Review of Fireborn by Katie MacAlister

“You don’t have a fever in it [Hallow’s penis], do you? Does it need doctoring?”
– Allegria to Hallow

RATING
 2/5
 

STATS

• Kindle Edition
• 298 pages
• Published May 3rd, 2018 by Fat Cat Books (first published April 19th, 2018)
• ASIN B07C2NN5XC

STORY SYNOPSIS

“What if a war was taking place under your nose? 

Two ancient races locked in a battle for survival. 
Which side would you take? 

Allegria appears to all to be nothing more than a simple priestess devoted to worship of the sun goddess. Hallow is a masterless apprentice. Deo was meant to save the world and bring the Fireborn and Starborn together in peace. 

But then invaders beseiged the land of the Starborn, breaking the prophecy. Now Allegria has fled the priesthood, and wields the power of the sun. Hallow accepts the mantle of leadership he so long avoided. And Deo is tormented and tortured by the power of the invaders, using chaos itself to create an army that will drive the interlopers from the land, and bring about the peace of the Fourth Age. 

The three unlikely heroes must learn to trust where there is suspicion, to believe where there is only doubt, and to fight when all hope is lost.”

MY THOUGHTS

Oy.

DNF at 40%

I first want to start off saying that I am a longtime lover of Katie Macalister books. She is hands down one of my favorite authors, and thus I jumped at the chance to start reading this book as soon as possible. I tried, I really tried and could not become engaged in the story, narrative, characters, or anything.

I am not sure if I can specifically point to any one thing that is an issue. But, more of a combination of things I did not like or that felt unsettling. Firstly, the shifting narration style and POV on the top three characters (Allegria, Deo, and Hallow) was jarring and confusing to follow. Secondly, the sex scene that I read before DNF was awkward and uncomfortable. To the point of being physically cringeworthy. Thirdly, the dialog did not flow as her usual character-driven stories do. It all felt forced and unnatural. This is a shame because like I said, I love her books, but this was a hard miss for me.

That being said, I recommend any and I do many any of her other stories. They are always great and very easy character-driven fun.

PROCUREMENT

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.

IF YOU LIKE THIS, READ THESE

Any of the Ainsling Gray Novels

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For as long as she can remember, Katie MacAlister has loved reading. Growing up in a family where a weekly visit to the library was a given, Katie spent much of her time with her nose buried in a book. Despite her love for novels, she didn’t think of writing them until she was contracted to write a non-fiction book about software. Since her editor refused to allow her to include either witty dialogue or love scenes in the software book, Katie swiftly resolved to switch to fiction, where she could indulge in world building, tormenting characters, and falling madly in love with all her heroes.

Two years after she started writing novels, Katie sold her first romance, Noble Intentions. More than thirty books followed during the years after Noble’s publication. Her novels have been translated into numerous languages, been recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and placed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She also writes for the young adult audience as Katie Maxwell, and for the mystery world as Kate Marsh.

Katie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dogs, and can often be found lurking around online.