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Fire Country (2013)

by David Estes(Favorite Author)

4.16 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Smashwords Edition

series

Country Saga

review 1: Actual rating: 4.5 stars This book is my first book by author David Estes and it was surprisingly good and addicting. In the beginning, the reading was quite awkward mainly due to the invented slang (and the similes that used them) as well as the plot feeling a bit too slow paced. Eventually, as with most new language, I got used to the slang (and even started using them in my head). The slow beginning also ended up giving the plot a decent foundation to bounce off of. I thought the world building was too sketchy but it made sense since we were learning about the world from a character who has had little to no contact or knowledge of much of what transpires around her. Which brings me to Sienna. I'd really like to shake the author's hand for giving us a believable normal g... moreirl. Without anything but her flaws, her strength and determination, she manages to carry us through the entire book. I was wary about her at first because YA literature is overpopulated with special snowflake main characters who spend the entire book putting themselves down when it's painfully obvious that they're extremely pretty/important/the chosen one etc. Sienna really was just another girl from Fire Country. She makes a ton of mistakes, most of which stem from her inexperience and insecurity but then she takes note of these mistakes and actually learns from them. That seems like the obvious course of action but it's surprising how rare this actually is, especially in YA. I loved that whenever I would go "Noo Sienna don't do it you boob!" and she did it (cue facepalm), she actually suffered the consequences and then changed her behaviour the second time. The side characters were also more than background props. Without them Sienna really could not progress the way she did. Bonus points for parents that are characters themselves rather than tropes or clueless background extras. Heck, even Perry was a pretty awesome side character. He has my vote for snarkiest hallucination any day. I loved the Wildes. All girl, ass-kicking, vegetarian warriors?? Also girls that can be beautiful AND muscled AND with little (to no) hair? Even better.Also yay for no love triangle! I normally don't like the best friend-turned-lover stories but this one felt completely natural. Despite some of the earlier parts of the book where Sienna needed a few pinches for being super thick-headed, the romance was never cheesy. Circ was a great male lead and their relationship managed to be extremely important without being the sole purpose for their every action. I did feel kinda betrayed when he wasn't actually dead but I'll forgive the author this time.In terms of the plot, the last few pages felt a bit too cheery and well-wrapped but since this is a series, I doubt it'll stay that way for long. Long story short, though I was a bit wary at first, any problems I had while reading this book were explained, made sense or resolved by the time I finished.I'm gonna grab the next book in the series for sure. I really want to know what other secrets this world has.Definitely recommended!
review 2: Fire Country is a well-crafted story that pretty much held my attention all the way through. The world-building is quite detailed, leaving no nagging questions behind. I could easily visualize the whole world Estes has created. The dialect of the first person narration was unique and similarly fascinating. The cast of supporting characters were all well done too--from comical to sinister to weak, yet strong....That's a lot of praise and all well-deserved. The only reason this isn't a five star for me is that I was never truly hooked by the book. I appreciate the craft that went into it, and certainly recognize that this is some excellent plotting and world building. But I never really cared that much about the characters. It took me a little longer to read than other books, and I feel a bit like I should've loved it. But I didn't. However, I did like it quite a bit, so 4 stars for Fire Country seems most appropriate. less

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