that Ava stops the unpleasant stance, lets her guard down and gives in to what we know is going to be a great YA couple.
There is tons more brewing between these pages. As necromancers make an appearance, bringing back the dead that have been killed by a new fungus affecting only magical beings. And Ezra, who is just as charming and swoon worthy as Luke, tries to prove his point to Ava that they are both needed by her side, keeping vigilance and helping her as she tries and finds the reason for these occurrences. Where is the fungus coming from? Who has created it? And what do snails have to do with all of it?
I couldn't place this book down. I loved every aspect of it and enjoyed the quirkiness of it all. Every character caught my attention and I rooted for each and every one of them. There was humor, mystical findings at every turn, and enjoyed even more how they all meshed as a team. The imagined creatures in Pyromantics are interesting and eye catching. And the creepiness factor increases the further you delve into this read. Will definitely be getting myself a copy of the first novel in this series, Firebug.
***I received this copy from Henry Holt and Co./Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
maryehavens's review against another edition
4.0
Another win from Lish McBride! I enjoyed Pyromantic more than Firebug because I liked learning about the new kinds of creatures and uncovering the mystery. I was wondering if McBride would write a short story collection of all these different creatures. If would read it :)
Same criticism: no real twist. You can see the overall plot forming a mile away but that’s not terrible. Maybe that’s common in YA??
I look forward to many more books from McBride!!!
Same criticism: no real twist. You can see the overall plot forming a mile away but that’s not terrible. Maybe that’s common in YA??
I look forward to many more books from McBride!!!
avellana's review against another edition
I found this book at a dollar store and bought it and read it without knowing it was the second book in a series xD wasnt hard to follow along with what was going on though, not sure if im gonna read the first one - but either way it was good
rain_baby's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
christinerobbins's review against another edition
4.0
love love love i loved the first book and didn’t think it could get any better but here it is better
squishies's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up
It's been so long since the last book that I couldn't remember much of who or what, but there were enough hints throughout this instalment to work out what had occurred. The catch up was really well done I thought - could have been one of those big summary dialogues that's so unwieldy to the pacing.
The story was so good! However, I couldn't really give it a straight out 4 because of the angst >_> I unfortunately rolled my eyes a couple of times at Ava, but at least she's consistent with her personality.
Ezra's the best, followed by Olive, and Sylvie.
It's been so long since the last book that I couldn't remember much of who or what, but there were enough hints throughout this instalment to work out what had occurred. The catch up was really well done I thought - could have been one of those big summary dialogues that's so unwieldy to the pacing.
The story was so good! However, I couldn't really give it a straight out 4 because of the angst >_> I unfortunately rolled my eyes a couple of times at Ava, but at least she's consistent with her personality.
Ezra's the best, followed by Olive, and Sylvie.
Spoiler
Though I was a bit irritated at Sylvie for withholding important information! Geez girl.stenaros's review against another edition
3.0
The sequel to Firebug, a book greatly enjoyed by me, this continues the story, bringing back all the favorite characters. I was sorry I didn't have time for a re-read of Firebug before launching into this, but it was an enjoyable tale all the same.
conjurerachel's review against another edition
4.0
McBride gets my love for found families AND killer snails.
zellian's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't realize when I picked this book up that it was the second and after reading a couple of pages in I was very tempted to go back out to the library and find the first one, I've already added it to my already hefty To Read list.
This book definitely gave me the Young Reader vibes, with a twist of Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant! Seeing as I especially love Derek's books, I really enjoyed reading through Pyromantic. Sure there are some moments where it seemed a bit cliche and I sometimes questioned how some of the teens were acting but since the book was a good read I was able to look past it.
I haven't had any decent Young Adult reads recently, but this book is fun and enjoyable. The characters are funny, the sarcasm is great (again, Skulduggery/Valkyrie vibes) and you're engaged.
I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for more Lish McBride books, if the rest of her books are like this one then I'll happily be getting them out over and over.
This book definitely gave me the Young Reader vibes, with a twist of Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant! Seeing as I especially love Derek's books, I really enjoyed reading through Pyromantic. Sure there are some moments where it seemed a bit cliche and I sometimes questioned how some of the teens were acting but since the book was a good read I was able to look past it.
I haven't had any decent Young Adult reads recently, but this book is fun and enjoyable. The characters are funny, the sarcasm is great (again, Skulduggery/Valkyrie vibes) and you're engaged.
I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for more Lish McBride books, if the rest of her books are like this one then I'll happily be getting them out over and over.