Name: Ashlee's review of Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popovic
Item: Wicked Like a Wildfire
Rating: 3
Author: Ashlee

Lana Popovic

“Lush. Delicious. Bewildering. And darkly magical. Popovic has created a world that you tumble into from the very first words and wish you could stay in forever.” —Evelyn Skye, author of The Crown's Game “Wicked Like a Wildfire was like devouring a succulent fairy fruit—it will rob your time, settle into your dreams, and leave you starving for more.” —Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen Fans of Holly Black and Leigh Bardugo will be bewitched by Lana Popovic's debut YA fantasy novel about a bargain that binds the fates—and hearts—of twin sisters to a force larger than life. All the women in Iris and Malina’s family have the unique magical ability or “gleam” to manipulate beauty. Iris sees flowers as fractals and turns her kaleidoscope visions into glasswork, while Malina interprets moods as music. But their mother has strict rules to keep their gifts a secret, even in their secluded sea-side town. Iris and Malina are not allowed to share their magic with anyone, and above all, they are forbidden from falling in love. But when their mother is mysteriously attacked, the sisters will have to unearth the truth behind the quiet lives their mother has built for them. They will discover a wicked curse that haunts their family line—but will they find that the very magic that bonds them together is destined to tear them apart forever? Wicked Like a Wildfire is the first in a two-book series. Readers will be rapt with anticipation for the sequel.

Wicked Like a Wildfire

Ashlee

Moth

So this book is interesting. The magic in it is beautiful though hard to imagine, I don't know if its because even the author doesn't know how to describe it or there isn't the right words for it. I found it a bit hard to understand at times. It's an interesting idea, the idea of enhancing the senses in this way and having it be how the magic works in this story. Though I admit, what Iris's magic of adding to the sense of sight reminded me of my visual disorder. Though it's less fun and more annoying at times as well as beautiful. Unlike Iris, I can't make things bloom and what not, but I see spots and colors and constant static in my vision that sometimes reminds me of fireflies. Which did annoy me a bit because sadly, what I have isn't magic and it isn't always beautiful. I wish there had been more to, a darker side or parts she didn't like with it, but from what it seems, it's just beautiful.

(Full Review On My Blog)

sophie <3

This was a pretty good book but if I’m being honest here, I only was here for the fjolar content and fjolar content alone (and that was pretty limited)

Honestly I was more invested in Fjolar than anything and he turned out to be well… so that wasn't very fun

Sheila

I enjoyed how atmospheric this was! The cover art is whimsical and delightful, it represents the story well. This book is definitely not for people who don't appreciate reading vivid details. I honestly felt I could smell and taste and see everything, and now I'm struck with an urge to visit Montenegro! I'm definitely putting the country on my "Destinations" list thanks to this book.

Kymberly L McNabb

I’m not sure what to think about this book. The plot is hidden almost until the end, the reader is left slightly lost and confused but the writing itself is detailed. Even though the story wasn’t a favorite, I’d still read the sequel and other books by this author. My favorite thing about the book was how the country of Montenegro was featured.

Michelle Boyea

** spoiler alert **
           Amazing!!! 

I will admit, I chose this book because I thought the cover looked really cool. And I am so so glad that I did. This book was absolutely incredible. The author weaved you into her story seamlessly and you could imagine every second of it within your own mind. 

I easily found myself cheering along with the two twins as they figured out what happened to their mother, and the truth about themselves and their family. When Luka and Iris finally got together, I had a huge smile on my face. 

This book was the absolute perfect introduction into the series and I absolutely cannot wait to read a book 2

Alexia Cambaling

Sometimes, spending a few minutes browsing on Amazon does get results. A few weeks ago, I was browsing the deals tab on Kindle books when I saw this book and got drawn in by that gorgeous cover. I haven’t heard of it anywhere and I haven’t seen reviews by the big booktubers but the description really intrigued me. Plus, it was on sale so I figured I’d give it a shot. That turned out to be a pretty good decision, all things considered.

Wicked Like A Wildfire is probably one of the most beautifully-written books I’ve read this year. Yes, the prose is kind of purple, but I also found the prose fitting for the story. It’s very lush and vibrant and fits perfectly with a story about witches whose magic is pretty much interwined with beauty.

The story is about two twin sisters, Malina and Iris who are witches gifted with the “gleam” or what we call magic. Malina can sing songs which reflect a person’s emotions, while Iris sees the world as “fractals”. What Iris’ powers is really about does get clearer later on in the story, but it’s very spoiler-y.

It’s set in our world, in a small town in Montenegro. I loved how the author blended the beautiful setting, local folklore and legends, along with her own unique spin on magic. I loved how she described this magic based on beauty and how it came to be. Later on, there’s a lot of explanations about their family and their powers.

Love is a very important part of the book. Most of the book actually revolves around it and I found that it’s very well-integrated into the plot. I actually loved how it incorporates everything that is good and bad about love and even included how toxic love can be- even familial love. Wicked like a Wildfire truly shows how love makes you both stronger and weaker and how it can make you decide to do things you normally wouldn’t.

I also loved the characters of Iris and Malina. I think that they’re both well-developed and I liked seeing their sibling bonds here. We only really see Iris’ POV, although I suspect we’d see Malina’s soon enough. I found their relationship as siblings nuanced and realistic and I enjoyed how complex it was.

The plot was very easy to follow and equally as easy to read. It’s not the most fast-paced and can even be slow at times, but I think the book is better for it. It’s not for everybody, but I did like how it was paced because I felt like I can luxuriate in the setting and just savor it. It’s fairly straightforward and combined with the flowery language, I really enjoyed reading.

Overall, I can really recommend Wicked Like A Wildfire. While I can see why not everybody would like it, I personally did and I would still recommend giving it a shot. I believe it’s a debut novel from the author and it’s a strong one.

Laura Springall

3.5 stars

The first half of this book was as so many people say: a complete snooze, boring even though there are things going on, not much to it. It was beautiful and atmospheric, the setting was gorgeous, I liked the characters, and the plot seemed to be interesting enough. But for some reason I still couldn't get into it. I actually ended up putting it down for about 4 months without any immediate plans to return to it. It wasn't a DNF, but I definitely didn't want to be reading it at the time.

Then I don't know what happened, but 2 nights ago I randomly decided to pick it back up and read a couple pages to see how I felt, and I ended up falling completely in love? In all honesty, I think it's almost entirely because it takes place in Montenegro and I'm planning on going there soon, so I couldn't get enough of it because of the setting. But even so, the plot was all of a sudden really interesting to me as well and I actually ended up really enjoying it. I'll definitely be reading the second book (not any time soon most likely, but I'll still read it eventually).

Wren Hardwick

"If you love the cover, you'll love the book!"



Never judge a book by its cover. Especially when the cover is as beautiful as that with a perfect add-on of a title. 

I was just bored. 

There was a lot of fluffy and beautiful descriptions but not enough content for me. And the characters didn’t really seem to have actual relations. You know like you can call someone your best friend but are you actually best friends? You can say that you hate someone so much you would push them in front of a bus, but do you actually feel that way? 

It just wasn’t for me. It might be for someone who loves descriptions more than what is happening with the characters. But for me, I need more. 

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RTC. I sadly wasn't too impressed. 

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I'm not going to lie.. I'm a little bored. The Magic is a very interesting, but the character dynamic isn't meshing with me very well.

Manon van Heumen

I adored this book. It was so well-written, and well-composed, I just had to finish it. I'm already looking forward to the sequel.

Lisa Beasley

I have mixed feelings on this book. It had a slow start, a string middle and a somewhat rushed/half finished ending. I know there's due to be another but it felt very quick to me. I will read it however as I do like the characters.

Ashlee &
Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popovic

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