If you can’t stand the heat, don’t walk into the fire.Danny knew his sophomore year would be stressful . . . but he didn’t expect his school to burn down on the first day. To make matters worse (and they were about to get a lot worse), he — and his three best friends — receive an email in their inboxes from the principal of their rival, King’s Academy, offering full-rides to attend the town’s … full-rides to attend the town’s prestigious boarding school. Danny wants nothing to do with King’s Academy and says no. Of course his mother says yes. So off he goes to be bullied and picked on for not being part of the popular and rich “in crowd.”
From day one at King’s, Danny encounters hazing, mocking insults from girls at the “popular and pretty” table, and cafeteria food that, for such a prestigious school, tastes as if it were purchased from a military surplus supply warehouse. If he survives, Danny will have to overcome his fears of failure, rejection, and loneliness—all while standing strong in his beliefs and walking into the fire.
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The characters are each fascinating in their own way and snappy dialogue throughout makes them each highly entertaining.
The author also does a great job of capturing the “it’s a jungle in here” atmosphere that fill most high schools with all the anxiety that goes along with that.
I look forward to recommending this book to friends and family.
5 things from Blaze
1)Danny and his friends have been offered a scholarship to the notoriously un-Christian boarding school, King’s Academy. (clever keeping with the Bible Names!)
2) Principal Ned sets strict standards for the kids
3)Danny is a vegetarian with stomach issues–so there is still a matter of eating healthy foods with the test of time.
4) Arson
5) Desperate and not too afraid of death at this point- after the first few months at King’s, he had kind of gotten bored of fearing for his life-Danny approached Duke about joining [Bible Study]. Worst case, he’d die and not have to deal with this anymore.
Well done! good for young readers and adults! I enjoyed this retelling of Daniel. Very cleverly done. Thumbs up from my daughter!
Reviewed by Naomi Craig
Author of Christian Fiction on Amazon
Normally I’m not a fan of Bible stories set in modern times, but I really enjoyed this book! The plot is laid out very carefully and I found the adaptation of the events of Daniel clever and well thought out. The many suspenseful moments and twists and turns throughout the book made it a real page turner. The four main characters are each very unique and I loved each of them in their own way. The main character’s sense of humor, Danny, is hysterical and I wish I could meet him in real life. This book was a very good start to my summer reading and I am already looking forward to book 2!
This is an incredibly captivating book with deep, emotional characters. The story is intricate with lots of twists and turns but once I got into it I was so invested I couldn’t put down!! The characters are all so different but I felt as if I could relate to all of them in different ways. I ordered the second book, Den, and it’s just as thrilling as the first. So good!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this modern retelling of the book of Daniel. Blaze was a foray outside the genres I typically read. Usually, contemporary novels don’t enthrall me, and rarely contemporary YA. So a four-star rating is high praise from me. If you enjoy YA, Blaze is essential to add to your collection.
Hope Bolinger catapults you into a vivid world of adolescents, with all the real-life struggles they face. Her quirky, yet endearing characters draw you in for a harrowing ride, balanced with levity and grace. An infectious allegory that’ll burn straight into your heart!
Blaze is a modern day retelling of the biblical story of Daniel set in a high school. I loved reading the classic story given a new twist. The four main characters were funny and each had their own unique personality that was relatable. It was fun connecting the parallels to the biblical story, and the author was so creative in adding modern elements that made the narrative feel realistic and authentic. The teens in this story are dealing with a lot of real-life issues, within themselves and their families, but they rely on their faith and each other to survive the difficulties of King’s Academy. I highly recommend this book for any YA reader.
Very interesting story. From the beginning, I was drawn in and kept reading to find out what would happen next. Looking forward to reading more by author Hope Bolinger.
I enjoyed this modern re-telling of Daniel very much! Once I got into the book, it became a page turner until I got to the last page and I found myself saying, “Noooooooo”….that can’t be the end of the book now! Quite a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see how the author is able to incorporate the next stages of Daniel into this YA thriller.
Whether young or old, you can easily enjoy this book and even discuss it with others. Would be great to incorporate it for teenagers who struggle to get into scripture. I highly recommend this book! Couldn’t put it down.
Blaze by Hope Bolinger is a great YA read. I love the teenage characters and the way they look at and handle life, especially the problems at school. Well worth reading. Can’t wait for the second book…
Young adult fiction isn’t a genre I normally read, but this modern day retelling from the book of Daniel piqued my interest, especially the use of a high school for the setting. Danny and friends are likable characters that make you want to root for them and I loved Danny’s sharp wit throughout the story. The teenagers are a bit too cliched at times, something that resulted in more than one eye-roll on my part, but other than that, the story held my interest and kept me turning pages.