Rosiee Thor

In Rosiee Thor's lavish fantasy novel with a Jazz Age spark, a politically savvy teen must weigh her desire to climb the social ladder against her heart in a world where magic buys votes. Flare is power. With only a drop of flare, one can light the night sky with fireworks . . . or burn a building to the ground -- and seventeen-year-old Ingrid Ellis wants her fair share. Ingrid doesn't have a family fortune, monetary or magical, but at least she has a plan: Rise to the top on the arm of Linden Holt, heir to a hefty political legacy and the largest fortune of flare in all of Candesce. Her only obstacle is Linden's father who refuses to acknowledge her. So when Senator Holt announces his run for president, Ingrid uses the situation to her advantage. She strikes a deal to spy on the senator's opposition in exchange for his approval and the status she so desperately craves. But the longer Ingrid wears two masks, the more she questions where her true allegiances lie. Will she stand with the Holts, or will she forge her own path?

Fire Becomes Her

Katy Watkins

“But I love more than what we could be,” Ingrid continued. “I love this work, I love Candesce, and more than anything I love all the things I could do. I want to make change, I want to make waves, I want to make history. It hurts to see someone like you, who was given so much just by merit of being born, not want to use that position to do the same.”

The rich aren't any better than the poor, just a little more ruthless and a lot more lucky.

Not bad, but it didn’t really land for me. I found the main character frustrating and the overall plot a bit obvious, even though I appreciate what the book was saying. 

Rina

For me, this was another one of those books with a great premise but mediocre execution.

The book began with 2 characters - Ingrid and Linden - already in a relationship and I find it hard to root for them as I barely knew them. Ingrid irked me so much, and was maybe a bit too haughty at times. I liked her strong will though, compared to Linden’s, whose disposition I found so weak. 

The political maneuvering felt juvenile, the banter dry and the characterization shallow. I started and ended the book knowing nearly the same amount about the characters. There’s lots of telling. It’s not always a bad thing, but in this case, there wasn’t much to back it up. If you wanted proof that a certain character is smart, etc. you just have to trust what’s being told to you because most of the time, it won’t show. I’d say this book just brushed the surface of things, a lot of aspects were very superficial. The events happened quickly, so much so that they didn't become very believable. I think with more detail, depth, consistency (and more, sorry) I would have liked this better, maybe younger me would have.

What I did appreciate about this were the queer platonic relationships. Sure, it started with romance, but the more focus the book gave to platonic relationships the more points were added (still not a lot though). Honestly, I just really wanted romance out of the picture.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the arc!

Fire Becomes Her

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