What do you think?
Rate this book
Gravity’s Fire
Jason June meets TJ Klune and F.T. Lukens in this YA debut that’s two parts fluffy romcom, one part contemporary fantasy, and all epic love story.
First love is magic. Sometimes literally.
Sixteen-year-old Phoenix “Nix” Ashwell has spent his whole life looking for his soulmate. He’s also spent that life living a lie. After discovering his parents kidnapped him as an infant, he runs away to a town built inside an ancient crater to search for clues about his past. And, no, he’s totally not there to look for a boyfriend. That is, until he meets Max, a boy straight out of his dreams. Okay, fine, he’s definitely there for a boyfriend.
Desperate to be closer to Max, Nix takes a series of bizarre tests to get into the special program he’s part of. There’s just one problem: Max is magic. And, after unknowingly cheating on the tests, everyone thinks Nix is magic too—including a group of ex-students whose attempts to reveal magic to the world put Max in danger. Now Nix has way more to worry about than figuring out if Max is flirting with him or just super nice. He’ll have to find his own magic to protect the guy he’s falling so hard for he’s seeing stars.
But then he learns his birth parents are hiding even more secrets than the ones he ran away from—one being that he was born to wield the most dangerous kind of magic. He’s faced with an impossible choice: risk the life of the boy he’s spent his whole life looking for or let him go to save him. What began as a quest to find where he belongs becomes a battle between the fire of who he is and the gravity of who he loves.
First love is magic. Sometimes literally.
Sixteen-year-old Phoenix “Nix” Ashwell has spent his whole life looking for his soulmate. He’s also spent that life living a lie. After discovering his parents kidnapped him as an infant, he runs away to a town built inside an ancient crater to search for clues about his past. And, no, he’s totally not there to look for a boyfriend. That is, until he meets Max, a boy straight out of his dreams. Okay, fine, he’s definitely there for a boyfriend.
Desperate to be closer to Max, Nix takes a series of bizarre tests to get into the special program he’s part of. There’s just one problem: Max is magic. And, after unknowingly cheating on the tests, everyone thinks Nix is magic too—including a group of ex-students whose attempts to reveal magic to the world put Max in danger. Now Nix has way more to worry about than figuring out if Max is flirting with him or just super nice. He’ll have to find his own magic to protect the guy he’s falling so hard for he’s seeing stars.
But then he learns his birth parents are hiding even more secrets than the ones he ran away from—one being that he was born to wield the most dangerous kind of magic. He’s faced with an impossible choice: risk the life of the boy he’s spent his whole life looking for or let him go to save him. What began as a quest to find where he belongs becomes a battle between the fire of who he is and the gravity of who he loves.
ebook
First published September 20, 2024
About the author
C.J. Aralore
3 books12 followersThe universe of CJ Aralore's stories exists within that transcendent space between absolute dark and blinding light, where every color of the rainbow resides.
CJ (he/him) writes speculative fiction, with a special love for romantasy. His writing is heavily influenced by constantly daydreaming as a child, searching for his soulmate as a teen, and building a life with the man of his dreams as an adult.
In addition to writing, CJ enjoys making crafts, drawing, dollhouse miniatures, music, and spending time with his longtime partner and their animal children.
CJ (he/him) writes speculative fiction, with a special love for romantasy. His writing is heavily influenced by constantly daydreaming as a child, searching for his soulmate as a teen, and building a life with the man of his dreams as an adult.
In addition to writing, CJ enjoys making crafts, drawing, dollhouse miniatures, music, and spending time with his longtime partner and their animal children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 18, 2024
This rich fantasy rom-com is such a great read! I don’t usually read YA, but I was immediately endeared to Phoenix looking for that big, all consuming love all around him.
I won’t go into spoilers yet, but the progression from looking for that love and finding it absent, to seeing and feeling it all around him in the end was beautiful. And not just a soulmate kind of love, but a deep family kind of love, too.
Ok there are some spoilers ahead from here on!
Speaking of soulmates, whew! Max! What a guy. I loved watching Phoenix realize who Max was, and that moment at the end where they realize where they’ve seen each other before. 🥹 So tender and precious!
This YA fantasy rom-com has plenty of action to drive the story forward, and grapples with some big questions about family and identity and where you come from, but the heart of the story is with the beautiful characters Aralore has created. Looking forward to what they have in store next!
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
I won’t go into spoilers yet, but the progression from looking for that love and finding it absent, to seeing and feeling it all around him in the end was beautiful. And not just a soulmate kind of love, but a deep family kind of love, too.
Ok there are some spoilers ahead from here on!
Speaking of soulmates, whew! Max! What a guy. I loved watching Phoenix realize who Max was, and that moment at the end where they realize where they’ve seen each other before. 🥹 So tender and precious!
This YA fantasy rom-com has plenty of action to drive the story forward, and grapples with some big questions about family and identity and where you come from, but the heart of the story is with the beautiful characters Aralore has created. Looking forward to what they have in store next!
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
July 10, 2024
To call this book a M/M rom-com with fantasy elements would be to describe it perfectly. Though the fantasy elements did ramp up a bit toward the end, it definitely felt more lighthearted teen rom-com (so if you're looking for something light and fluffy like that, this is for you). Nix was the epitome of a sheltered awkward teen hoping to find his true love, which I feel made him endearing, if a fair bit naive at times. Max gave off mysterious LI vibes right from the beginning, and the scene with him and Nix toward the end feels like something straight out of a fairytale. There is a lot of miscommunication (a very big miscommunication) between Max and Nix in regards to their budding relationship throughout the book, so if you're not a fan of that trope this might not be the book for you. But if you are, you'll love it. Also, Nix's bio father was one to "love to hate".
*I received an ARC copy of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.*
*I received an ARC copy of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.*
October 17, 2024
Fans of Heartstopper will find much to enjoy about Gravity’s Fire. You will absolutely fall in love with Nix and Max and be rooting for them up until the very last chapter.
Read
October 12, 2024The prose is not great. You never know who is talking and one thing happens after the other without any context. Reading some parts felt like riding a stuttering car. Nothing happens then three things happen at the sane time and you can’t even tell who they are happening to or who said what. There are some funny scenes but the overall plot just feels very disjointed.
October 16, 2024
This book is a great Romantasy!! The plot is entertaining and the main character is relatable. It has humor, love, magic and excitement! I found it to be a fun and easy read! The writing flowed nicely and submerged me into the story. If you enjoy love and adventure with magic and creatures this book is for you!
August 3, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five star read - exciting, magical, heartfelt and sweet MM teen romance
I devoured this book as fast as I possibly could. It follows the rise and fall of the protagonist and book's narrator, Nix, who discovers there is a reason for the dreams he is having of a boy with golden eyes, and a reason for his abnormally high body temperature. Nix is an endearing and precocious boy-crazy teenager who reminded me of what I was like at his age. The story is extremely fast-paced and gripping from the first chapter. I was giggling way more than I expected to; Nix has a quip for everything and his self-disparaging narration is the best.
The magic system and school in Nix's hometown is super fun and easy to understand. I love element-based magic, and I like the history that the elementamers used to be in the public eye but were pushed into secrecy. Nix's slow-burn (pun intended) realization that he is a is a delight as the reader has a very good idea what's happening but he doesn't (he's a bit ditzy) and so it hurts all the more as the realization is coupled with Nix knowing his power means he can't be with the love of his life.
The climax of the book is of epic anime proportions and I'm here for it, and could have even been on board for it to be drawn out even longer than it was. There are so many interesting magic pieces that come up in the third act and it's truly so easy to forget about everything else but the words on the page.
The romance is a definite slow burn which wouldn't have been except for the absolutely solid miscommunication trope that hits in the middle of the book. It's so "OH COME ON!" that it's delightful, but folks who struggle with this trope might trip up. I think it's a good time to remember that this is what most teens are like and this is a YA book that will appeal in that sense to the boys like Max and Nix who are stumbling through their first love.
Aralore (it's not that hard to spell the author's name correctly, by the way) put his whole heart and soul into this book and you can see it on every carefully-crafted page. Nix and Max are a couple you will be rooting for and waiting impatiently for them to get together as you journey through Aralore's intricate world of magic, prophecy, and identity.
Thanks to the publisher for a complementary advance reader copy.
I devoured this book as fast as I possibly could. It follows the rise and fall of the protagonist and book's narrator, Nix, who discovers there is a reason for the dreams he is having of a boy with golden eyes, and a reason for his abnormally high body temperature. Nix is an endearing and precocious boy-crazy teenager who reminded me of what I was like at his age. The story is extremely fast-paced and gripping from the first chapter. I was giggling way more than I expected to; Nix has a quip for everything and his self-disparaging narration is the best.
The magic system and school in Nix's hometown is super fun and easy to understand. I love element-based magic, and I like the history that the elementamers used to be in the public eye but were pushed into secrecy. Nix's slow-burn (pun intended) realization that he is a is a delight as the reader has a very good idea what's happening but he doesn't (he's a bit ditzy) and so it hurts all the more as the realization is coupled with Nix knowing his power means he can't be with the love of his life.
The climax of the book is of epic anime proportions and I'm here for it, and could have even been on board for it to be drawn out even longer than it was. There are so many interesting magic pieces that come up in the third act and it's truly so easy to forget about everything else but the words on the page.
The romance is a definite slow burn which wouldn't have been except for the absolutely solid miscommunication trope that hits in the middle of the book. It's so "OH COME ON!" that it's delightful, but folks who struggle with this trope might trip up. I think it's a good time to remember that this is what most teens are like and this is a YA book that will appeal in that sense to the boys like Max and Nix who are stumbling through their first love.
Aralore (it's not that hard to spell the author's name correctly, by the way) put his whole heart and soul into this book and you can see it on every carefully-crafted page. Nix and Max are a couple you will be rooting for and waiting impatiently for them to get together as you journey through Aralore's intricate world of magic, prophecy, and identity.
Thanks to the publisher for a complementary advance reader copy.
July 31, 2024
Thanks to Midnight Meadow for gifting me the digital ARC of this book!
This YA Urban Romantacy debut struggles to deliver compelling queer coming of age story. I rated this book 2 stars.
Phoenix Ashwell, or Nix, is your basic gay teen whose heart is set on finding "the one." When his world gets turned upside down with the revelation that magic is real, Nix sets out to find some answers (and hopefully a boyfriend). His adventures lead him to a school for elementamers (elemental magicians) and Max, a handsome soiltamer. As the two fall for each other, Nix finds out he's at the center of a plan for world domination. This is a coming of age urban romantacy story marketed for a YA audience.
I enjoyed some of the romantic movements between Nix and Max. The way the two interact with each other was generally awkward/stiff, but at times it was believable. Growing up and figuring out who you like and who you want to kiss is a wild ride and occasionally, I think Aralore managed to capture it.
I didn't like the author's writing style. This book, while marketed for a YA audience (I'm assuming 16-year-olds are the target demographic, since that is the main character's age), is written like it's meant for a much younger audience that cannot be trusted to extrapolate information for themselves. The author writes with the subtlety of hammer through glass; he constantly repeats core details of the plot over and over, as if he's afraid you've forgotten what you've just read. Avalore was unable to make any of his "twists" and "reveals" land due to painfully obvious set-ups made much earlier in the book. I can't imagine older teenagers will appreciate the amount of narrative handholding and "cringey"/"fanfiction" author voice in this book
The plotting of this book could have used a lot more work. Events and reveals and twists keep happening back to back, and you’re never given the chance to process anything. This isn’t written as a “high octane” adventure story, there isn’t a good reason for the story to be structured as it is. The main character never sits with what's happening, never gets a chance to process the insane stuff that is going on. The story never has a chance to breathe. Many minor plot elements and reveals could have been removed, and that time and word count spent making the story actually work.
Almost no character is fleshed out in this story beyond Nix (and that's because the book is written in his perspective). Max, the love interest, is a flat, "copper colored" character who barely gets developed near the last third of the book. The best friend, Lex, exists to be smart and have gay dads. The other friends Nix makes at the human/elementamer school are almost all forgettable and interchangeable. No one made a lasting impression beyond River, who is set up to be Nix's romantic rival. But even he is just "the jealous guy." I just finished the book a half hour ago and I couldn't tell you any more about him.
The world building in this book does not hold up; one simple "wait, why?" makes the entire world fall apart. Elementamers are a hidden group of magicians in our world. Fine. So why are they going to a school mixed with normal humans? Who thought putting magically inclined hormonal teens, whose existence must stay a secret, with regular human teens was a good idea?? I understand the thematic reason behind it, having Nix walk between the two worlds, magic and normal, but in practice it's dumb and doesn't work!! It leads to so many more questions! The lies and the lore of the world are just dropped around and don't feel like they have any weight.
The magic system feels like Avatar the Last Airbender but, like, materially less thought out. If this was just a simple, soft magic system where people just control elements, I'd be ok! But each elementamer can control more than just a "simple element," all can heal different parts of the body, and it also includes the stages of matter? Gas, liquid, solid, plasma? It's so disorganized and not explained, it all just becomes a meaningless buzz in the background of the story. There are also familiars, 12 dragons get involved (?! there didn't need to be 12, why were there 12 Aralore?? For the astrology stuff? That is never a major plot point or character trait beyond a rare mention??), it's a mess! We’re given the perfect character to follow while a new world is built! But the class scenes where Magic is explained are done poorly! I know nothing!
Finally, there were some problematic elements with how Avalore described characters of color. I’m concerned a sensitivity reader wasn’t involved who could have caught some of these issues. Nix seems to fetishize POC, particularly those who look like Max. Max is constantly described as having copper skin tone, earthy skin tones, having nipples like chocolate (THAT SCENE REALLY DIDN’T NEED TO BE WRITTEN LIKE THAT). Aralore describes a few POC characters while comparing them to food WHICH HAS BEEN SOMETHING POC HAVE BEEN TELLING WHITE PEOPLE TO STOP DOING.
Honestly, it's a whole separate issue with how Avalore describes characters. Like with many elements of the story, the author continuously reminds the reads of how people look and smell over and over ad nauseum. If you cut the enormous amount of repetition in this novel, you'd get a shorter, tighter story (but not necessarily a better one).
With a lot of editing to the story but not much to the "voice,” the writing style would work for young readers. This could almost be reworked as a Middle Grade novel. Teens who are looking to pick up a YA novel want to read a book that takes them seriously, want to read a book that doesn't constantly feed them plot points and reveals you can see from miles away. The only teens who might like this are the ones who read and write for fanfiction sites. Why would they pay to read a book that has a similar quality to something they can read for free?
I probably won’t be recommending this book to my audience.
This YA Urban Romantacy debut struggles to deliver compelling queer coming of age story. I rated this book 2 stars.
Phoenix Ashwell, or Nix, is your basic gay teen whose heart is set on finding "the one." When his world gets turned upside down with the revelation that magic is real, Nix sets out to find some answers (and hopefully a boyfriend). His adventures lead him to a school for elementamers (elemental magicians) and Max, a handsome soiltamer. As the two fall for each other, Nix finds out he's at the center of a plan for world domination. This is a coming of age urban romantacy story marketed for a YA audience.
I enjoyed some of the romantic movements between Nix and Max. The way the two interact with each other was generally awkward/stiff, but at times it was believable. Growing up and figuring out who you like and who you want to kiss is a wild ride and occasionally, I think Aralore managed to capture it.
I didn't like the author's writing style. This book, while marketed for a YA audience (I'm assuming 16-year-olds are the target demographic, since that is the main character's age), is written like it's meant for a much younger audience that cannot be trusted to extrapolate information for themselves. The author writes with the subtlety of hammer through glass; he constantly repeats core details of the plot over and over, as if he's afraid you've forgotten what you've just read. Avalore was unable to make any of his "twists" and "reveals" land due to painfully obvious set-ups made much earlier in the book. I can't imagine older teenagers will appreciate the amount of narrative handholding and "cringey"/"fanfiction" author voice in this book
The plotting of this book could have used a lot more work. Events and reveals and twists keep happening back to back, and you’re never given the chance to process anything. This isn’t written as a “high octane” adventure story, there isn’t a good reason for the story to be structured as it is. The main character never sits with what's happening, never gets a chance to process the insane stuff that is going on. The story never has a chance to breathe. Many minor plot elements and reveals could have been removed, and that time and word count spent making the story actually work.
Almost no character is fleshed out in this story beyond Nix (and that's because the book is written in his perspective). Max, the love interest, is a flat, "copper colored" character who barely gets developed near the last third of the book. The best friend, Lex, exists to be smart and have gay dads. The other friends Nix makes at the human/elementamer school are almost all forgettable and interchangeable. No one made a lasting impression beyond River, who is set up to be Nix's romantic rival. But even he is just "the jealous guy." I just finished the book a half hour ago and I couldn't tell you any more about him.
The world building in this book does not hold up; one simple "wait, why?" makes the entire world fall apart. Elementamers are a hidden group of magicians in our world. Fine. So why are they going to a school mixed with normal humans? Who thought putting magically inclined hormonal teens, whose existence must stay a secret, with regular human teens was a good idea?? I understand the thematic reason behind it, having Nix walk between the two worlds, magic and normal, but in practice it's dumb and doesn't work!! It leads to so many more questions! The lies and the lore of the world are just dropped around and don't feel like they have any weight.
The magic system feels like Avatar the Last Airbender but, like, materially less thought out. If this was just a simple, soft magic system where people just control elements, I'd be ok! But each elementamer can control more than just a "simple element," all can heal different parts of the body, and it also includes the stages of matter? Gas, liquid, solid, plasma? It's so disorganized and not explained, it all just becomes a meaningless buzz in the background of the story. There are also familiars, 12 dragons get involved (?! there didn't need to be 12, why were there 12 Aralore?? For the astrology stuff? That is never a major plot point or character trait beyond a rare mention??), it's a mess! We’re given the perfect character to follow while a new world is built! But the class scenes where Magic is explained are done poorly! I know nothing!
Finally, there were some problematic elements with how Avalore described characters of color. I’m concerned a sensitivity reader wasn’t involved who could have caught some of these issues. Nix seems to fetishize POC, particularly those who look like Max. Max is constantly described as having copper skin tone, earthy skin tones, having nipples like chocolate (THAT SCENE REALLY DIDN’T NEED TO BE WRITTEN LIKE THAT). Aralore describes a few POC characters while comparing them to food WHICH HAS BEEN SOMETHING POC HAVE BEEN TELLING WHITE PEOPLE TO STOP DOING.
Honestly, it's a whole separate issue with how Avalore describes characters. Like with many elements of the story, the author continuously reminds the reads of how people look and smell over and over ad nauseum. If you cut the enormous amount of repetition in this novel, you'd get a shorter, tighter story (but not necessarily a better one).
With a lot of editing to the story but not much to the "voice,” the writing style would work for young readers. This could almost be reworked as a Middle Grade novel. Teens who are looking to pick up a YA novel want to read a book that takes them seriously, want to read a book that doesn't constantly feed them plot points and reveals you can see from miles away. The only teens who might like this are the ones who read and write for fanfiction sites. Why would they pay to read a book that has a similar quality to something they can read for free?
I probably won’t be recommending this book to my audience.
August 31, 2025
I am not a young adult, but a father of young adults. I found the book engaging and funny. There are many tender moments and a mystery to unravel. Suspense builds towards the end when Nix's "purpose" is revealed and it is not appealing to him. Resolving the crisis is a team effort. One of my children liked this very much, the others have not read it yet.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews