Firenborn

Thanks to TheWriteReads and Harper Collins I bring you the review of another fantastic middle grade novel. And what an exciting read it has been…

Book information: 

  • Author: Aisling Fowler
  • Date of publication: 30th September 2021
  • Genre:  Middle Grade
  • Pages: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Collins
  • ISBN:978-0008394288

Book Blurb:

Lyra. Lucy. Percy. Once in a generation, a hero emerges whose story enthralls readers worldwide. Fireborn is an epic quest, perfect for fans of the His Dark Materials and The School for Good and Evil series, that will spin readers into a magical world like no other–and introduce them to an unforgettable new heroine named Twelve. 

Ember is full of monsters.

Twelve gave up her name and identity to train in the art of hunting them–so she says. The truth is much more deadly: she trains to take revenge on those who took her family from her.

But when Twelve’s new home is attacked, she’ll find herself on an unexpected journey, where her hidden past is inescapably intertwined with her destiny–and the very fate of her world.

Review and Recommendation:

One should never judge a book by its cover but this cover seems to work very well for its target group: Once my son, age 11, saw the cover in my review he asked me to get him the book once it is translated to German. So this is what we will do 😃. Especially as this book will be perfect for my son even though the main character is a girl. This book is the perfect fantasy novel for middle grade children of all sexes. 
Ember is a dark world full of magical and sometimes very spooky and scary creatures. Some are common traditional ones like for example goblins but there are also new intriguing ones. They add perfectly to the fast paced plot that gets you hooked on the story straight away. 
The main character, Twelve, is an outsider and the reader quickly understands why she is not too well liked by the other huntlings -children training to be dark creature hunters. But also the ones not seeming to be too nice grow on the reader while reading and have a fantastic character development. My most favorite characters are Six and the litte fire-creatures.
All in alll I can totally recommend reading this book for middle grade children and older, even if they’ll be releasing the breath they didn’t know they were holding three times 😉 and I am really looking forward to reading more about Twelve and her companions. 

Information on the author:

Aisling was born in 1985 and wishes that she had grown up in a magical, mountainous kingdom, but was actually raised in Surrey on a diet of books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her early adventurestories involved surprisingly little action and her first novel (3 pages long) was politely declined by publishers at age 11. After earning a BSc in Biology and working as a support worker and then a nurse, the idea for her debut novel, Fireborn, came to her as she moved back and forth between London and the US. Now based in Hackney, when she is not reading or writing, Aisling loves cooking and plotting adventures (for herself as well as her fictional characters). Fireborn will be published by HarperCollins in 2021.

https://www.rcwlitagency.com/authors/fowler-aisling/