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?
Kailin Gow is an USA Today Bestselling author, publisher, screenwriter, director, producer, and speaker with hundreds of books published. She is also the owner/founder and organizer of mega-book signing events like Rockin' Hollywood, Naughty Mafia in Las Vegas, which has featured the very top authors of Romance and drawn thousands of readers, including being in a documentary film now out on Amazon Prime.
Over 14 Million copies of her books have been downloaded around the world and translated into 25 languages. 2 of her book series, FADE Series and Red Genesis Series, has been optioned by the Academy Award-winning team behind Netflix #1 most Liked and Top 10 Netflix Original Film, Wish Dragon, also the team behind the special effects magic of Star Wars and Marvel films.
She owns a traditional publishing company with an API (Asian Pacific Islander) Diversity initiative that has partnerships with production companies across the globe with distribution through Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney and more! Kailin Gow is a go to media guest on Women in Film and Television and is a voting member of the Academy Awards.
Her Worldwide Brand, Kailin Gow's Go Girl has won awards for its tv series, books, cosmetics, fashions, beauty and health products, and soon-to-be home and travel products. As of 2021, Kailin Gow's Go Girl is excited to expand into its own line of hotels, starting with a 70+ room hotel in Texas. In 2022, her books will be adapted into entertainment venues called Sparklesoup World, offered in various locations throughout the U.S. and internationally.
She has been a host on world-class stages, an invited speaker for BEA and a regular radio/TV guest for major stations. She is an official voice of AAPI, She has a TV Reality show on her as an author and personality. She is also the host and publisher of a leading author industry guide, subscription newsletter, and podcast called Authors Voices. Five of her pen names are USA Today Bestselling authors and will be traditionally published in 2022. She is also a recurring speaker/instructor of writing series and serials for professional screenwriters and producers as of 2021.
She was called an "innovating author" and an "Author as Influencer" by Goodreads executives at Book Expo America 2014 in their speech.
Kailin Gow is one of Cindy Crawford's Beauties, who is beautiful on the inside as well as the outside, along with Gabrielle Union.
She was called "a successful author who knows how to balance being an author and life" by Huffington Post. USA Today recommends her steamy romances while PBS Kids have recommended her Teen Fantasy Series.
Amazon highlighted her author success story on the homepage of Amazon.com and in their book, Transformations and was invited by Amazon to be an author spokesperson for Amazon's launch of the Kindle fire in Santa Monica.
In the publishing industry, she has written and presented many articles and workshops for major publications as well as conventions. https://www.fastcompany.com/user/kail... and is the host/founder of the podcast and newsletter Author Voices. Additionally, she owns a law firm specializing in consumer advocacy.
Kailin Gow holds a Masters degree in Management from USC and degrees in Social Ecology (Psychology, Criminology, Sociology, and Ecology/Climate), Drama, and Film making from UC Irvine where she once ran and DJ for a radio station that helped discovered OC bands like Sugar Ray and Gwen Stefani.
Where do I begin with The Fire Wars? I completely loved it! Romance is something I adore in novels, dystopian and mythology are always a plus, Kailin Gow has written an amazing story that intertwines all of those and left me with my heart torn and dying of anticipation for book two.
Kailin Gow is an amazing writer, my favorite two things of her writing is one- her knack to write scenery that makes it easy to imagine everything in my head and two- her insane talent at writing romance. I for one cannot read books that give too much description of the scenery, mainly just cause to be honest it gives me a headache, I care more about the characters and what’s going on with them, then what everything looks like around them. Kailin writes scenes out perfectly, in the very beginning when Mackenzy is being drawn to the fire, the way Kailin describes it threw her eyes is just beautiful and never once were her scenes overly descripted, it always felt like just enough for me to be able to picture it perfectly. Leaving me with a vivid image in my mind of the colorful island and the dancing flames!
Then there is the romance…I am trying so hard for this not to be a fan girl review when it comes to the romance, but I don’t think I can contain it THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST ROMANCES EVER! I am a sucker (huge sucker) for romance, and I could not get enough of the romance in The Fire Wars, Mackenzy is in the middle of a love triangle..she has no idea what to do! On one hand she has Varun who makes her smile and laugh, but she can’t deny the attraction and pull she feels for Chance. It was heartbreaking! Most love triangles I feel the authors don’t always justify why characters feel/pull towards one another, or why they care for eachother, but in The Fire Wars, Kailin made sure readers knew! It wasn’t just another insta-non-explained love that we see far far too often in YA novels these days.
The characters were another aspect of The Fire Wars in which I fancied. The three main characters Mackenzy, Chance, and Varun are each such incredible characters, yet each of them is so different than the other. Mackenzy I adored the most, I felt so sorry for her! She was so confused about everything going on, but at the same time she still remained so strong through all of it, which made me love her even more. Varun is likeable, I thought he was kind of the sweet guy next door, and while I liked him, I still don’t think he was as intense and as likeable as Chance…Chance is the guy that is basically a pain in the ass to Mackenzy and is far too difficult and sarcastic, but really on the inside he cares for her a lot and just doesn’t want her to get involved in everything the he is involved in (yes you must read this to know what I’m talking about!) This trio put together has made for a beautiful start to The Fire Wars series!
Overall The Fire Wars by Kailin Gow completely blew me away, I knew it was going to be good, but good was such an understatement, It was flipping amazing! This is a must read for anyone that loves mythology, an amazing romance, and a heart ripping love triangle.
oh and for the record...TEAM CHANCE!!!!! okay fangirl review over and out(: OH wait did I mention I read this in one sitting? YEAH it is that good! Beginning to end in one sitting!!!!! NOW fan girl review over! (;
I have been super excited about this book since I first spotted it on Kailin Gow's blog!! I mean a dystopian book that is filled with Gods and Goddess how could I not be excited! It took awhile to figure it out but finally I managed to get it from The Book Depository and there was no going back from there!! This book was a fantastic read with great characters and a vivid and very possible new world in it. The God/Goddess edge to it is what really made the book though. As the title suggests there is you fire gods but you also have you water ones as well and everything divides from there. I wont go into too much detail as I don't want to ruin any of the book for you but so much of this book relies on our protagonist Mac and the role she may or may not play. Upon her arrival nothing seems to be foreign to her but rather she feels like she is home. Which even to her is strange as she has just arrived and had to leave behind all of her friends and the place she has lived for years before this. She is almost immediately introduced to Chance Cutter who is not at all the nice guy she thought he might be upon hearing of him but he makes up for it in sheer attraction! Varun Cutter though not lacking in looks is the complete opposite of his cousin and is sweet and seems to calm Mac with his touch. I really enjoyed Mac for the most part. The girl was thrown into this world that she had no idea existed and almost right away had accepted her role. With the exception of feeling maybe she went a little nuts on the way but I liked that she did as it made her a little more real to me. Acceptance is key but questioning makes her real. I for the most part was as torn as Mac was when it came to Chance and Varun. Going into this book I had watched the trailer and knew that there was bound to be some hot guys but I was not prepared for the level these guys were on. Varun on page 92 total swoon and Chance on 114 infuriated me in an I want more kind of way!! There is no point in saying that I wasn't torn between the two guys just as Mac was. They both know how to raise your pulse at any given scene!! However I will say I felt a much stronger pull to Chance and if told to choose a team it would be Team Chance ALL THE WAY!! This book is a step outside of the normal dystopian with its mythological twist but is a better book for it. Anyone that loves a good mythology will adore this book!! The dystopian edge was just a bonus and I know that it is a very popular genre right now so in a competitive and growing market this book will have no problem standing out and raising the bar. Kailin Gow has done a wonderful job and I can't wait to start Fire Stones very soon!
This is a fast paced greek mythology based book with other mythologies thrown in. There is a love trinangle and some violence. It is a Dystopian series.
The plot:
The world has under gone an erosion period and is basically being taken over by the ocean. The only thing that can stop it seem to be if Vesta the fire goddess awakens and joins with her fire king and brings back fire to the land. But no one seems to know who the real Vesta is so the girls that believe that they might be must under go a test, if they fail they die.
The book is basically about a young girl who moves to Aeros island because her mother takes a new job with a large hotel. On the island she meets the owner son and nephew. This is where the love triangle comes into play. She feels an attraction to both boys, one makes her feel calm and safe. The other makes her feel on fire and out of control. She soon learns that the boys are the embodiment of gods and that one is looking for Vesta his fire goddess. The boys both are falling for her and they both are trying to keep her safe in their own way. One feels that she is Vesta but they both feel that it is to dangerous for her to find out. What will she decide?
My Thoughts:
Book is very well written and very fast paced. I found myself sucked in right away and didn't want to put it down. Kailin never disappoints her book are fun, quick and always leave you wanting more. She is fast become one of my absolute favorite authors!
Wow! Wow! This book was terrible. There is nothing more that I hate then giving a bad review, well maybe exercise but that's a different story. I totally get that authors work hard and they deserve credit for braving that adventure. But wow was this book terrible. I know she has like 30 some odd ya novels under her belt, but maybe she should read what she writes before submitting it. This book took place in what felt like 5 days. And in those five days, probably more in the book but not much more, she makes out with two cousins, claims she loves them both and decides to go through a test that might kill her for her insta-love to one of those cousins. Well that pretty much summed up the WHOLE book. I didn't even like Chance "the bad boy", I usually love all literary bad boys. I can't believe some one wrote a bad boy that I hate. I didn't even swoon. And I really thought this book was going to be sooooo good! I mean mythology, dystopia, love that's spanned a millennia! But this was flatter then Pepsi five minutes after opening the can. Not a book I would recommend to anybody! And if you haven't figured it out, I will not be reading the rest of this series. And from the reviews of her other books none of them either.
A book about Gods and Goddess is a book for me. I was really excited to read this book. I loved the characters and the world its set in. I love all the detailed images to get my imagination going, and the romance to get my heart into the characters. I can't wait to read the next book.
To Kailin Gow: I truly admire the way you write. You have made my February of 2012 delightful. I am honored to have won a copy of the signed The Fire Wars. Truly, I appreciate it all! But, if I were to rate this book as a whole, it is unfortunately, a 2 stars from me. It was honestly an okay read. However, this doesn't stop me from supporting you!
Began on March 20, 2012 and finished on the 22nd.
First of all, I must note down my lovely history with The Fire Wars . On October 2011, I have marked it to my to-read shelf and eagerly waited for the day where I could buy a copy of it. Months later, Kailin Gow held a February Giveaway on Facebook. Of course, I entered right away! If I didn't win, I was determined to finally buy a copy. BAM! I turned out to have won it! I felt my heart leaping and tearing with delight! For the next few weeks, I waited for its arrival. Then I began to read it soon afterwards.
Trust me, this was literally my reaction when I received the package:
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The prologue was intriguing!!! The writing was rich in details, making me swoon. Read the preview here: Go to "Click to Look Inside"
But then as I read further into the book, I dislike Mac , the narrator & main protagonist. She is almost flawless in appearance (got the curve goin')! That explains why almost every guy will be falling for her. Goodness, sometimes her simple thoughts make me go GAAAAAAH. To me, she is quite spoiled in her thoughts and a bit way too indecisive when it comes to love (I'll explain this point later on).
So... there are the two bad-ass guys of the book: Chance and Varun. Hm... Chance and Varun, they remind me: the plot is way too predictable . The prologue has basically given off the whole plot. It is apparent that from the very start. Then the rest of the book is not hard to figure out.
This brings me to another point: this book lacked depth! It is way too fast-paced. It is as if Gow rushed the whole plot as it advanced towards the end. The book starts out very descriptive…I can imagine the scene with the luau dance, and that is the only significant scene to me. I cannot grasp most of the surroundings in the book. There are not enough words for me to imagine Aeros Island. I actually want to know more about Aeros Island in general. It is better if Gow describes the setting more (describing doesn’t mean purple prose, of course). Don’t get me wrong, Gow does describe the scenes, but I feel that it is just not enough. When it comes to dystopian worlds, I prefer a good, deep development of the setting. Personal preference, I guess. And then, character development! The only character that feels 3-D to me is Mac, probably because the book is told from her POV. As for Chance and Varun… they are as flat as a cardboard to me. I know they are hot, but I do not feel connected at all. Where are the flames that would make my heart throb? Where are the cool waves that would make me fan girl? *sighs* The romance seems very awkward too. All Mac has in her for the most parts are desire. She is so indecisive when it comes to Chance and Varun! While she is dating Varun, she thinks of Chance. Worse, she has shared kisses with both of them at least seven times (too many times for me to count). I have wanted to scream, make up your mind already, woman! I know, I know…Mac can be goddess Vesta, so it is not clear (yet) rather she belongs to the Fire God or the Water God. Love can also make one very indecisive, but I despise how Mac gives in so easily into both guys (where is that dignity of yours?).*another sigh* It’s complicated. The ending…it was okay. A bit abrupt, that’s all. However, I am indeed eager in finding out the truth behind it all. Here are the questions I have in mind: Is Mac really Vesta? Who will she end up with? And most importantly, is Vesta created to strengthen the Erosion or stop it?
The whole plot, overall, has potential… Gow could have written it better and let her talent shine its brightest. I wish for more actions other than Mac pondering so much between her identity and her love relationship.
These are all my opinions, thus please do not kill me. I recommend you reading this book yourself and forming your own opinions ;]
This book took me by total surprise… I have read a few other books written by Kailin Gow (who seems to be able to write any genre amazingly) so when this tour came up, I decided why not I have liked everything else so far.
I generally don’t like dystopian novels, I of course read the Hunger Games and LOVED it, but other then a few other dystopian books here and there I have just never been able to get into them.
Enter Fire Wars, the first book in the series… and well my whole problem with a dystopian novel was thrown out the window!
When I started reading this book, I will be honest I did have some misconceptions about the book from the beginning, I mean its hard to imagine a world in the future like that. But I think what really ended up grabbing my attention was that although it is a dystopian based series… there is so much focus on mythology! I absolutely LOVE any book that involved mythology!
So, what did I end up thinking of the book? Super awesome of course! Kailin Gow has once again done it again, she was able to grab my attention in contemporary romance, and now I am in love with her dystopian series! Seriously, is there anything this lady CAN’T do?
This book seriously had everything I could want in a book, it had romance, hot guys, a girl trying to figure out who she really is and proving she is stronger then she ever imagined, as well as gods and goddesses.
Mackenzey Evers was an interesting character, I generally find that in most books the girl is all ‘poor me, my life sucks’ in the first book, until they relize ‘oh, maybe I can do that!’ So this book was really interesting in the fact that while she may have been a little wimpy at the beginning of the book, she was totally comfortable with herself as well as her life, even if it was a little out of the ordinary. So I totally love her she may be one of my favorite characters from Kailin Gow's books.
I ended up reading this book in 1 day! Seriously I don’t think I have a life sometimes! But I honestly could not put it down! As soon as I was finished I was already starting page one of Fire Stones because I had to know what was going to happen!
Of and one other thing, by the time I was done this book I was totally Team Varun! He was just such a sweetheart yea he was who I picked!
If you havn’t read this book yet… you are totally missing out, because let me tell you the second book? EVEN BETTER!
If you have read this book, tell me… Team Chance, or Team Varun?
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.
3.5 stars - Gah! How can a book just end like that?!?!
I was really excited to receive this paperback ARC in the mail, and I think the story really has promise. Unfortunately, I found myself only liking it and not loving it.
I liked the concept of myth about the gods of fire and water and the goddess lover, but I'm still confused about what the myth is REALLY about. I mean, I know what the book said, but we're told one thing, and then we're told another. And by the end of the book, we've learned a little bit about the mystery, but we're hearing conflicting facts, and we don't know what to believe.
Which brings me to the point of the end. I get that Gow wants to leave us with a cliffhanger, but the end was so abrupt that you're left wondering if there was more to the book that you're missing. A lot of times, books will be written with some type of closure and a cliffhanger of what's going to happen next. Here, you're progressing along, and then the story just stops.
I don't mind love triangles, and I liked how Mac is presented with the choice of should she go with the one who's like her or how they say opposites attract - that is, assuming she is the goddess.
But what I did not like is how Mac handled herself. I know she's torn between the attraction she feels for Chance and Varun, and I don't blame her one bit. But even though she's not exclusive with either, she was basically two-timing them. A kiss or two is one thing, but she keeps going back and forth. It sort of made me lose respect for her.
Even though I'm left with a lot of questions, I liked this book, and I am eager to find out what happens next, especially since Gow left us with such a cliffhanger. The sequel comes out in a few weeks, so I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see.
Mackenzy Evers is going to spend her senior year at Aeros Academy in Aeros Island. Her mom has been an event director in several hotels, and is working for Antonio Cutter’s hotel on the island. According to him, his son was kicked out of his school in England and will be a new to Aeros Academy as well. Antonio thinks that Mac will be a good influence on him.
While she’s at an event at the hotel with her mother, she is drawn to flames, but realizes that no one else can see them. Before she can hide and get away from the stage, she’s being pulled on stage by a masked, male dancer.
She’s instantly drawn to him and feels fiery sensations, but he acts like a jerk to her. When she gets to school, she’s going to be shown around by Varun Cutter, Chance’s cousin, and feels like an ocean reaction to him. Unfortunately, Chance is supposed to be shown around school, and Mac realizes that he’s the rude dancer from the party. She doesn’t know why Chance is treating her this way, but she definitely plans on finding out.
I love mythology and knew I had to get this since Kailin wrote this. This did not disappoint me one bit. This book is also classified as dystopian, and I am usually hesitant to read those types of books. I’ve already read the first book of one of Kailin’s other dystopian series, Desire, and knew I had to at least try this. This was the perfect blend of dystopian and mythology.
I definitely am rooting for Chance. There’s nothing wrong with Varun. I just think he’s too laid-back. I like the “fire” in Chance. I didn’t like that he tried to push Mac away, even though his reasoning is valid. I just get mad when the guy pushes the girl away to protect her.
The premise of the book was new and interesting...
The entire world is nothing more than a series of islands after the water gods have submerged what they can. Mac moves with her mother to Aeros Island which is some Pacific Island. It soon becomes apparent that unknown forces have brought them here. Mac's tuition has been paid for at a prestigious private school, they live in the VIP client housing instead of the regular employee housing at the hotel that Mac's mom works at, etc. Then Mac meets two very different boys. She likes them both, and worst of all they are cousins. Varon is easy going, kind, blonde and beautiful. Chance is uninterested, almost mean, dark and yes he too is beautiful. They both want her, and wants them both. Chance thinks Mac is his Fire Queen and Varon insists that Mac should pick him and be his Water Goddess. Oh did I forget to Mention that Chance is the Fire god and Varon is the water god...
The downsides... 1. The book has a major cliff hangar. Some may like that, but I like at little a small amount of resolution at the end. 2. I am pretty sure (but I am not positive) that I hate love triangles! I don't like that someone always ends up alone and that the heroine has a hard time chosing. (And don't even get me started about books with one guy and two girls after him, yuck). So that is clearly a matter of opinion an dit is obvious that many many people love a good love triangle.
An ok book. Typical teenage love triangle. Typical plot of girl with a great destiny to save the world or be the one to destroy it. Not much new or original. I liked the myths part of the book but it was a smaller part of the book then I originally thought. The myths and legends will probably be expanded on in the second book (I hope). The fact that it was short and quick to read along with a few interesting elements will probably be the reason I continue the series.
The concept of this book is interesting, but sometimes the execution leaves a little to be desired. The plot line is a little obvious and some relationships need a little more development to be believable. I may read the second book to see what happens because at least the main character was not as annoying as she could be, especially given her role in the love triangle.
Loads of typos, sentences sounded really awkward. Just not very well written. But at least the idea was interesting? I mean, all of mythology blended together? Sounds cool. But this just didn't work out.
Enjoyed her writing style and the great story idea. Needs a bit more umph though. I read books seeing them as movies in my head. Cliff hangers are fine, but this one felt more like a television episode. The world building left me a bit confused and the plot seemed rushed and choppy.