Tragedy, hard choices, and power. Also friends, family, teamwork and difficult romances. One of those books I love that I hope never become adapted by HBO because it's a book with heart and humor that's more about complex relationships and loyalty than setting people on fire, but you know that if it went visual all you'd see would be screaming fireballs. Really enjoyable read, but I'm still deeply longing for the next Necromancer book. ( )

I’m really not at all sure how Ava thought she was going to have a normal boyfriend. I mean, come on–she’s a magical fire-maker who was blackmailed into a blood contract with the local vampire mafia boss Venus to be her pet arsonist/assassin. How normal can life get? But things go from bad to impossible when Ava’s boyfriend takes her on a date to the classiest restaurant in the city . . . which just happens to be Venus’s headquarters. There they get VIP treatment and a thoroughly embarrassing welcome from Ava’s two best friends and teammates–Lock the half-dryad and Ezra the fox–not exactly what Ryan was expecting, precisely what Ava was dreading. And with the worst possible timing in the world, Ava’s team gets pulled to Venus’s personal lair, where they are told in no uncertain terms to assassinate an old family friend. So NOT what Ava was hoping for on a date!

I have admired Lish McBride’s writing ever since I first discovered Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, but I think Firebug is her best book so far–it’s certainly my favorite. Actually, this book reminds me of some of Robin McKinley’s more recent books–which is huge praise. All of the elements of plot and backstory tie together into this complex but seamless entity that just exists on its own . . . that’s how I feel when I read it. It all fits so perfectly, and the story moves effortlessly yet intensely toward an unexpected yet appropriate conclusion. I think the characters bring a lot to this story–in a sense, they make the story, really. Ava herself, and her relationship with her guardian Cade, are fascinating in their own right. Lock has this great, conflicted big brother/almost lover feeling to him, plus a complex, interesting personality that goes way beyond just his relationship with Ava. And of course, Ezra is a total wild-card character, unpredictable and frankly delightful in a perverted sort of way. (I should note that this is kind of grown up in that regard–probably 15+ at least.) Honestly, even Venus herself is an intriguing character in a dark sort of way. Basically, Firebug comes with high recommendations; it’s easily one of the best books I’ve read in recent months. ( )

3.5/5 stars. Ava can set fires with her mind. This makes her valuable to the local supernatural mafia. So valuable that for years they hunted her firebug mother until they killed her, and now they've got Ava bound in an unbreakable contract, serving a cruel ruler. All Ava wants is a "normal" high school life, with friends and a boyfriend, and now that she's finally got that boyfriend she's doing her best to keep her two lives separate. Until her boss wants her to kill her friend and everything falls apart.

I like Ava. She has a great relationship with her guardian and with her work-friends (other supernaturals like her). She holds up under abuse and manages to keep going, but she also knows when to lean on the people who care about her.

Some twists here, most of which I figured out in advance, but that didn't temper my enjoyment of the story. A lot of action, and an ending that turned everything upside down.

Trigger Warning: Physical Violence, Threat of Rape ( )

The storyline was intriguing and I probably would have finished it and continued the series, but the profanity the characters used became progressively more common and more vulgar. Abandoned. ( )

Review Originally Posted At: FictionForesight

4 or 5 stars?.....that is the question!

Warning, do not read this book until the next in the series is ready to be published. Ignoring this warning may lead to disappointment, depression, fits of rage and frustration. You have been warned....be prepared.

A Quick Summary:

The ability to start fires with your mind, sounds awesome right? Not if your Ava - a "firebug" with a seriously bad mafia-style boss who would like nothing more than to kill her for disobeying orders. But wait, I'm getting too far ahead of myself, lets back up a bit. Ava is our protagonist. She's the type of girl who's stuck in a bad situation, working for even worse people, all the while dreaming of the kind of life most of us have... a normal life that is.

As a "firebug" Ava can start and manipulate fire's with her mind. Even in a world filled with fantastic abilities and magical creatures, Ava is still a rarity. Unfortunately, this is not a good thing. Her rare status has gotten her thrown into a life of servitude as a hit-woman for the Coterie, a supernatural mafia-style group who seeks nothing but control, dominance and power.

Even though Eva hates not being normal, hates her job, and hates Venus - her boss , she deals with it. She makes the best of her situation, and manages to maintain some semblance of a "life" outside of work. But when Venus gives Ava the order to kill a family friend, it becomes too much. Ava refuses, and as such she and her two closest friends, Lock and Ezra, become targets. Eva and her friends must find a way to stop the Coterie in order to save their loved ones, and themselves.

The Good:

Oh my. This is going to be a problem. Don't misunderstand, finding the good in this book is easy. It's keeping this section under a million words that's going to be difficult. But I'll give it a go.

First and foremost, characters. Man are these characters awesome. You know I've heard a lot recently about problems in Fantasy-type books where characters are "flat" and "boring". The people who say these things, have yet to read a Lish McBride book. Firebug's characters are so.....just......epic! Ava is so snarky, so badass, but yet loyal, passionate and devoted to her friends and family. She understand's that she's in a crap situation, and isn't afraid to tell it like it is. Her friends, Ezra and Lock are just as amazing. Lock is the responsible one. He's alluring, funny and a bit mysterious. Ezra is that friend you have that's cocky, assertive, and so damn narcissistic. But yet, you can't help but like him. Oh and lets not forget their both supernatural and their own ways too!

The relationships Lish creates between her characters are imperfectly perfect. The chemistry between the three is pure genius. They laugh together, fight together, they have each other's back, but they're not above the problems any normal friends have. They still fight, they still argue. But at the end of the day, they're still friends. Does romance play a factor between them? Maybe. I'm just not willing to go down that road, for spoilers sack if nothing else.

The dialogue in this book was above par to say the least. The witty back and forth between Ava, Ezra, Lock and other characters kept the book light, even when things were the darkest. You could be deeply emotional one second, and laughing out loud the next. It was that kind of manic switching of emotions that caused this book to fly by. And that's not an exaggeration. They're were times in this book, even non-fight scenes, where I was genuinely concerned for the safety of the book's bindings. I think it was the first time I've ever gotten a paper-cut and failed to notice until the book was finished.

I'm not above admitting that I favor fantasy books much more when they have epic battle scenes. I mean let's be honest here. Who doesn't love that Harry Potter Dumbledore Vs. Voldemort scene. That point in the story where you know it's about to go down. Let's just say that Firebug satisfies that need in more than one scene. And yes, it did go down!

The Bad:

As much as I hate to do it, I have to include the bad. Fear not, for me there wasn't that much.

I think the main issue I took with this book was the back-story. I understand we need to know about Ava's parentage, how she came to be in servitude to the Coterie, etc, but I wish that was a book of its own. I feel like, especially in the beginning, we as readers were overwhelmed with detail in this regard. Luckily the information overload improved throughout the book until it was only a minor discomfort.

The only other minor problem I see with this book are the clichés and some of the over-the-top jokes. I know this is a YA novel, but some of these felt a bit too childish and out-of-place.

Other:

For fan's of this book, I've been told Hold Me Closer Necromancer, also by Lish McBride, is of the same vein. While I haven't gotten the chance to read it yet, trust me, it's on my shelf.

And don't forget, Firebug is a 2-part series. So keep an eye out for the next book, Pyromantic, coming soon. If you find yourself overwhelmed with the need to read more about Ava, Lock and Ezra, there is a .05 introduction story called Burnt Sugar available online!

Overall:

Firebug was, simply put, a great read. It combines hilarious characters, witty dialogue, exciting action scenes and awesome powers. It pulls you in, takes you on an epic and fun-filled thrill ride, and then leaves you wanting more. The funny thing is, the book doesn't need to be a series. Just about every story arch wraps up in the end, so hypothetically that could be it. Thank God this isn't actually the case. I sincerely can not wait to see what new trouble Ava and the gang find themselves in next time!

(On second thought, forget the warning from up top). Read it now. Some things must be enjoyed immediately and damn the consequences!)

(www.FictionForesight.com) ( )