by Sophia Shade
January 11, 2018
For 18 years Imogen has been hastily shuffled from place to place. While Imogen is aware she and her mother are on the run, she doesn’t understand why. After an explosive confrontation with their pursuers, it’s revealed that Imogen is half fae. With a fae father and human mother, Imogen is claimed as a new student by the Callador school and whisked away for mandatory training. The new high school graduate is plunged into a world she barely understands to begin a fae college education.
A Curse of Fire, the first in this series, is a Harry Potter-type tale of a young person desperately trying to realize their hidden talents and ultimately fit in. Imogen has a bit of a chip on her shoulder and boldly barrels into situations based on emotion and instinct. She forges some friendships – and some rivalries – along the way. There’s an emerging love triangle that will likely be woven into future series installments. The fae world Shade creates is complex and creative; full of interpersonal and political complications.
Ultimately, however, the book missed the mark for me. I found myself distracted by the awkward timeline and pacing of the book. A lot of the book details are revealed almost haphazardly, as though there wasn’t a solid framework for the story. I found character relationships and dynamics to be shallow and underdeveloped. The book is classified as young adult, so to be fair, it is written for a younger audience. As a first book, I anticipate some of these wrinkles will be ironed out in books to come.
For its concept and creativity, I give A Curse of Fire Three Sheep.
January 11, 2018
220 pages
Publisher: Evershade Publishing
A magical calling card, a murderous secret, and an ancient, dangerous realm.
The Fae have been hunting Imogen’s mother for nearly eighteen years. She has something they want: her daughter. Now they’ve caught up with her, and Imogen’s faced with a choice: attend their fae college by choice…or by force.
That should’ve been enough warning that Callador, school for the fae, is a manipulative and dangerous place. But it’s not until the school is under attack and the students are facing death by curse that Imogen realizes Callador’s darkest secret isn’t how they get their students to attend.
You won’t want to fall behind on the series readers are calling a “brilliant, magical new world.”
For 18 years Imogen has been hastily shuffled from place to place. While Imogen is aware she and her mother are on the run, she doesn’t understand why. After an explosive confrontation with their pursuers, it’s revealed that Imogen is half fae. With a fae father and human mother, Imogen is claimed as a new student by the Callador school and whisked away for mandatory training. The new high school graduate is plunged into a world she barely understands to begin a fae college education.
A Curse of Fire, the first in this series, is a Harry Potter-type tale of a young person desperately trying to realize their hidden talents and ultimately fit in. Imogen has a bit of a chip on her shoulder and boldly barrels into situations based on emotion and instinct. She forges some friendships – and some rivalries – along the way. There’s an emerging love triangle that will likely be woven into future series installments. The fae world Shade creates is complex and creative; full of interpersonal and political complications.
Ultimately, however, the book missed the mark for me. I found myself distracted by the awkward timeline and pacing of the book. A lot of the book details are revealed almost haphazardly, as though there wasn’t a solid framework for the story. I found character relationships and dynamics to be shallow and underdeveloped. The book is classified as young adult, so to be fair, it is written for a younger audience. As a first book, I anticipate some of these wrinkles will be ironed out in books to come.
For its concept and creativity, I give A Curse of Fire Three Sheep.
Bianca Greenwood
Excerpt:
I feel the same calming feeling wash over me I felt earlier. Is Erick using magic on me? I don’t think so. I don’t see any of the sparks around him I usually see when he uses magic. He just has a calming presence, I suppose. Some people are like that. I often felt something similar from Mom. She could comfort me or calm me with just a touch. That’s all he’s doing, comforting a friend in her time of need.
Ella bursts into the room, Caleb right behind her, and I pull my hand away from Erick. Caleb doesn’t even seem to notice.
“I have it!” Ella says excitedly.
About the Author:
Sophia Shade is the enchanting author of the Fae Academy world. She lives beyond the Shadow Veil with the students, teachers, and creatures who attend Callador: Academy of the Aos SÃ. When not writing, she spends her time battling darkness to save her newfound friends and family from the mysterious force that wants to drain all magic from Faerie once and for all.
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