The Fire

Well, I stuck it out. What a waste of time. Patterson changed writing partners for each of the 3 books and I don't think it helped. 3 full books of the Allgood siblings being afraid, never growing, never learning. Three quarters of the way through this 3rd volume and Wisty is still petrified of "the One" and doesn't have a clue how to fight him and Whit is still instantly distracted by his dead girldfriend, Celia, quicker than a retreiver by a SQUIRREL! Whit is the most fickle scatter-brained person in the world and the last person I would ever want to depend on to save anybody. He starts out on a mission and immediately deviates from the plan to go off on his own after his beloved Celia so many times I wished "the One" would just kill show more him. Supposedly Wisty's gift of FIRE (as the title suggests) is the main thing that "the One" wants and is her special ability that can defeat him (3 books have led us to this point) but alas,.... no... it's a new special ability to connect electrically to nerve synapses that seems to be her TRUE power.....HUH? Where the hell did THAT come from? She is the powerful one who can defeat "the One"... but apparently she can't do it until Whit can concentrate for like two seconds on something other than his dead girlfriend.....wow, whatever. Then they finally defeat the badguy in the bowels of hell with their almost dead parents watching from the sidelines (who still aren't helping in any way) and then are suddenly in a van, driving home with their parents??????? DRIVING HOME? Wasn't their home and their entire community DESTROYED in the last book? Whit recognized where they were because of the oak tree that used to be in their backyard that was the only thing still standing. And yet, here they are, with Mom and Dad pulling into their driveway talking about the garage door and the bathrrom that needs paint.
Don't even get me started on Byron "the weasel" Swain who flip-flopped back and forth between bad-guy fink and good buddy more than a politician in an election year.
If there are any more books coming in this series.... they won't be making onto any of my bookshelves. show less

While slogging through this 3rd installment of the series I found myself willing to set it aside for typically mundane things, like, watching corn grow. Unfortunately despite the fact that I do live in Iowa I don't live near a corn field so I opted to do things like removing my pillows from my pillow cases and putting them back in because they seemed just a little crooked. Or constantly booting up Words With Friends to see if anyone took their turn (even though 25 seconds earlier they hadn't). After almost 2 days of reading then avoiding this book I finally finished.

What Worked: Well, we did get more information about Shadowlands. As near as I can tell this area is an in between for the dead. Dead people congregate there and wait. Some, show more will move on to somewhere else (although I don't recall where they move on to) and some, the ones who were nasty pieces of work on earth, stay there forever and become one of the Lost.

Unfortunately I can't think of anything else that worked for me about this book.

What Didn't Work: Going from one Witch and Wizard book to another it becomes glaringly obvious that we readers are not sure what timeline is at work here. From the end of the second book to the beginning of this third much has happened that we readers must pick up second hand. There is a blood plague systematically wiping out much of the Overworld. What? What is the blood plague? Where did it come from? How did it start? Never fear good readers....it must have been started by The One Who is the One to get rid of those pesky resisters of his New Order. At least that is what we think but there is nothing to confirm this.

The continuous usage of the letter M for magic. Not sure if this was used much in the first 2 books but in this installment it got annoying. Wisty asking Whit about his M. Bad guy Pearce mocking Whit about his lack of M. It felt like a false slang term used in attempts for an older person to connect with the younger generation. Speaking of Pearce. This was the first book in which he appeared and he had a wicked powerful 'gift' of melting peoples faces off. It was apparently given to him by The One. We have to assume that The One can bestow magic on his lackeys from Pearce's abilities but it is never confirmed.

The final showdown was almost anticlimactic also. When the Allgood kids used their magic against Pearce or The One instead of hurting them and/or killing them, the magic actually made them stronger. So how did The One get defeated when the Allgoods used even more magic against him? I don't know.

Another question I have is where are all the parents? We have a handful of the Resistance group....all of them are children. No one seems to have parents. The New Order has training facilities (all for children). Their troops seem to be all kids too. Where are the adults?

In a Nutshell: After reading 3 books in this series it has become more and more apparent that this is actually a poorly produced retelling of the Harry Potter series. We have magical children, dead parents, The One Who is the One (couldn't they come up with something other than this? I mean get real. Lord Voldemort was He Who Shall Not Be Named....seems pretty close to me.), multiple fighting scenes resulting in death and despair and lets not forget about Pearce with slicked back blond hair (Draco Malfoy anyone?). I know this series is not identical to the one written by JK Rowling but there are enough similarities that it's hard not to compare. I would not recommend this series to fans of YA novels. I'd push them towards his Maximum Ride series first. show less

I have enjoyed this series, told from the alternating points of view of Wisty and Whit. The two are leading the Resistance against The One Who is The One and the bleak world that he and his regime have created. Just about everything that is beautiful and soul-stirring has been stripped away... books, art, music, any kind of creative expression.

I love the story line behind the series, the idea that it is kids that have to save the world. This book lacked a little for me, though. It doesn't seem like a lot of progress was made in the quest to end the reign of the one. Whit and Wisty spent much of their time apart and the Resistance is missing, and I can't help but wonder if that missing dynamic was part of it. There also seemed to be too show more much missing between the end of the second book and the beginning of this one. Neither Whit nor Wisty have made a lot of headway with learning how to use their powers and that has kind of slowed the pace of the story.

All of that being said, I did enjoy the story. It just wasn't my favorite of the series thus far. The series isn't over, with the next book already out and a fifth due out later this year.

Things to love...

--The premise. I like the idea of kids as the creative force and saviors of the world.
--The fast pace. The action was fast, even if the story itself wasn't advanced too much.

Things I wanted more/less of...

--More progress with their magic/the story.

My Recommendation: Even if it wasn't my favorite, it is important to the series and necessary to build upon the world of Witch & Wizard. I gave this 3.5 mugs.

This review originally appeared on my blog, http://thecaffeinateddivareads.multifacetedmama.com/?p=9992. show less

Welcome to your worst nightmare,
or maybe one you can't even imagine.
A world where everything has changed.
There are no books, no movies,
no music, no free speech.
Everyone under eighteen is distrusted.
You and your family could be taken
away and imprisoned at any time.
Your very being is expendable,
even unwanted.

What world is this? Where could
something like this have happened?
That's hardly the point.

The point is that it DID happen.
It's happening to us right now.
And if you don't stop and pay attention,
it could happen in your world next.

Recommended to:
Young adults and adults who enjoy fantasy & magic. An edge of your seat book. There is some violence & death and a bit of nail biting action.

My thoughts:
Once again we are plunged into the world show more of Whit & Wisty Allgood, the Witch and Wizard. They are learning to control their powers and continuing to lead the resistance in the fight against The One Who is The One. They are fighting for the future of their world, while the New Order (N.O.) is brainwashing and torturing children to turn them into killing machines. The stakes are higher than ever and Whit & Wisty are in more danger than ever.

This is a great series, lots of adventure & danger and twists & turns. Like all Patterson books, the chapters are short and fly by. I finished this book in one day. show less

The Fire is a book full of thrills, shocking moments, romance, and jaw dropping action. Throughout this book, you will know what it feels like to lose the ones you love, and you will feel the pain that protagonists Wisty, the witch, and Whit, the wizard. Together they will attempt to stop The One Who Is The One. I personally like action books instead of romance, but this book was so well written, i couldn't stop, even at the romance parts. I would highly recommend this book if you are a fan of action, adventure, and romance books.

I really liked this book in the series, the only problem that I had with it was the characters lack of ability to realize that certain people were dead...just because they can go visit them in another realm does not mean they can necessarily come home with you...

In the rubble of the New Order, Whit is trying to find a suitable place to rest and help save his sister. She has the blood disease and can't hold on much longer. Soliders are at every corner with their hungery dogs that will rip them appart. When he stops to rest a little girl with anscent eyes named Pear Mari appears and offers to give them a place to stay. There, Whit and Whisty stay with her family and celebrate the holiday that was banned by the New Order. Using his newly discovered healing powers, Whit heals Whisty giving him great releaf. During their stay, soliders break into the shack and capture Pearl Mari's family. Luckly With and Wisty got away and discised them selves as hospital workers to help heal the sick kids. But when show more their cover is blowen, they are taunted by a young New Order named Pearce who is also a wizard. They are finally saved when Mrs. Highsmith takes them to her apartment. Once there, she asighns them both on a mission. Whisty must gain the trust of the One Who is the One and evetually destroy him. Whit must journey to Shadowland and find his parents so that they can be brunge back to life. Whisty becomes a solider and when she is alown with the One she tries to destroy him but it only makes him stronger. Whit is captured and almost eaten alive by the Lost Ones, but is saved by Celia his dead girl friend. Whit, Whisty, and Celia meet with Whit and Whisty's parents and finish off the One Who is the One together. Their world is now improving and their parents are saved, but the witch and wizard are no longer kids, they need to protect the world they love and lead it.

I hope James Patterson makes another Witch and Wizard book. I think that this one is the best of all of them and that it is easier to follow through. I'm so glad that the creepy One Who is the One is dead because he gives me nightmares D:. Pearce is pretty scary too and he kills people by putting his hand on their face and burning into their skull. The one thing I'm not sure about is how Whit and Whisty will both lead the world because the world is such a huge place. But James Patterson always finds a way to make things impossible become possible in his novels. I am also glad that their parents are alive so they have someone to look to :D. I hope the starts change from 4 to 5 soon once more people read it. show less