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magencorrie's review
3.0
3.5/4 stars!
*Book received from NetGalley*
My Thoughts:
It took me awhile to get into this one. And I was very excited about it; however, when picked it up I just couldn't get into it at first. I believe it was because I was reading so many fantasy books back to back at that time. So I put Fireblood down, and waited until I was ready to pick it up again. And I’m glad I finally picked it back up.
First of all, I really enjoyed the idea of this book. It had a unique spin on it, a weird dystopian world forced to be stuck in the era like Camelot. A dystopian world with a King, and Knights of the Round Table. It was also interesting how Wolfe combined this age with that of a more modern advanced world. I liked how she combined the two; it made for a fascinating read.
The characters were also very interesting. Though, at times, I found there emotions to be all over the place. I did enjoy the characters’ transitions throughout the story. Zara, the main gal, is definitely the strong type of heroines I enjoy reading about. And though her situation is a pretty dire one, I found she had a good head on her shoulders, a very stubborn personality, and a good heart. However, I felt like I was only getting glimpses of her true personality. I felt there could have been so much more to this character, emotional wise.
Devlan, well, I have mixed emotions about him. I enjoyed his character just as much as I enjoyed Zara’s, I just felt like he had some serious mood swings. And that made me a bit frustrated at times. However, as I got deeper into the story, I really started to understand him, and that made me enjoy him even more. Again, like Zara, I felt there could have been so much more to his character and to his emotional depth.
Then we have the Prince Sebastian, who plays a pretty big role. I’m gonna be honest, it was hard to get a good grasp on his character. I found that kind of fun while I was reading! Going back and forth; is he good, is he evil? I also enjoyed the side characters, and they each brought a nice factor into the story and more depth to it.
This world that Wolfe created is very dark in its own way. I really loved the concept and all the elements she added. The virus, the way the world is inside the dome and outside of it. I only wish I had more knowledge as to what happened and how did it happen. But again, I like the mystery of not knowing.
The only thing that I found to be something I didn’t thoroughly enjoy was the development and pacing of the story. It was just rushed. Now, not everything felt too rushed, but a lot of the main factors did. The romance between Delvan and Zara being one, and then the development of Zara’s role with the rebels being another. I definitely enjoyed this story, but I just wasn’t that blown away by it. I am glad that I gave it a chance!
I definitely recommend this one to those who are curious about Fireblood, or have read the novella of this series! It’s a book that you just have to give a try, you never know, you might just end up loving it.
*Book received from NetGalley*
My Thoughts:
It took me awhile to get into this one. And I was very excited about it; however, when picked it up I just couldn't get into it at first. I believe it was because I was reading so many fantasy books back to back at that time. So I put Fireblood down, and waited until I was ready to pick it up again. And I’m glad I finally picked it back up.
First of all, I really enjoyed the idea of this book. It had a unique spin on it, a weird dystopian world forced to be stuck in the era like Camelot. A dystopian world with a King, and Knights of the Round Table. It was also interesting how Wolfe combined this age with that of a more modern advanced world. I liked how she combined the two; it made for a fascinating read.
The characters were also very interesting. Though, at times, I found there emotions to be all over the place. I did enjoy the characters’ transitions throughout the story. Zara, the main gal, is definitely the strong type of heroines I enjoy reading about. And though her situation is a pretty dire one, I found she had a good head on her shoulders, a very stubborn personality, and a good heart. However, I felt like I was only getting glimpses of her true personality. I felt there could have been so much more to this character, emotional wise.
Devlan, well, I have mixed emotions about him. I enjoyed his character just as much as I enjoyed Zara’s, I just felt like he had some serious mood swings. And that made me a bit frustrated at times. However, as I got deeper into the story, I really started to understand him, and that made me enjoy him even more. Again, like Zara, I felt there could have been so much more to his character and to his emotional depth.
Then we have the Prince Sebastian, who plays a pretty big role. I’m gonna be honest, it was hard to get a good grasp on his character. I found that kind of fun while I was reading! Going back and forth; is he good, is he evil? I also enjoyed the side characters, and they each brought a nice factor into the story and more depth to it.
This world that Wolfe created is very dark in its own way. I really loved the concept and all the elements she added. The virus, the way the world is inside the dome and outside of it. I only wish I had more knowledge as to what happened and how did it happen. But again, I like the mystery of not knowing.
The only thing that I found to be something I didn’t thoroughly enjoy was the development and pacing of the story. It was just rushed. Now, not everything felt too rushed, but a lot of the main factors did. The romance between Delvan and Zara being one, and then the development of Zara’s role with the rebels being another. I definitely enjoyed this story, but I just wasn’t that blown away by it. I am glad that I gave it a chance!
I definitely recommend this one to those who are curious about Fireblood, or have read the novella of this series! It’s a book that you just have to give a try, you never know, you might just end up loving it.
amethystbookwyrm's review
5.0
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks to Netgalley and Spencer Hill Press for giving me this book to review.
The land has been destroyed and is filled with monsters, and Karm is the only safe place as it is protected by a barrier, and the king has ruled that it should be inspired on the medieval world of Camelot. Zara Dane has been hiding the fact that her father has The Virus, an illness which kills everyone in Karm, when she is chosen by Prince Sebastian to be his bride. Her father is sent away and she is forced to stay in the castle, under the watchful eye of the first knight, Sir Devlan, but all Zara wants to do is run away and find her father before it is too late. As Zara gets to know the people in the castle, she is drawn into the rebellion against the King, but should she trust their plan or the spark of good she sees in Sebastian?
Fireblood is a brilliant book as it is a dystopia but reads and feels like a fantasy which is really unusual. The plot is fast paced and engaging, and has the right mixture of betrayals, romance and action.
All the characters are really complex, but especially Zara as she strong-willed and determined to protect those she cares about, and while her judgement may not always be right, her decisions are made with a good heart. The romance in Fireblood is good as it developed at a steady pace, however, it was a bit predictable as it was obvious which person Zara would fall for, but it was much better than the love triangle it seemed like it was going to be. Sebastian was an interesting character as at some points I hated him, but at others I sympathised and understood him. Devlan is a strong, kind and loyal person, and I would have loved to have some chapters from his perspective to see what he was thinking.
I loved this book and I hope there is more stories from this world, although the way it ended it does not need another to wrap up any loose ends. I will be reading more books by Wolfe and I would recommend Fireblood to fans of The Selection series, The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy and Throne of Glass.
Thanks to Netgalley and Spencer Hill Press for giving me this book to review.
The land has been destroyed and is filled with monsters, and Karm is the only safe place as it is protected by a barrier, and the king has ruled that it should be inspired on the medieval world of Camelot. Zara Dane has been hiding the fact that her father has The Virus, an illness which kills everyone in Karm, when she is chosen by Prince Sebastian to be his bride. Her father is sent away and she is forced to stay in the castle, under the watchful eye of the first knight, Sir Devlan, but all Zara wants to do is run away and find her father before it is too late. As Zara gets to know the people in the castle, she is drawn into the rebellion against the King, but should she trust their plan or the spark of good she sees in Sebastian?
Fireblood is a brilliant book as it is a dystopia but reads and feels like a fantasy which is really unusual. The plot is fast paced and engaging, and has the right mixture of betrayals, romance and action.
All the characters are really complex, but especially Zara as she strong-willed and determined to protect those she cares about, and while her judgement may not always be right, her decisions are made with a good heart. The romance in Fireblood is good as it developed at a steady pace, however, it was a bit predictable as it was obvious which person Zara would fall for, but it was much better than the love triangle it seemed like it was going to be. Sebastian was an interesting character as at some points I hated him, but at others I sympathised and understood him. Devlan is a strong, kind and loyal person, and I would have loved to have some chapters from his perspective to see what he was thinking.
I loved this book and I hope there is more stories from this world, although the way it ended it does not need another to wrap up any loose ends. I will be reading more books by Wolfe and I would recommend Fireblood to fans of The Selection series, The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy and Throne of Glass.
_camk_'s review
4.0
I started Fireblood a while but after 3 chapters decided to read a different book but I'm really glad that I went back to it.
The most interesting concept of the book was how it set in the future but they forced to live in a world based on Camelot. The book started a bit slow but from Chapter 4 on it gets much more interesting!
The most interesting concept of the book was how it set in the future but they forced to live in a world based on Camelot. The book started a bit slow but from Chapter 4 on it gets much more interesting!
amber04's review
5.0
Fierce protagonist, smoldering hotties, and a vivid world of awesomeness! Team "D" baby!!
lynseyisreading's review
4.0
Great YA Fantasy!
What a positively fascinating and original setting for a Fantasy novel! You many be forgiven for thinking this book has a historical, medieval-type setting. But, alas, you would be wrong. Well, at least, you'd only be half right. You see, it's actually futuristic! Set in a dystopian society in the not-too-distant future, held captive under a forcefield dome thingy in some re-imagined version of King Author's Camelot! Now if that's not original, I don't know what is. The only difference with this version of the mythical Utopian realm, is that it's as fake as a Hollywood smile, and full of incongruous, out-of-place modern conveniences, like electricity and communication devices. Why? Oh, who knows... Because the tyrannical ruler, King Hart, felt like it one day? He had a vision of the perfect society - complete with adopted speech patterns and dialect, authentic clothing, knights and fair maidens, etc, etc. Only the problem with things that are fake, false and forced, is that their lustre wears off all-too-quickly, and soon only ugliness can be found where once held allure. As is the case in FIREBLOOD.
Naturally, the person to untangle this maniacal mess is our main character, Zara, or, Princess Zara, as she's soon called, after being called upon at the beginning of the story to be the Crown Prince's new bride-to-be, whether she wants to or not. And she most assuredly does not. With the royal guards beating down her door, however, she has little choice, and is soon sequestered in the Prince's keep. But what of the prince? Can he be as bad as she's always believed? And what of the Prince's first knight, Devlan, and they way he makes her feel? It's a tangled web, to be sure, but one that held this reader's attention fast and firm throughout.
I enjoyed Zara's character quite a bit. She did confuse me on occasion, though. Particularly at the beginning of the book when she seemed to swing erratically between outspoken objector, and demure subservient. Her backbone seemed to come and go with the wind, which was odd. Nevertheless, she made tremendous progress as the story progressed and was a heroine worth championing by the end, which is what counts, right?
I have to say, it was very satisfying in how neatly FIREBLOOD was wrapped up. So much so, in fact, that I was actually surprised to note that it's slated to be a series rather than a standalone title. I think it certainly works well as a standalone and could be read as such, and I can only guess and what other torments the author has in store for her characters in future instalments!
To sum up, while not a perfect novel by any means, FIREBLOOD was an original enough worldbuilding concept, with diverse and unpredictable characters, to have me awarding it a very healthy 4 stars.
Great fun!
4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
What a positively fascinating and original setting for a Fantasy novel! You many be forgiven for thinking this book has a historical, medieval-type setting. But, alas, you would be wrong. Well, at least, you'd only be half right. You see, it's actually futuristic! Set in a dystopian society in the not-too-distant future, held captive under a forcefield dome thingy in some re-imagined version of King Author's Camelot! Now if that's not original, I don't know what is. The only difference with this version of the mythical Utopian realm, is that it's as fake as a Hollywood smile, and full of incongruous, out-of-place modern conveniences, like electricity and communication devices. Why? Oh, who knows... Because the tyrannical ruler, King Hart, felt like it one day? He had a vision of the perfect society - complete with adopted speech patterns and dialect, authentic clothing, knights and fair maidens, etc, etc. Only the problem with things that are fake, false and forced, is that their lustre wears off all-too-quickly, and soon only ugliness can be found where once held allure. As is the case in FIREBLOOD.
Naturally, the person to untangle this maniacal mess is our main character, Zara, or, Princess Zara, as she's soon called, after being called upon at the beginning of the story to be the Crown Prince's new bride-to-be, whether she wants to or not. And she most assuredly does not. With the royal guards beating down her door, however, she has little choice, and is soon sequestered in the Prince's keep. But what of the prince? Can he be as bad as she's always believed? And what of the Prince's first knight, Devlan, and they way he makes her feel? It's a tangled web, to be sure, but one that held this reader's attention fast and firm throughout.
I enjoyed Zara's character quite a bit. She did confuse me on occasion, though. Particularly at the beginning of the book when she seemed to swing erratically between outspoken objector, and demure subservient. Her backbone seemed to come and go with the wind, which was odd. Nevertheless, she made tremendous progress as the story progressed and was a heroine worth championing by the end, which is what counts, right?
I have to say, it was very satisfying in how neatly FIREBLOOD was wrapped up. So much so, in fact, that I was actually surprised to note that it's slated to be a series rather than a standalone title. I think it certainly works well as a standalone and could be read as such, and I can only guess and what other torments the author has in store for her characters in future instalments!
To sum up, while not a perfect novel by any means, FIREBLOOD was an original enough worldbuilding concept, with diverse and unpredictable characters, to have me awarding it a very healthy 4 stars.
Great fun!
4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
ssung's review
1.0
it took me months to read this book. largely out of reluctance, because the first third was ... not very good. i'd make it a page and then stop for the day and read something else. then the whole section with the joust and having terrible bedroom prowess hints told to the main character after sebastian beans a man made me think i'd never get through the rest of the book if i didn't finish the book right then and there.
i still honestly don't understand why this has to be a 1984-ish zombie future america + camelot. nothing about it made sense. actually i had many questions about this plot but i'm just so relieved it's over.
last thing to note: if i'm to build a camelot, i should be especially wary of certain people, aka, lancelot and gwinevere, yes? no?
i still honestly don't understand why this has to be a 1984-ish zombie future america + camelot. nothing about it made sense. actually i had many questions about this plot but i'm just so relieved it's over.
last thing to note: if i'm to build a camelot, i should be especially wary of certain people, aka, lancelot and gwinevere, yes? no?
waywardskyril's review
4.0
This novel is an odd mixture of dystopian and the world of Camelot. It's written very well, though, and I applaud Mrs. Wolfe for pulling it off so smoothly.
I loved the writing; it was expertly done. The plot was fascinating and kept me glued to the page. I loved the twists and turns that kept you guessing about things until the last chapter. The characters were beautiful and wonderful, especially Devlan. His personality is one of my favorite kinds of personalities from protagonists in books. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I sincerely wish there was a sequel, even though the book closed pretty well.
The only negative things I really have to say about this are: (1) the cover annoyed me. I didn't picture Zara looking so modern, and that dress doesn't look to me like a dress one would wear in Camelot. Also, Devlan in the book is described as having wispy hair that Zara often wants to brush from his face. Obviously, the cover doesn't portray that, and when I tried to picture what the characters are described as, the images of them on the cover kept popping up instead. (2) There was swearing throughout the book. Not HEAVY swearing, but swearing at least a bit in most of the chapters. There was also brief strong language, mostly from Larkin [who happened to be my least favorite character, even over the real nemeses]. It's unfortunate that Mrs. Wolfe had to include that because with such language I wouldn't want to give Fireblood to anyone or recommend it either.
Still, if you don't mind swearing, and you like both dystopians and knights of the round table, then you will enjoy Fireblood.
I loved the writing; it was expertly done. The plot was fascinating and kept me glued to the page. I loved the twists and turns that kept you guessing about things until the last chapter. The characters were beautiful and wonderful, especially Devlan. His personality is one of my favorite kinds of personalities from protagonists in books. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I sincerely wish there was a sequel, even though the book closed pretty well.
The only negative things I really have to say about this are: (1) the cover annoyed me. I didn't picture Zara looking so modern, and that dress doesn't look to me like a dress one would wear in Camelot. Also, Devlan in the book is described as having wispy hair that Zara often wants to brush from his face. Obviously, the cover doesn't portray that, and when I tried to picture what the characters are described as, the images of them on the cover kept popping up instead. (2) There was swearing throughout the book. Not HEAVY swearing, but swearing at least a bit in most of the chapters. There was also brief strong language, mostly from Larkin [who happened to be my least favorite character, even over the real nemeses]. It's unfortunate that Mrs. Wolfe had to include that because with such language I wouldn't want to give Fireblood to anyone or recommend it either.
Still, if you don't mind swearing, and you like both dystopians and knights of the round table, then you will enjoy Fireblood.
jlove731's review
5.0
I admit, this one took me a little to get into and I had every intention of knocking it a star, but now after finishing... I cannot see giving it anything less than 5 stars. Once I hit a certain point, I could not put it down. The world building is so unique in the sense that it mixes futuristic with historical. The romance is intense and sexy. And, the action explodes in every chapter.
I really enjoyed all of the characters in this story, even the bad ones. Our protagonist definitely had a heck of a ride in this book. From starting out as a commoner who wanted nothing to do with anything, to becoming someone so much strength. I love watching characters grow an change through out a story and Zara is a fantastic example of it.
On the other side, man oh sexy man... Devlan Capra. His name is HOT. His dark hair and pale blue eyes totally stole me. His strength and fights and intenseness just completely won me over. I absolutely loved Devlan. From the beginning all the way to the end, his role was played perfectly. I loved the changes we got to see him and well just everything about him. Definitely 100% new favorite book boyfriend.
Overall, I loved Fireblood. I absolutely love the fact that it's futuristic but actually set in an older time period. That Wolfe keeps the romance just as hot as I like it without simmering it down. That the fights are intense and wicked in every way. That there are parts that make you cringe and parts that make you want to fan yourself, and parts that make you laugh. Fantastic book and I will definitely be reading the next one!
Originally posted at Shortie Says
I really enjoyed all of the characters in this story, even the bad ones. Our protagonist definitely had a heck of a ride in this book. From starting out as a commoner who wanted nothing to do with anything, to becoming someone so much strength. I love watching characters grow an change through out a story and Zara is a fantastic example of it.
On the other side, man oh sexy man... Devlan Capra. His name is HOT. His dark hair and pale blue eyes totally stole me. His strength and fights and intenseness just completely won me over. I absolutely loved Devlan. From the beginning all the way to the end, his role was played perfectly. I loved the changes we got to see him and well just everything about him. Definitely 100% new favorite book boyfriend.
Overall, I loved Fireblood. I absolutely love the fact that it's futuristic but actually set in an older time period. That Wolfe keeps the romance just as hot as I like it without simmering it down. That the fights are intense and wicked in every way. That there are parts that make you cringe and parts that make you want to fan yourself, and parts that make you laugh. Fantastic book and I will definitely be reading the next one!
Originally posted at Shortie Says
neenor's review
5.0
EDIT 23/02/17: you know when you go through old reviews cringing your ass off? Yeah.
You know that feeling when you finish a book and you just become speechless? Yeah, I'm like that with Fireblood. I don't think there is any word in the dictionary that could properly sum up just how breathtaking it is. I went into it with high expectations - everyone has heard of Trisha Wolfe, and the reviews I've read have been nothing but praise for her writing. I finished the book with those expectations raised; Wolfe is a tremendous author, and I am now definitely on the bandwagon.
Set in a dystopian world, war and nuclear fallout have ravaged North America, leaving a small selection of it to thrive under the safety of a forcefield shaped like a dome. When they recreated this small part of the country, the King decided to pick an era on which they would base their new lives under - and what better than Camelot?
When I tried to explain the brief outline of the setting to my mum, she got thoroughly confused - Wolfe has managed to combine dystopia with the medieval, and I absolutely love it! I think it was pretty risky of the author, since such a unique idea could have backfired if done badly. However, as I said earlier, Wolfe has an amazing way with words, and managed to weave together a convincing diegesis that was pure escapism.
The main plot of the story is that Zara, our heroine, is chosen by Prince Sebastian to be his betrothed. However, as Zara gets more involved with castle life, she begins to uncover the truth behind the façade the King tries to uphold, and is faced with two alternative pathways that will change the kingdom forever.
Zara is a dream character - she's got every quality a strong heroine needs to possess, without being too cocksure and arrogant. She displayed realistic emotions and reactions to the events that unfurled around her, and you just can't help but to root for her - you want her to succeed, you want her to be right, and you champion her throughout. She has to be one of my favourite characters ever, period.
Devlan...ugh, do I seriously need another book boyfriend?! Stubborn, smart and incredibly sexy. I craved for scenes between him and Zara, as the chemistry is so hot you could fry eggs on it!
Sebastian's characterisation is far more difficult. I think a trick about him is that you never really know which way he will sway - on one hand, he had his softer moments where you just desperately want him to be good and to be saved. However, on the other hand he is incredibly slimy - as in, skin crawling, spine tingling, teeth chattering-ly creepy. Thumbs up for brilliant characterisation, but let's just say that although I want Devlan to be real, I am so glad Sebastian is fictional.
If I had to describe Fireblood, I'd say it's a novel that takes the best bits of The Selection, Wither, and Throne of Glass and thrusts them together to create something amazing. As I previously said, I'm firmly on the Trisha Wolfe bandwagon, and I'm hoping to read a lot more of her work in the future.
You know that feeling when you finish a book and you just become speechless? Yeah, I'm like that with Fireblood. I don't think there is any word in the dictionary that could properly sum up just how breathtaking it is. I went into it with high expectations - everyone has heard of Trisha Wolfe, and the reviews I've read have been nothing but praise for her writing. I finished the book with those expectations raised; Wolfe is a tremendous author, and I am now definitely on the bandwagon.
Set in a dystopian world, war and nuclear fallout have ravaged North America, leaving a small selection of it to thrive under the safety of a forcefield shaped like a dome. When they recreated this small part of the country, the King decided to pick an era on which they would base their new lives under - and what better than Camelot?
When I tried to explain the brief outline of the setting to my mum, she got thoroughly confused - Wolfe has managed to combine dystopia with the medieval, and I absolutely love it! I think it was pretty risky of the author, since such a unique idea could have backfired if done badly. However, as I said earlier, Wolfe has an amazing way with words, and managed to weave together a convincing diegesis that was pure escapism.
The main plot of the story is that Zara, our heroine, is chosen by Prince Sebastian to be his betrothed. However, as Zara gets more involved with castle life, she begins to uncover the truth behind the façade the King tries to uphold, and is faced with two alternative pathways that will change the kingdom forever.
Zara is a dream character - she's got every quality a strong heroine needs to possess, without being too cocksure and arrogant. She displayed realistic emotions and reactions to the events that unfurled around her, and you just can't help but to root for her - you want her to succeed, you want her to be right, and you champion her throughout. She has to be one of my favourite characters ever, period.
Devlan...ugh, do I seriously need another book boyfriend?! Stubborn, smart and incredibly sexy. I craved for scenes between him and Zara, as the chemistry is so hot you could fry eggs on it!
Sebastian's characterisation is far more difficult. I think a trick about him is that you never really know which way he will sway - on one hand, he had his softer moments where you just desperately want him to be good and to be saved. However, on the other hand he is incredibly slimy - as in, skin crawling, spine tingling, teeth chattering-ly creepy. Thumbs up for brilliant characterisation, but let's just say that although I want Devlan to be real, I am so glad Sebastian is fictional.
If I had to describe Fireblood, I'd say it's a novel that takes the best bits of The Selection, Wither, and Throne of Glass and thrusts them together to create something amazing. As I previously said, I'm firmly on the Trisha Wolfe bandwagon, and I'm hoping to read a lot more of her work in the future.