Review: Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows

Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows

Fallen Isles Trilogy #1

Before

Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.

But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.

After

Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.

No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.

I really wanted to love BEFORE SHE IGNITES. The premise of the blurb pulled me in, and the concept of the story was very intriguing. However the execution just left some things to be desired in my opinion. The story was told flip flopping in time back and forth between before and after the major change in Mira's life. I understand the intention was to slowly unfurl the secrets and the story, but in practice, this was more frustrating than not. Even by the end of the book I still didn't fully grasp the world, or what was truly going on, or at stake. I just wish more time had been spent setting things up rather than the continual bouncing back and forth.

Another difficulty I had with this book was my detachment from the heroine, Mira. She spends most of the book in a vapid state for lack of a better word. I hate to be so harsh, but until the very end of the book, she just didn't seem to have any substance to her. I realize she was literally raised to be an object for the counsel's use, but it just was incredibly hard to stay engaged in her plight. The only strength she showed throughout the book were her attempts to hold out against torture to keep the secret of the dragons. BUT unfortunately this didn't show real strength as there never seemed a reason for her to withhold such knowledge. Speaking of what she found is what landed her in the Pit in the first place, but upon imprisonment and torture, the cat suddenly got her tongue? It just range false.

While this first book in this new series started off rocky, by the end I was fully hooked into the world. I will be continuing on with this series to see what happens next in this fascinating world.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

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Other Reviews:
     The Moonlight Library
     Gizmo's Reviews
     Du Livre

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Early Review: The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows

The Mirror Kind by Jodi Meadows

The Orphan Queen #2

Wilhelmina has a hundred enemies.

HER FRIENDS HAVE TURNED. After her identity is revealed during the Inundation, Princess Wilhelmina is kept prisoner by the Indigo Kingdom, with the Ospreys lost somewhere in the devastated city. When the Ospreys’ leader emerges at the worst possible moment, leaving Wil’s biggest ally on his deathbed, she must become Black Knife to set things right.

HER MAGIC IS UNCONTROLLABLE. Wil’s power is to animate, not to give true life, but in the wraithland she commanded a cloud of wraith mist to save herself, and later ordered it solid. Now there is a living boy made of wraith—destructive and deadly, and willing to do anything for her.

HER HEART IS TORN. Though she’s ready for her crown, declaring herself queen means war. Caught between what she wants and what is right, Wilhelmina realizes the throne might not even matter. Everyone thought the wraith was years off, but already it’s destroying Indigo Kingdom villages. If she can’t protect both kingdoms, soon there won’t be a land to rule.

In this stunning conclusion to THE ORPHAN QUEEN, Jodi Meadows follows Wilhelmina’s breathtaking and brave journey from orphaned criminal on the streets to magic-wielding queen.

I read and moderately enjoyed THE ORPHAN QUEEN, it didn't wow me, but kept me entertained enough to keep reading. I had hoped the sequel would prove to be more of an engrossing read, but unfortunately it wasn't. I felt that there was entirely too much time spent on politics and not enough on the real threat. I did appreciate how the author used the politic issues like a chess board, and it was interesting to see each part play out, but I just felt it held too much of the focus. It's a very long book, and by drastically lessening the politics and adding more to the wraith issues I feel this would have been a much more compelling read. That's not to say it was a bad one, but yet again it didn't wow me as I would have preferred.

The romance felt more than a bit forced for me in this book, even more so than the first installment. It was set up where the reader is supposed to feel the yearning and devastation as duty keeps the pair apart. And yet it felt forced and not realistic, almost like they were motions rather than real. Honestly I felt like there was more depth in the various friendships. That being said perhaps if the politics had not of overshadowed everything so much the romance would have felt like less of an afterthought.

Romance and politic issues aside, I will say that the last third of the book really shined. It was so jammed pack with heart pounding action and events that I was sucked up in the whirlwind. Once I reached that point I simply couldn't put the book down and it made the long, long read prior to that part worth it. For all the things that frustrated me, at least I can say it went out with one heck of a bang.

This series, and THE MIRROR KING had the feel and makings of an epic story, but unfortunately missing the parts to make it truly epic. That being said, the author shows true talent and I'll be interested in checking out past and future books from her.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
     The Eater of Books!
     The Stary-Eyed Revue
     Brandi Breathes Books

Previous Books:
     1. The Orphan Queen

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