About a third of the way through reading this, I took the time to read the author’s bio, and the fact that she is into manga and JRPGS made everything about this book so much better. Things that might have irked or gotten an eye roll (the silver haired villain, for example), were given a free pass, and I started to imagine the entire story playing out in grand anime form. Seriously, do this. It will make it more enjoyable. Of course, I would have enjoyed it even without this visualization tool. I’m always down for the classic elements as magical powers, and I really like the whole Effigies as dolls metaphor. I think the story does a really good job of exploring the complexities swirling beneath the veneer of our idols. Also, the phantoms are pretty cool.

The dialogue could be a bit stilted, and there were some grammatical errors that may or may not be an intentional part of Maia’s narration. Maia gets points for being a nerdy woman of color, which is something we don't often see, and while she suffers a bit from standard YA heroine syndrome, she’s still a worthy protagonist. While many of the other characters function as walking tropes, they were still enjoyable as was the development of the Effigies’ relationships. Certain aspects of the plot and world-building could certainly use additional fleshing out, but I feel like that’s probably a job for the sequels. Over all, a good read and a good rec for any manga-loving patrons who are being "made" to read a traditional novel.

ARC provided by Net Galley. ( )

Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for a free copy of Fate of Flames!

This is a sort of superhero origin story that follows Maia, a teenage girl who has just become one of the Effigies -- a group of girls with elemental power who protect the world from deadly phantoms. It's the chosen one story arc with a twist... Maia is actually a huge fan of the Effigies and, well, tends to fangirl when she's around her new colleagues. Funny, sweet, awkward, and completely relatable.

While the book hints at a romantic subplot (maybe something that will play a bigger role in future books?), the strongest relationship dynamic comes from the Effigies themselves. The book isn't about falling in love; it's about friendship, working together, and finding strength in cooperation. That sounds corny when I word it that way -- I promise it doesn't come across as corny in the book -- but seriously. How refreshing is that?

Oh, and there's an awesome, diverse cast of characters. In a perfect world, that would be a given in every novel, but it isn't a perfect world, so it's worth highlighting.

Overall? A positive, exciting, action-packed book that avoids a lot of the pitfalls I see in this genre. I look forward to the rest of the series. ( )

Fate of Flames starts off exciting from the start. The reader is thrown into a world where monsters known as Phantoms are attacking cities all over the world. Only the Effigies can stop them. At any one given time, there can only be four Effigies . Once an Effigy dies, their power and memories are automatically transferred to the next “chosen one”. This is how Maia Finley a regular high school student all of a sudden inherits the power of fire. Maia is not given a choice, and alongside Belle, Chae, and Lake, they must defeat the Phantoms terrorizing the world.
I really love the idea of a super heroines origin story. The fact that they possess elemental powers also really appealed to me, as I have always loved the idea of characters that can control the elements. One thing that bothered me quite a bit about the Effigies is that they always seemed to be squabbling. In a book that should be totally pushing the idea of “GIRL POWER” I really wish the Effigies had a closer bond. Maybe this was just a book 1 type of thing and we see them growing closer in the next book.
Maia is the quietest of the Effigies, but she can make some sassy comments every now and then too. She has been through a lot so far in her life, and I feel she is still growing as a character. I hope the author will continue to develop her in the next book. It’s nice to see that the characters in this story are diverse and come from different backgrounds and cultures. Chae is my favorite because she always seems to do her own thing and speaks her mind. As much as I wanted to like Belle, I did find her a bit stuck up. The fact that Belle uses alcohol as a coping mechanism for dealing with being an Effigy concerned me.
Fates of Flame left me with so many unanswered questions, which really frustrated me. I know everything can’t be revealed in Book 1, but it felt like one of the answers kept being dangled in front of us but yet never revealed for no reason. This drove me insane! I am hopeful that the answers will come in Book 2 and hopefully, as will more detailed explanations about the world building and the Phantoms too.
I am glad that there was no full on romance throughout this book. There is a hint that there could be some romance between Maia and Rhys, but nothing really happens, yet. I am glad the author decided to not develop their romance just yet, or turn it into Insta-love which is one of my bookish pet peeves. Rhys definitely has some interesting things going on, and I really hope more will be revealed about him in the next book.
Overall, I found Fate of Flames to be entertaining and fast moving. The action scenes really do remind me of the Sailor Moon series. With all this constant action the story does move along fast. However, I really wish the author had developed the world more in the beginning and explained the laws that govern it. More information is given as the book moves forward, but it still left me feeling as if I had just been dropped in the middle of a series and not a Book 1.
Fans of Sailor Moon, Power Rangers and kickass heroines battling large monsters are sure to enjoy Fates of Flame.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Hannah from the Irish Banana Book Tours for the opportunity to participate in this book tour, and for sending me an advance reader’s copy of Fate of Flames in return for an honest review.
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Review to come. ( )