Trial by Fire
(The Worldwalker Trilogy #1)
Publication Date: November 2012
Hardcover,
384 pages, Feiwel & Friends
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic
reigns.
This world is trying to kill Lily
Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the
experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is
determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's
life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of
half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.
Suddenly Lily is in a different
Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called
Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's
identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world
is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.
Lily realizes that what makes her
weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts
her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn
between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never
expected.
But how can Lily be the savior of
this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?
My Review
Burn baby, burn! This book was definitely sizzling, and in
so many different ways!
I had no idea what to expect from this book. I know that Josephine
Angelini is a talented YA author. I loved her Starcrossed series, so I knew
that this book would have me falling into a love-type relationship. While Trial by Fire isn’t quite as amazing as
her first books, it’s still really good.
The plot of this story is incredibly unique. I’ve never
heard of anything like it. There are not just paranormal creatures in this
book, but alternate realities and weirdo science, too! It’s like some sort of
dystopian-paranormal-fantasy-sci-fi mash-up. So basically, if you love any one
of those four genres, you’re going to enjoy this story.
Lily isn’t the strongest female lead character, but she
definitely isn’t anywhere close to being the worst. She’s a little hard to
connect with at times. Her emotions always seemed a little too strong. However,
I’m a fan of emotions in books; I don’t like it when authors don’t put enough
of them in a storyline. Lily did come off a little strongly at times, though. Rowan,
the love interest and Mr. Mysterious Hunk of Manflesh, definitely managed to
perk my interests more than once. And I especially love the interaction between
Lily and Rowan in the beginning. Rowan is most definitely a swoon-worthy lead,
he’s got the brooding attitude, a tragic past, and the good looks to make me
seriously want like 5 of him. The villains of the story were complete enigmas.
I had no idea what to make of them. The lack of reasoning behind their actions,
and sometimes the few reasons that were given, really had me second-guessing
who was the real bad guy.
The only major downside I could see to this book was the
world-building. Sure, it was an amazing concept with a fantastic layout, it
just needed more explanation. It sometimes became hard to understand why the
magic worked a certain way, or why Lily could do one thing but not the other. I
think some firm rules could have been established in order to really let
readers know why the events were panning out as they were.
Oh, and before I forget, that ending was most definitely not
satisfying. A cliffhanger, really? Grr… I’ve got to stop reading books until
the whole series is released. It would make my life so much simpler.
All in all, Trial by
Fire is a good, almost great, read. The characters were fun and
entertaining, the plot was quick and twisty, and the fantastic background was
incredible! So, as long as book #2 continues to build on the magic and the dos
and don’ts of Lily’s story, I’ll keep on reading.
*Note: I
received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via Netgalley. This in no way altered my
opinion/review.
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