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merin

Read and Reviewed

Merin is a teacher, a book blogger, a baseball addict (Go Cardinals!), lover of music, movies and TV crime dramas, and YA/MG connoisseur. Follow me on my blog at http://ahandfulofconfetti.wordpress.com!

Currently reading

Her Highness, the Traitor
Susan Higginbotham
Progress: 23/323 pages
Jane Eyre
Ruben Toledo, Charlotte Brontë
Progress: 162/453 pages
The School for Good and Evil
Soman Chainani
Progress: 40 %
Fangirl
Rainbow Rowell
Progress: 46/433 pages
Wilde's Fire - Krystal Wade Wilde's Fire is a pretty solid debut by author Krystal Wade. When I first saw the blurb up on NetGalley, I was immediately intrigued, as I have a thing for characters being thrust into new situations and worlds and having to adapt, all while trying to save the world. For the most part, this book delivered on all of my expectations, at least in terms of the story itself. The strongest part of the book was probably the world-building. The author has created a fictional land called Encardia, in which Darkness has overtaken the sun and confined the people to living underground, in constant fear of the daemons that attack in the dark and have nearly destroyed the entire world. Kate, our main character, is suddenly thrust into Encardia when her and her sister, Brit, follow a light into an underground cave, which actually turned out to be a portal. In Encardia, Kate meets Arland, whom she had actually been dreaming about for her entire life. Arland is the one to tell Kate that there's actually a prophecy about her, that she's Light, and will save Encardia from Darkness. (I know, all these capital letters are a bit much. If you're going to read the book, get used to them!) In Encardia we also meet probably my most favorite character, Arland's cousin, Flanna. Flanna is an impossibly upbeat, cheerful girl who instantly becomes Kate's friend. She's full of great insight and understanding, and I just really enjoyed every single second she was on the page.I do want to warn that we have a bit of insta-love here - I mean, this is a YA book, right? - but I was willing to let it go for the most part because of the set-up for Arland and Kate. Both of them have prophecies that pretty much dictate their lives, not to mention that Kate's been dreaming about him for forever. To Wade's credit, they actually go a pretty darn long time before they even kiss, so I give her major kudos for at least not having them dive straight into anything physical. I do admit to a minor problem, however, with the fact that Kate's powers don't really materialize unless Arland's near her, though, although I'm assuming that the second book will move away from that, considering the cliffhanger-like ending. And as a heads-up to any parents, there are some minor smexy times in this book, although I wouldn't really call any of it graphic in the slightest.My biggest problem with this book is that I had some trouble with the style at first. Wilde's Fire is told via Kate's first person, present tense voice, and I found the sentence structure to be a bit choppy and unpolished at the start. One thing I noticed straight off is that there is a lack of contractions throughout the book, which always makes things seem more stilted, at least for me. People speak in contractions! I could understand perhaps Arland not using them, since he's from a more formal, rather set world, but there really wasn't any excuse for Kate to not use them. It just generally makes spoken conversation flow more easily. I also felt like the book didn't pick up until about 65% into it, when things really start coming to a head. There are a lot of daily activities, like mucking out the barn, milking cows, chopping potatoes, etc., and it did become a tad tedious. The bits where Kate is working on her weapons skills were better, mostly because I just find sword fighting and learning to shoot a bow exciting. I also liked the little bits where Arland would fill Kate in on Encardian history, and the magic usage. I also had a bit of trouble with the whole Brad plot line, particularly Kate's feelings toward him once he wakes up. That whole bit seemed disjointed, and her feelings were so erratic and hard to follow, but maybe that was the point.I also thought the sort of ridiculous, over the top declarations of love in this book were a bit much. If someone were to say some of these lines to me, I would have a really hard time not laughing in their faces, even if my love for them was all-consuming. Still, maybe that's just the cynical part of me reacting to what - to me - bordered on cheesiness. Your mileage may vary, etc. :)All in all, this was a pretty intriguing, decently written and solid debut novel. There are enough loose ends to make me want to immediately dive into the sequel (which is also up on NetGalley). I am definitely intrigued about where the author is going, and what's next up for Kate. I especially look forward to her character development, and the evolution of her abilities. Wilde's Fire is now available in North America from a bookseller of your choice. If you want something a bit different, give it a read.