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Tempered By Fire
Like most girls her age, all Hailey Catherwood wanted to do was get out of highschool alive. Thanks to an interloping fairy however, that might not even be an option anymore...
Unlike most girls her age, Hailey has the Sight - the ability to see into the fairy realm. When a hot-headed Fire Sprite shows up and tricks her into one months servitude, her life is suddenly overrun with blue-skinned kelpies, sabre-toothed monsters, and monocled squirrels. An evil fairy queen further complicates matters, pushing Hailey into a magical mess as she is forced into a quest that she'll, regretably enough, never be able to forget.
Unlike most girls her age, Hailey has the Sight - the ability to see into the fairy realm. When a hot-headed Fire Sprite shows up and tricks her into one months servitude, her life is suddenly overrun with blue-skinned kelpies, sabre-toothed monsters, and monocled squirrels. An evil fairy queen further complicates matters, pushing Hailey into a magical mess as she is forced into a quest that she'll, regretably enough, never be able to forget.
365 pages, Paperback
First published June 19, 2012
13 people want to read
About the author
H.E. Birss
1 book6 followersHannah Birss is a socially awkward student from the Toronto area. She's been writing since she accidentally stapled her fingers together in pre-school when trying to make her own 'book'. This is the realization of that dream, without the staples.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 10, 2013
This review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7
I received a free copy of Tempered by Fire from author H.E. Birss so I could review her debut novel. I was a bit nervous as the day that I would receive the novel neared because I didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.
Birss introduces us to a magical, and rather dangerous, world full of multi-dimensional characters who mimic real teenagers, rather than just making them in the likeness of perfection (as so many Young Adult authors tend to do in order to make their readers love the male/female protagonist). While some of the characters are very attractive, the personalities are all diverse and entertaining (especially the protagonist's cynism).
"Like most girls her age, all Hailey Catherwood wanted to do was get out of high school alive. However, thanks to an interloping fairy, that might not even be an option anymore… Unlike most girls her age, Hailey has the Sight - the ability to see into the fairie realm. When a hot-headed Fire Sprite shows up and tricks her into one months servitude, her life is suddenly overrun with blue-skinned kelpies, sabre-toothed monsters, and monocle-wearing squirrels. An evil fairy queen further complicates matters, pushing Hailey into a magical mess as she is forced into a quest that she’ll, regrettably enough, never be able to forget."
While I loved the story, there was just one issue that I found in this novel, which I admit I was warned about, but I am always honest in my reviews.
Negatives:
1. The editing. I know that Birss wrote and published her novel rather quickly, but I am a bit of a stickler for editing. Whereas all of you who read her novel in the future will probably skim over such occurrences in the story, I make note of this so that future readers who do determine their experience on issues like editing can go in and try not to focus on the errors, but on the magical story. I would hope, however, that this becomes less of an issue in the next two installments in the series, since I think that this story has a lot of potential for being a hit with young readers.
Positives:
1. Very fast paced!
2. I liked that Hailey, the protagonist, thought for herself. She didn't let the guy decide what she was doing. It's rare to see female characters rely so little on male characters, so this was refreshing. Also, her attitude was reminiscent of Kody Keplinger's protagonist in The Duff, which kicked ass.
3. The budding romance wasn't your typical, "Oh, you're hot, I want you, I need you," a la Twilight, but it was stormy and resistent. Even though
4. The descriptions of the creatures in the magical world that Birss has created are wicked. To give you a hint: There are flying noses AND a hot blue guy.
5. The adventure. I can't be the only one who wishes that my sometimes dull, monotonous life could be turned into a whirlwind of fun, danger, and romance. That's exactly what Birss offers in her novel, and honestly, isn't reading a type of escape? Why not escape into a magical world like the one created in this novel?
This was definitely an entertaining read, even with its flaws. I've seen debut novels before with the same editing errors that made me stop reading them. Why did I abandon those and not this one? Easy. This one had a compelling plot-line that was not hindered by the editing. This is the type of rare debut novel that is fantastic as it is, but could be phenomenal as the series grows. I'm excited to read the sequel and I hope for the best of luck to the new writer in our midst!
I received a free copy of Tempered by Fire from author H.E. Birss so I could review her debut novel. I was a bit nervous as the day that I would receive the novel neared because I didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.
Birss introduces us to a magical, and rather dangerous, world full of multi-dimensional characters who mimic real teenagers, rather than just making them in the likeness of perfection (as so many Young Adult authors tend to do in order to make their readers love the male/female protagonist). While some of the characters are very attractive, the personalities are all diverse and entertaining (especially the protagonist's cynism).
"Like most girls her age, all Hailey Catherwood wanted to do was get out of high school alive. However, thanks to an interloping fairy, that might not even be an option anymore… Unlike most girls her age, Hailey has the Sight - the ability to see into the fairie realm. When a hot-headed Fire Sprite shows up and tricks her into one months servitude, her life is suddenly overrun with blue-skinned kelpies, sabre-toothed monsters, and monocle-wearing squirrels. An evil fairy queen further complicates matters, pushing Hailey into a magical mess as she is forced into a quest that she’ll, regrettably enough, never be able to forget."
While I loved the story, there was just one issue that I found in this novel, which I admit I was warned about, but I am always honest in my reviews.
Negatives:
1. The editing. I know that Birss wrote and published her novel rather quickly, but I am a bit of a stickler for editing. Whereas all of you who read her novel in the future will probably skim over such occurrences in the story, I make note of this so that future readers who do determine their experience on issues like editing can go in and try not to focus on the errors, but on the magical story. I would hope, however, that this becomes less of an issue in the next two installments in the series, since I think that this story has a lot of potential for being a hit with young readers.
Positives:
1. Very fast paced!
2. I liked that Hailey, the protagonist, thought for herself. She didn't let the guy decide what she was doing. It's rare to see female characters rely so little on male characters, so this was refreshing. Also, her attitude was reminiscent of Kody Keplinger's protagonist in The Duff, which kicked ass.
3. The budding romance wasn't your typical, "Oh, you're hot, I want you, I need you," a la Twilight, but it was stormy and resistent. Even though
4. The descriptions of the creatures in the magical world that Birss has created are wicked. To give you a hint: There are flying noses AND a hot blue guy.
5. The adventure. I can't be the only one who wishes that my sometimes dull, monotonous life could be turned into a whirlwind of fun, danger, and romance. That's exactly what Birss offers in her novel, and honestly, isn't reading a type of escape? Why not escape into a magical world like the one created in this novel?
This was definitely an entertaining read, even with its flaws. I've seen debut novels before with the same editing errors that made me stop reading them. Why did I abandon those and not this one? Easy. This one had a compelling plot-line that was not hindered by the editing. This is the type of rare debut novel that is fantastic as it is, but could be phenomenal as the series grows. I'm excited to read the sequel and I hope for the best of luck to the new writer in our midst!
August 3, 2013
Hailey Catherwood is not your average high school girl. Hailey has The Sight, which means she can see into the faerie realm, where so much is unknown. In Chemistry class one day, a temperamental, hot-headed Fire Sprite named Ryan weaves his way into Hailey’s life; mostly without Hailey’s permission. She is awakened one day by a talking squirrel (with an English accent and a mustache) named Nigel. Nigel gives Hailey a note scrawled on a dried-up leaf, telling her to meet Ryan at the park, or else. Hesitantly, Hailey makes her way to the park, where Ryan proceeds to trick her into a month’s-worth of service to him. He needs someone with The Sight to protect him from those he cannot see that have come to hunt him down. Hailey, now angrily stuck with helping him, cannot spend more than an hour away from Ryan, besides sleeping at night. As if she didn’t dislike him enough; now she has to spend nearly every hour of her life with him. If Ryan’s servitude wasn’t enough to deal with, the Evil Faerie Queen of Ryan’s realm has placed bounty on Ryan’s head, & will do anything to get him. Hailey’s life spirals into a crazy whirlwind of magic, love, and adventure as she is thrown head-first into a magical quest that she won’t soon forget.
The reason I gave four instead of five stars is because of the large amount of grammatical errors, as well as spelling and punctuation. I myself am what many would call a 'Grammar Nazi', but the mistakes are clear, even to someone who doesn't pay much attention to grammar and the like. I believe they could have been easily fixed with a little editing; even asking someone else to edits would have helped immensely. I overlook some mistakes, as every author has them; but once they start taking away from the story, it's agitating. It was still good, though.
Hannah Birss, the author of Tempered By Fire, approached me on Tumblr & asked if I would read & review this book. I was fairly hesitant at first, because I normally don’t have a very high liking towards magic-related or sci-fi books. In fact, I almost never enjoy books having to do with faeries or sprites or “out of this world” type of things. I kept that mostly to myself, of course, & agreed to at least try it out & review it later. I was very pleasantly surprised, however; I really enjoyed this book. I was drawn in within the first 20 pages, & I immediately became attached to the characters. The plot was well put together, & the characters developed nicely. I would highly encourage you to read it, even if sci-fi isn’t your favorite genre.
The reason I gave four instead of five stars is because of the large amount of grammatical errors, as well as spelling and punctuation. I myself am what many would call a 'Grammar Nazi', but the mistakes are clear, even to someone who doesn't pay much attention to grammar and the like. I believe they could have been easily fixed with a little editing; even asking someone else to edits would have helped immensely. I overlook some mistakes, as every author has them; but once they start taking away from the story, it's agitating. It was still good, though.
Hannah Birss, the author of Tempered By Fire, approached me on Tumblr & asked if I would read & review this book. I was fairly hesitant at first, because I normally don’t have a very high liking towards magic-related or sci-fi books. In fact, I almost never enjoy books having to do with faeries or sprites or “out of this world” type of things. I kept that mostly to myself, of course, & agreed to at least try it out & review it later. I was very pleasantly surprised, however; I really enjoyed this book. I was drawn in within the first 20 pages, & I immediately became attached to the characters. The plot was well put together, & the characters developed nicely. I would highly encourage you to read it, even if sci-fi isn’t your favorite genre.
August 12, 2012
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Lindsay
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to give this book 3 or 5 stars. Why, you ask? Well, let me explain. Hailey Catherwood is not your average teenager. She has a special ability called the Sight. This gift allows her to see into the fairy realm. Basically, she can see fairies who appear normal to humans. When Ryan O’Connor shows up as the new guy in school she instantly recognizes him as a fairy. After ignoring him, Ryan threatens her grandmother and forces her to serve as his bodyguard. Ryan played a prank on Vivian, the Queen of the UnSeelie Court. Now she is after him so he needs Hailey’s help to spot any fairies near him before they can take him back to Vivian to be held responsible for his prank. When her grandmother, Rose, and Ryan’s lifelong friend, Dolan, end up missing. They both know who is responsible. Together they embark on a journey to rescue Rose and Dolan. However, all is not as it seems. What started as a prank turns into a quest for survival. Ryan and Hailey must venture deep into the UnSeelie Court to learn the truth and bring Rose and Dolan home.
So, as you can see my dilemma was not due the the story line. This really is a good story. There are 2 reasons I had so much trouble rating this book. First, there were a lot of grammar and spelling errors. I can overlook a few mistakes but there were so many in this book it disrupted the flow. I found myself having to stop and think about what was actually being said. Second, the book just didn’t impress me much until the end. It’s not a boring book but it just didn’t grip me.
With that being said, I decided to give the book 4 stars. Tempered by fire is full of off color humor. Many times I found myself laughing because that is something I would’ve said. Birss does an excellent job writing from Hailey’s perspective. It reads just like you are hearing her thoughts. I would recommend you give this book a chance. It is a well written story (minus the spelling and grammar mistakes of course) that will keep you chuckling until the end. It is a fast paced read that builds to an unexpected conclusion and, in this reviewer’s opinion, is worth your time for the story and humor alone.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/te...
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to give this book 3 or 5 stars. Why, you ask? Well, let me explain. Hailey Catherwood is not your average teenager. She has a special ability called the Sight. This gift allows her to see into the fairy realm. Basically, she can see fairies who appear normal to humans. When Ryan O’Connor shows up as the new guy in school she instantly recognizes him as a fairy. After ignoring him, Ryan threatens her grandmother and forces her to serve as his bodyguard. Ryan played a prank on Vivian, the Queen of the UnSeelie Court. Now she is after him so he needs Hailey’s help to spot any fairies near him before they can take him back to Vivian to be held responsible for his prank. When her grandmother, Rose, and Ryan’s lifelong friend, Dolan, end up missing. They both know who is responsible. Together they embark on a journey to rescue Rose and Dolan. However, all is not as it seems. What started as a prank turns into a quest for survival. Ryan and Hailey must venture deep into the UnSeelie Court to learn the truth and bring Rose and Dolan home.
So, as you can see my dilemma was not due the the story line. This really is a good story. There are 2 reasons I had so much trouble rating this book. First, there were a lot of grammar and spelling errors. I can overlook a few mistakes but there were so many in this book it disrupted the flow. I found myself having to stop and think about what was actually being said. Second, the book just didn’t impress me much until the end. It’s not a boring book but it just didn’t grip me.
With that being said, I decided to give the book 4 stars. Tempered by fire is full of off color humor. Many times I found myself laughing because that is something I would’ve said. Birss does an excellent job writing from Hailey’s perspective. It reads just like you are hearing her thoughts. I would recommend you give this book a chance. It is a well written story (minus the spelling and grammar mistakes of course) that will keep you chuckling until the end. It is a fast paced read that builds to an unexpected conclusion and, in this reviewer’s opinion, is worth your time for the story and humor alone.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/te...
July 5, 2012
Tempered By Fire pulls you in from the first couple of pages and keeps you there till the end. It's fast-paced, but never rushed. Every character is very well developed, you can tell that each one, no matter how small their role, has an interesting backstory. Unlike other series books that leave you hanging on, this comes to a conclusion, although there is clearly room for more and definitely leaves you wanting more.
Lead character Hailey is stubborn, accident prone, strong headed and strong willed, and hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud (or quietly giggling when in public) quite often. She's the kind of girl young tweens and teens can aspire to, or should aspire to (in comparison to other quite hopeless teen female protagonists that shall not be named).
The entire story is beautifully described in colourful and spellbinding detail.
Don't be fooled by the solemn cover or title, its a great read for the young and the young at heart.
4 stars out 5 - due to the unfortunate occurrence of typos. (which i'm sure will be corrected in the 2nd edition)
Lead character Hailey is stubborn, accident prone, strong headed and strong willed, and hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud (or quietly giggling when in public) quite often. She's the kind of girl young tweens and teens can aspire to, or should aspire to (in comparison to other quite hopeless teen female protagonists that shall not be named).
The entire story is beautifully described in colourful and spellbinding detail.
Don't be fooled by the solemn cover or title, its a great read for the young and the young at heart.
4 stars out 5 - due to the unfortunate occurrence of typos. (which i'm sure will be corrected in the 2nd edition)
July 22, 2012
Birss is spectacular at creating characters that draw the reader into the story. I greatly look forward to the sequels-- specifically, Rose's story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews