Alex E. Carey

Set in the USA, this enchanting Fantasy by Alex. E. Carey had its hooks in me from the start. Kira Phoenix is a self-proclaimed 'weird' sixteen year old; beautiful, intelligent, and undeniably feisty. It's no wonder she attracts trouble.

This moving piece follows Kira's journey after she is granted an early acceptance into college. Her new friends Lowell and Pyre are mysterious at first, but soon begin to pull on Kira's heartstrings. We see many friendships formed within this story and not all of them positive, but don't worry, I won't spoil it for you.

The Author's writing style flows well and has an elegance to it that captivates the mind. The plot was well constructed, with various characters that I came to both love and hate. I love that you get a real sense of Kira's emotions as she battles multiple secrets that are thrown her way.

Envy, love, and change are just a few of the dangers that circle this unusual teen. Fire's Love was a novel that I couldn't put down until I had finished and is just one book out of what promises to be an incredible series.

But, the question remains; do demons exist?… (more)

I had won an ebook review copy of Daccari Buchelli's book Phoenix and I am currently awaiting it to be emailed to me for review. I was on Amazon Australia looking for ebooks/books and I came across this. It had sample chapters of Phoenix in it along with other samples and short stories.

I loved it! I honestly wish they continued on. I throughly enjoyed Buchelli's writing style and I love how chapters were dedicated to specific characters. With background to the story given, I was immersed into a land of magic and it felt very much a mix of popular fantasy novels with a bit of Dragon Age twist this probably due to me enjoying the game and his use of Mages and Mage wars in the background. His words enveloped me and I felt myself in the story. I was becoming apart of the world he created. I was Arlas, I was Violetta, I was Ryore and I was all that Peradon was and I felt I was apart of the earth in which Peradon lay upon. I had also come to realize I sort of detest Jugan. It isn't often a writer encases me into their world anymore and his sample in this book actually did just that. I am now anticipating the copy I won so I can continue the story and see if Arlas will lead Ryore to his destiny. What will happen to Violetta? I am left craving the answers to those and many more questions.

I am currently working on reading the short stories and samples from the other authors included. Though so far Carey's Fire's Love proves to be just as well written and truly captivating.… (more)

I was expecting more urban fantasy, though I did know that the romance part plays a very key role in the story. Obviously. It is definitely more paranormal romance, in my opinion. Generally, I'm not a huge fan of that genre because... well, romance. However, I liked the approach the author took. Yeah, there was kind of a love triangle, but not really. Yeah, there's insta-love, but not really. I suppose for true fans of the genre, it could be frustrating being teased with these elements that they love, but I love that they weren't shoved down my throat. I loved that even though Pyre and Kira have the insta-love connection, there is actual development of the relationship. I love that the girl isn't being wishy washy about her feelings and all the drama of a love triangle are mostly removed. To me, those two elements in a book never made sense before now. How can you be soul mates with this one, but have feelings pulling on you for that one? It made no sense. But this author makes it make sense.

The romance is clean, and sweet. My 13 year old really wants to read this, and based on the reviews I've seen for the others, I feel fairly comfortable letting him start the series, though to be sure I will be reading each book before him. Which, I don't actually mind, so YAY!

I would've liked to see more development of some of the side characters, but I absolutely adore Kira, Lowell, and Pyre, so there's room for the other characters to develop more. I think my favorite part about this book is that I found a female romance character who I can actually relate to and that was so nice! Kira is like a mini version of me and I loved that so much. She's a good, kind person who isn't really into makeup and girly things. She isn't judgy and she knows her own mind. No one is going to force her into something she doesn't want, or keep her away from something she does want.

Also, I enjoyed the author's approach to demons. At least, so far, there isn't this whole religious bent that I keep seeing in other YA books about demons. It's more like the Lost Girl Series, in that there are dark fey and light fey, but that isn't linked so much to morality as to survival. There are demons who are more discreet and less of a threat to humans because they are simply trying to protect their existence in our world, not because of a moral imperative. Then there are others who are more reckless and follow their natural instincts, without concern for the exposure. I will say that this was a bit simpler a read than I was expecting, but I chalk that up to a first-time author as it looks like the other books are thicker. Kind of like Harry Potter!… (more)