Reviewer: Andrea
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Joclyn Despain has been marred by a brand on her skin. She doesn’t know why the mark appeared on her neck, but she doesn’t want anyone to see it, including her best friend Ryland, who knows everything else about her. The scar is the reason she hides herself behind baggy clothes, and won’t let the idea of kissing Ryland enter her mind, no matter how much she wants to.
The scar is the reason she is being hunted.
If only she knew that she was.
If only she had known that the cursed stone her estranged father sent for her 16th birthday would trigger a change in her. Now, she is being stalked by a tall blonde man, and is miraculously throwing her high school bully ten feet in the air.
Joclyn attempts to find some answers and the courage to follow her heart. When Ryland finds her scar; only he knows what it means, and who will kill her because of it.
Review:
Since that ultra-famous lightning bolt scar burst onto the scene, I have gravitated to all things witchy, so when I read the description of this book, it summoned me as surely as an accio spell. But when I dove in, I began to see that outsider-turned-chosen-one pattern and wondered if this one was going to be another rip off as transparent as a threadbare Hogwart’s robe, and while there are some basic similarities (the scar, the destined destroyer, the orphan), I couldn’t have been more mistaken.
The storyline is completely unique to anything I’ve read. Ethington has woven a complex world into the tapestry of the ordinary without managing to overload the reader with too much, too fast. We actually get to know the protagonist before we learn of her abilities and her would-be savior status. Nothing is more annoying than being bombarded with characters (all with freaky names) and their random abilities while still trying to figure out the main character’s emotional damage. I love that Joclyn was insecure and wanted to hide—like 90% of all teenage girls—though I wanted to strangle her on occasion with that dang ruby necklace for this exact trait. I love that she stood up to the mean girl but only because she didn’t have a choice. But the thing I love the most is that Joclyn grows; she becomes stronger and more self-assured as the novel progresses. Also, the love story between Joclyn and Ryland is distinct in that he pursues her, and she must push him away.
My only complaint is with the missing father complication. We don’t ever really “see” him, and the letter he sends Joclyn just seemed too contrived. The rest of the plot is well-constructed, but this father thing seems a little deus ex machina.
4.5 stars
Title: Kiss of Fire
Series: The Imadlind Series (#1)
Author: Rebecca Ethington
Book Description:
Joclyn Despain has been marred by a brand on her skin. She doesn’t know why the mark appeared on her neck, but she doesn’t want anyone to see it, including her best friend Ryland, who knows everything else about her. The scar is the reason she hides herself behind baggy clothes, and won’t let the idea of kissing Ryland enter her mind, no matter how much she wants to.
The scar is the reason she is being hunted.
If only she knew that she was.
If only she had known that the cursed stone her estranged father sent for her 16th birthday would trigger a change in her. Now, she is being stalked by a tall blonde man, and is miraculously throwing her high school bully ten feet in the air.
Joclyn attempts to find some answers and the courage to follow her heart. When Ryland finds her scar; only he knows what it means, and who will kill her because of it.
Kiss of Fire is a Clean Young-Adult Paranormal Romance
Language: Low to None
Violence: Mild to Moderate
Sexual Content: Low to None
Teaser
Giveaway
About Rebecca Ethington
