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Review: Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe (Fireblood #1)

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Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe // VBC ReviewFireblood (Fireblood #1)
Trisha Wolfe
Published: Dec. 17, 2013 (Spencer Hill Press)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: purchased

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars

Little remains of the modern world we know after war-caused nuclear fallout reaps destruction and a Virus kills off much of the population. Karm, under the rule of King Hart, thrives behind a force field that keeps anything mutated by the Virus out. King Hart rules the realm, which he has literally fashioned after Camelot, with an iron fist all while secluding himself away from any personal contact with his citizens. While many consider King Hart a tyrant, no one openly questions his rule for fear they would be cast Outside.

Soon Sebastian Hart will be taking the throne from his father and he’ll need a Princess. He chooses commoner Zara Dane. Contrary to almost every other female in Karm, Kara is not happy about her betrothal. After her father is captured by the King’s knights, she has no choice but to follow to the castle. There, under the watchful eye of Sebastian’s First Knight Sir Devlan Capra, Zara will have to decide what she’s willing to risk in order to save her father. When Zara is approached by Rebels who would see King Hart murdered, she must again change her views in order to do what is right for the realm.

Fireblood took awhile to get going with the story. Changing Zara’s goals from merely personal to ones that encompass an entire realm slowed things down in the beginning. After we learn of the Rebels, and once they’ve decided Zara is the perfect person to convince Sebastian to join their cause, the story picks up quite a bit.

Despite that she’s completely in the dark about many aspects of the realm, I truly liked Zara. She’s very determined and strong-willed. Even though Fireblood is filled with forbidden, hidden, and unreciprocated love, its not Zaras main focus and Trisha Wolfe did a great job of making it clear that this is a love story second and a story of rebelling against oppression first.

I think the most standout character in the story is Sebastian because he’s such an ambiguous character almost through to the end. It was difficult to know where his true loyalties lie and even Zara struggles with wondering if the face he puts before his people is a farce or if he’s being sincere. Sadly, the truth comes out. And by sadly, I mean I enjoyed the back and forth with his character so much that I didn’t want it to end.

I did feel like the whole sci-fi aspect was a bit forced. Fireblood takes place in the future, but because of the whole Camelot motif it’s easy to forget that technically everyone could be walking around with smartphones and driving hover cars or something. When a bit of technology would be introduced I would just find it a little off because we don’t explore that aspect of the world. I think that Fireblood could have been written as a fantasy and been fine.

While Fireblood does have a definitive ending Zara does make a comment about other stories to be told. Stories of an earlier Rebellion and intrigues. Should Wolfe decide to write some prequel about Karm, I would read it. If she would continue the storyline from where Fireblood ends, I might pick it up just to see how she moves the story forward, but to me the end was there.

Sexual content: Sex

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