Fireblood Review

Fireblood by Elly Blake

Ice and fire are still at war.

Ruby has defeated the tyrannous Frost King, and Arcus, the exiled warrior who captured her heart, has taken his rightful place as ruler of the Frostblood kingdom.

But Ruby is the only Fireblood in a castle of frost and ice, and the courtiers will not accept her. Even worse, the dark threat released from the Frost King’s melted throne is stalking the land, bent on destruction – and as the one who set it free, only Ruby can stop it.

To find the knowledge she needs, she must leave Arcus and journey south to the land of the Firebloods. But the homeland Ruby’s never seen is treacherous, and friend and enemy wear the same face.

If she’s to save both kingdoms, Ruby must figure out who she can trust – and unleash a fire powerful enough to do battle with darkness . . .

• Characters: 9.5/10

Ruby is a sassy, funny and actually quite relatable character (for someone who can conjure up fire whenever they feel like it). I was really invested in her. She might be feisty but she’s also quite sensible and intelligent. There’s nothing I hate more when reading than finding myself shouting at the main character because they’re being an idiot – that wasn’t the case with Ruby.  I’ve got to admit, although I don’t mind Arcus, I can’t help finding him a bit dull at times so the introduction of Kai (who is witty and energetic), was greatly appreciated.

• Plot: 9/10

Although by no means completely original in terms of premise, it was clever and captivating. I mean, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Am I right? There were a few twists that I didn’t see coming and I honestly couldn’t read fast enough at the end because the finale was so dramatic. My only criticism is that it maybe took a little long to get to the meatier bits of the story-line.

•  Writing: 10/10

I can’t complain. It reads very well and I found myself fully immersed in the novel (no stumbling over sentences or grimacing at cheesy clichés). I particularly liked the dialogue and thought that the banter between Ruby and Kai was extremely well written.

• Enjoyment: 9/10

I really enjoyed Fireblood and I will 100% be buying the next book in the series because I need to know what happens next! It took me a few chapters to really get into it but after that it was smooth sailing and I couldn’t stop!

• Overall: 9.375/10

A feisty, magical delight that transports you to a world balanced on a political knife-edge, where supernatural forces threaten any hope of peace. It’s bad-ass and I love it!

Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead Review

Loki the trickster god is free from his chains. Now he’s readying Naglfar, the Ship of the Dead, armed with a host of giants and zombies, to sail against the Norse gods and begin the final battle of Ragnarok. It’s up to Magnus Chase and his friends to stop Loki’s plans, but to do so they will have to sail across the oceans of Midgard, Jotunheim and Niflheim in a desperate race to reach Naglfar before it’s ready to sail on Midsummer’s Day.

Along the way, they will face angry sea gods, hostile giants, and an evil fire-breathing dragon who happens to be a former acquaintance. But Magnus’s biggest challenge will be facing his own inner demons. To defeat Loki, Magnus will need to use words, not force. This will require finding a magical elixir so deadly that it will either make Magnus Chase powerful enough to out-talk the silver-tongued Loki, or destroy Magnus utterly.

• Characters: 6/10

Normally I love Rick Riordan characters. I mean, the seven from Heroes of Olympus are some of my favourite ever. However, I can’t say I’m as enamoured with the characters in this book. Magnus has never been a favourite of mine to be honest. He’s a bit boring – he can’t compare with the sass of some of the other characters, like Alex. The same could be said of Samirah – I just find her a bit dull. Alex is definitely one of the best characters; adding some much needed attitude and colour to an otherwise bland cast. They’re not awful, don’t get me wrong. They just aren’t exciting. To my disappointment, two of my faves from previous Magnus Chase books: Hearthstone and Blitzen, weren’t really featured that heavily. Others, such as Mallory Keen, took up a lot of the limelight – and I don’t really like her, sorry. The one redeeming factor (other than Alex) was the very brief cameo by Percy and Annabeth. Their appearance alone adds a few extra points to the character score. I just love them that much!

• Plot: 6/10

Again, the plot just lacked the general pizazz that I’ve grown to expect from Rick Riordan books. I think part of it is that I’m beginning to grow a bit bored of the whole ‘hero has a really short amount of time to complete impossible quest’ trope. But aside from that, this novel was just too light. Honestly, I think that was my problem with it. I love Rick Riordan’s sarcastic, joking tone normally, but I feel that sense of ‘It’s all a joke’ was just taken too far in this book. I never had any real fear for the characters. The managed to gimmick their way out of every inescapable situation. Even the big finale was a bit of a let down. I mean, it was an entertaining plot. It just didn’t make me feel anything.

• Writing: 9/10

I found the writing in this book very fluid. The fact that it’s intended for younger readers doesn’t detract from the quality of the writing but it does mean that it’s easy to read. It doesn’t feel like a chore, unlike some more wordy books. I also enjoyed the joking tone with which the whole book was told. It gave it a sort of quality as if the characters themselves were recounting a funny tale to you. However, I did feel that it was occasionally too jokey.

• Enjoyment: 6/10

I would say that it took about 3/4 of the book before I actually started enjoying it. The last quarter was pretty decent and at that point I was reading because I was interested rather than out of some sense of loyalty to the author (I own pretty much every book Rick Riordan has ever published and I normally love them, so I actually feel kinda bad that I didn’t like this one as much). However, that said, this book did have its good bits and the bits I’d deem ‘bad’ weren’t really that bad.

• Overall: 6.75/10

A quest like any other – and that’s the problem. The excitement has begun to dwindle and the action even more so. It’s still a decent story but don’t be expecting any heart-racing moments of suspense or epic battles because you’ll probably be pretty disappointed.

Red Queen Review

 This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a  elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart. 

• Characters: 8.5/10

Mare was a decent main character but I’m not certain I cared for her all that much. She’s pretty interchangeable with so many other characters from other books. Call her Katniss or Laia and the story would barely change. However, that’s not to say it’s a bad thing. It certainly works for the story but I’ve just gotten a bit sick of the whole poverty-stricken stubborn girl gets massive power / prestige thrust upon them and is expected to aid in a ‘destined-to-fail’ rebellion narrative. However, it is kind of my fault for reading too many of those types of book – I just quite like them. Also, the other characters were all pretty decent with Maven actually being my favourite for the majority.

• Plot: 8/10

The plot was pretty decent. It wasn’t anything super out of the ordinary but it was interesting enough to hold my attention throughout. I liked the whole red and silvers idea – it added an extra element to the story and the world. I also liked the way in which this world incorporated technology whilst making it initially seem technologically primitive. The mix was strange but appealing to me. Finally, I’m sure it’s apparent by now that I’m a ducker for books with superpowers and Red Queen did not disappoint in that department. 

• Writing: 10/10

The writing is good. I have no complaints. It flows well, it’s interesting and descriptive and the dialogue was engaging and realistic. No marks lost in this category. 

• Enjoyment: 9/10

My main beef with this book is just how similar it is to so many other books I’ve read. I’m not saying that’s a totally negative thing. Obviously, I read this type of book because I enjoy them. However, it does get marked down slightly for enjoyment due to my subsequent moments of boredom. 

• Overall: 8.875/10

An interesting book which I would say compares closely (almost too closely) to The Hunger Games and An Ember in the Ashes. It contains magic, revolution and a little bit of love. A pretty good read.