The balance between good and evil comes down to one girl.But is the darkness really so bad?Emma:A seventeen-year-old girl just trying to find a place in an unsteady world. With her mother moving them around her entire life, no one has been permanent.When senior year begins, Emma is determined to sink some roots into Seattle and finally start living life. Especially when she discovers she has the … when she discovers she has the power to kill terrifying monsters with a single touch. Suddenly, an entire supernatural world explodes around her.
The new boy in school that is mysteriously in every one of her classes is too beautiful to be human. Her best friend is acting strange, and her mother’s lies may finally be too many to contain. The protectors of the human race—the Giborim—are more than a little eager to use Emma’s power in the war that’s coming. But her allegiance may be forced in order to save everyone she loves.
Levaroth:
Shediem. General of Sheol. Servant and confidant to Asmodeus, Prince of Wrath.
Spying the wild, auburn beauty with eyes like emeralds for the first time, Levaroth doesn’t know what comes over himself. He has to get closer. She smells of sunshine and purity. You may not think that’s something you can smell, but you can. It’s rarely untainted, but with her…She can’t help but care about everyone she meets, and he needs to know why. So he watches her, learns about her. But something is changing in him. Shediem do not feel emotions, they taste them. They devour them. Yet his kills are less satisfying and all he can think about is her face. Her disgust. But she can’t be pure if she’s to be his. And he will have her.
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I really enjoyed The Mark of Fallen Flame! Emma is a great character. She is in some ways a typical high school student, 17 years old, starting senior year and worried about things like where to go to college and who will take her to the homecoming dance. At other times she is a mix between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harry Potter, coming into her own magical kick a$$ abilities with limited knowledge of the “other world”. Then we have the two guys in her life, Rowek and Blaze. I thoroughly enjoyed the love triangle aspect of this story. Who the good guy is and who the bad guy is isn’t immediately apparent, even after reading the entire story. I can’t wait to see what happens next with the three of them.
There are other secondary characters I would love to know more about, particularly Adrianna and Sara. I’m very excited to see that there is a book 1.5, The Spellcaster’s Weapon, which seems to focus on those two. I’ll definitely be checking that book out!
The Mark of Fallen Flame (Weapon of Fire and Ash #1) by Brittany M. Matsen is a wonderful story that I have read. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand new series written by an brand new author for me. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about magic and fantasy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
*** I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.***
***SPOILER ALERT***
You will meet 17 year old Emma Duvall who wants to be a normal teenager. As you read you learn that it is just her and her mother who happen to moves around a lot. Her Mother Laura is hiding a big secret from her daughter Emma. In the meantime Emma and her friend Addrienne are starting their senior year in high school. Emma start getting these strange feelings when something is around her and does not know why. She also encounters demons and finds out that they really do exist amongst other things. She also meets a really good looking guy name Rowek/Levorath (which when you read about these two, it will confuse you but will clear it all up at the end of the book) who wants to find out who/what Emma is and wants her to himself and tries to protect her. Then she meets Blaze, another good looking guy who knows about her but not her background but also protects her. There is so much turmoil that Emma goes through that you feel bad for her to a certain point because she was given plenty of chances to ask questions but didn’t and seem to not think about but would get upset about her identity if anyone tries to ask her. However everything starts to happens towards the end of the book and then everything is cleared up except for one question. Is she is going to follow the Mark of the Fallen Flame or is she going with the good guys. Are the good guys really good. There is mention that they are not in several instances but I will never know unless I read the next book. So overall this book did keep me reading til the end because you just need to know what happens after the fall out. It does leave in a cliffhanger so if you are the type the needs to read the next book you may want to wait.
This book was a nice surprise and I really enjoyed it. It was definitely a page-turner and full of excitement, suspense, drama, and the stirrings of young love. The story focuses on Emma and her journey to discovery; to understand her past, her powers and learn who she truly was as well as what she could do. There had always been an air of caution and urgency around her life as her mother frequently shuffled them from place to place at a last minutes notice, her mother always keeping her close, never giving her too much freedom. When war started raging in their city causing catastrophic devastation, crazy things started happening, including unholy creatures that should not exist, a boy with golden glowing eyes that called to a darkness hidden deep inside her, muscle-clad warriors who were chiseled works of art, one whom she was especially drawn to, and a swelling power awakening from inside her. Emma’s world comes crashing down around her as her reality blends with fantasy and creatures from books and myths appear. She is thrust into a new world she does not understand and caught in the middle of two vying powers both wanting her for their own agenda. To make matters worse, the more she learns, the more questions she has, as well as the realization that her mother is in the middle of it all. Her life was built on lies and secrets and her mother is the key and holds all the answers but she is unwilling to share. As events worsen and things start spiraling more out of control, Emma has to fight the rising darkness and decide where she belongs and to what extent she is willing to sacrifice to save those she loves.
This was an engaging story from start to finish with likable characters and a well-written storyline that will hold your interest. I look forward to reading more in this series.
*I received an advanced copy from the author and am voluntarily providing my honest review.
I thought this book was really good. This was a wonderful fantasy driven narrative with a new mythology that I was enthralled by; it had powerful and creepy creatures that blend well with relatable and intriguing characters that drives the novel forward at a good pace. I loved that the author didn’t waste anytime jumping into the action of the plot; from the first few chapters the author takes you on a fantastic, partly horror-like narrative and doesn’t pull any punches and establishes the dangers and the stakes the characters face early on.
I received this book as an Advance Reader copy with the hopes I would like it and review it.
The Mark of Fallen Flame, the first book in The Weapon of Fire and Ash series, is an interesting supernatural coming-of-age story. Emma, the protagonist, is a soon-to-be eighteen-year-old who is just coming into her power. During a frightening, near-death experience, Emma learns that she can kill some supernatural beings with just a touch, which begins her journey into a whole new terrifying world of demons, spellcasters, and Giborims.
When Emma meets a hunky new student named Rowek, he seems to have some supernatural power of his own. However, it is clear that Rowen has secrets. Can Emma truly trust Rowek when he always disappears at the worst moments?
On top of all that, Emma is being hunted by an ancient and evil supernatural being. The Giborim, an immortal race of protectors, don’t trust her but often comes to her aid. Emma can’t deny her growing feelings for Blaze, their leader. Emma also learns that the violence and kidnappings in the news and her state stem from an ancient supernatural battle for power.
Who should Emma trust? Who can she believe? Emma must learn more about her past and her powers before she can figure out her future.
This is an action-packed story with cool supernatural elements and interesting characters. Bombings, kidnappings, and creepy stalking permeate the story. From the first chapter, Emma is thrust into this dangerous world and must figure out her place in it.
The world is complex with centuries-old battles between good and evil which include many morally grey characters and situations. I find it thought-provoking that you never quite know who is really “good” and who is “bad.” This moral ambiguity added complexity to the characters and story-line while it propelled the plot.
In addition to the supernatural happenings, many realistic themes are explored, including the thrill of first love, the complexities of friendship, the importance of loyalty, and finding oneself. I like how the author intertwines such relatable and realistic elements into her urban fantasy. The most relatable element of the story is Emma.
Emma is strong and smart. A resilient, compassionate, and selfless person, she tries to learn more about her role in the supernatural world without risking others. She even hides her new powers, and all of the supernatural conflicts she goes through, from her overprotective mother. However, she is also a typical teenager who sneaks out to meet a cute boy and loves to shop with her best friend. And, though Emma occasionally acts without thinking, she trusts her instincts, which usually guide her in the right direction. She is complex, and I love the message her character projects about dynamic women of depth.
Thanks so much to the author for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.