REVIEW: The Fire Wars (Fire Wars #1) by Kailin Gow

 

Author: Kailin Gow

Series: Fire Wars

Pages: 262

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: The Edge

Amazon: The Fire Wars

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

A dystopian romance that takes place on an island and is the melding of mythologies from two different cultures.

Her destiny was written in the books...but can she change a course that has already begun thousands of years ago?

Mackenzy Evers had moved with her mother from Angel Island to Aeros Island during her senior year. What can be worse than to finish her senior year at a new school?

Living during the post-Erosion period on Earth where there is less land than before, Mac is happy to discover an island of rich beauty and lush landscapes, not to mention mysterious handsome boys and an ancient prophecy that is set to come true in Mac's lifetime.

Chance Cutter claims she is his Queen, his goddess to his Fire King, whom he had been searching for years. Their attraction to each other is undeniable, yet why does he seem to hate her? And who is she really?

REVIEW: 3 out of 5 stars

The Fire Wars is the first book in the Fire Wars series by Kailin Gow.

Mackenzy Evers had moved with her mother from Angel Island to Aeros Island during her senior year of high school, she will attend an exclusive school and reside in hotel employee executive housing with her mother; things seem to be looking up but there is a reason for them being on the island.

Cousins Chance and Varun Cutter are both vying for Mac’s attention and both seem to be a part of a history she doesn’t remember. She is supposedly destined to be with Chance who is aloof, snobbish and rude but she is also drawn to Varun who is laid back with a sense of humor and treats her properly.

Chance Cutter is the God of Fire, and Varun the God of Water. Mac was indecisive when it came to her romance as well as with what she was being told; she accepted everything willingly and without question. I am also not a love triangle fan and for me this one left me really rooting for one over the other.

As the story progresses, Mac finds out if she may also be the re-incarnated Goddess Vesta, her destiny is to bring back the sacred fire and to hopefully stop the erosion which has destroyed so much of the earth already but to know for sure she is Vesta she will need to pass a sacred test which has killed a few others before her.

I found the Concept of The Fire Wars to be fascinating but at times I was quite confused by what was happening, there are so many questions I still have about the world Ms Gow has created which I hope will be answered in the sequel, Fire Stones.

The only character I really felt a connection to was Varun, he was the only one who seemed to intrigue me. Mac just seemed aloof and Chance rude and demanding. I hope there is further character development in the next book.

The pacing for me at times was a tad slow, it picked up towards the end but then abruptly stops and we are left with a cliffhanger, it felt unfinished and too open. It also for some reason didn’t feel like a Dystopian novel to me.

I did enjoy the imagery and scenery; it was vivid and detailed which I liked.

The potential is there to make this a great series. I look forward to seeing where Ms Gow will go with the characters and storyline.