Jennifer L. Kelly's Blog

In a nutshell: Whereas, SoC was a fast-paced heist, CK is a slow simmer. As Kaz would say, brick by brick. A great ending to the duology with the possibility of more down the line. 4/5 stars.

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How to pronounce the Crows’ names. Let me know if I should do a bigger pronunciation guide.

Next stop, B&N at the Grove in Los Angeles on WEDNESDAY!!

bookbloggerinbloom:

BOOK REVIEW:

I received a free copy of this book, Army of Fire by Jennifer L. Kelly in exchange for an honest review.

Written in first person POV from Ka’s perspective, she lives on a planet called Xon9 because Earth is no longer able to sustain life. On this planet, everyone must choose an elemental on the day of their pronouncement, which is comparable to high school graduation. The elementals play a part in their careers, relationships, and even affect them physiologically. But Ka seems to have trouble choosing: Earth, Fire, water, wood, or metal? She’s conflicted. She does eventually choose, but something isn’t right. Eventually, Ka realizes she cannot be categorized, and she is far more important than she originally thought.

The protagonist, Ka, is such a likable character. Like most teenagers, she is indecisive and doesn’t have a true sense of who she really is. She’s innocent and insecure, but values her friends and is loyal to them. She looks out for those around her, not just what is in her own best interest.

The plot is well written and fast paced which I think most teenagers in this generation enjoy. I also think the author was clever having introduced us to Sloan, Ka’s love interest that she is also unsure of. Love interests are always a good thing! There is an interesting plot twist toward the end in regards to the relationships that unravel. A good story always includes a plot twist!

About halfway through reading this, I envisioned it being a huge blockbuster hit, and after recently visiting Moab, Utah, I think that would suffice for the setting if Hollywood turned this into a movie.

I’m most impressed with the amount of imagination that went into conjuring up a fantastical story such as this. The elementals reminded me at first of the groups that the astrology signs falls into and I loved that once you accepted your elemental, they physically became a part of you.

I think it’s important to keep the intended audience in mind when writing a review.

This book would be a hit with any teen falling in the range of 11-17 years old. This isn’t just a creatively written fantasy, there are so many good themes that can taken from the story when looking at the deeper, underlying meanings. With that being said, I give Army of Fire a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5 star rating.

Thank you for the well-written review!