Spark

Hellfire Trilogy #1

by Karyn Pearson

For centuries, the powers of Heaven and Hell have been at war, locked in a perpetual stalemate. Fifty years ago, the war spilled out on Earth and the last modern age of man ended. Humanity now finds itself at the brink of annihilation, barely surviving in small pockets of civilization scattered across the globe. But even in the most dire of circumstances, the human spirit lives on.

Now, in this post-apocalypse, humanity has but one choice: resist or die. In order to combat the forces of Hell, man has learned to fight, training from their youth to hunt the demons that threaten their very existence.

Twenty-five years ago, a demon hunter dared rise against an ancient demon family, the Saligia—the Seven Deadly Sins—and was cursed for her defiance. The curse appeared in the guise of an innocent: the huntress’s own daughter, Ardentia, who had been born with a demon soul attached to her own.
In the present day, Ardentia, now grown, seeks to free her mother from her curse by hunting down the demons responsible. But the road ahead will be difficult now that the demon within her has awakened. Trusting him is dangerous, especially when he can turn on her at a moment’s notice. Others have warned her that succumbing to the demon will be her own downfall.

Now Ardentia must decide what she’s willing to lose: her mother’s freedom or herself.

157 pages, ebook

First published July 20, 2013

About the author

Karyn Pearson is the author of the Hellfire Trilogy and Arcturian Bloodlines. She is a full-time pet parent of her two dogs Nikki and Jamie. Karyn has a B.A. in Anthropology and has explored dozens of cultures in her studies, but has imagined countless more. She enjoys reading, playing action RPGs, and plotting the next adventure for her characters whenever she has a spare moment free of the dreaded and undefeated "puppy dog eyes attack."

Her upcoming project will be the first novel of a new vampire series, Arcturian Bloodlines. When she's not writing, Karyn can be found playing with her puppies or Googling various dangerous topics for novel research that make her constantly question why federal agents haven't yet knocked down her front door.

Reviews

[Catrina Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spark is a post apocalyptic story with a fresh plot, unique characters and a lot of unexpected twists.
Each character is well developed. The plot is keeps readers salivating for more.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll say first off that I got this book for free. I was an author with Distinguished Press (they no longer exist) and as such I had access to every book they published. I should have downloaded them all before the company disapeared but that's not the point here. As this is also no longer available on Amazon I'll also say that I know Karyn, she is a casual friend of mine and even edited one of my books. All that said though I will still be as impartial as possible and give this an honest review. I'll also say that this a Young Adult book, they are not usually the type of book I would read but I made an exception here (and I have done so in the past for others as well).

As always I will try to make this spoiler free. There is a twist at the end that I didn't see coming and I won't give it away. So the idea here is that this huntress is cursed/blessed with the soul of a demon inside her. She is obsessed with killing demons and does so to not only rid of the mortal realm of them but also to lift a curse on her mother.

I liked the use of Latin phrases, religious terminology and the post-apocalyptic time period. It give the author a chance to comment on our present day society and , not be too preachy (though to be honest I don't mind preachy, if it's a statement I can get behind anyway). Her use of the seven deadly sins as enemies is a good choice and does make for some interesting reading.

She does have some good action scenes and a sexual scene (that ultimately leaves a lot to the imagination for good reasons as it is not consensual). The description can be good and the dialog is passable. Ultimately though, I will have to mention the negative. The book is very rushed and at just 157 pages it is lacking. Every big fight you think will happen is usually resolved too quickly and a lot of details are glossed over.

Speaking of details, crossbows fire bolts, not arrows. Also generally when two people fight with swords sparks are not generated. I know this seems nitpicky but from being a writer myself I couldn't helping picking up on these points. The cover also, as was the case with many Distinguished Press books, is not very good.

As always if Karyn reads this I hope she'll take this as constructive criticism. I know she is smart and has talent as a writer and I know she can do better.

So I give this a mild recommendation. There is some violence and sexual scenes, so I would say ages 14+. If you like YA supernatural you may like this, though you're going to have a hard time finding it. Also don't look for DP as the company is gone.

[Elizabeth Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spark was a quick and easy read filled with extraordinary images, characters and messages. While I am not a very religious individual per se, I could appreciate the religious, historical and mythological references which enriched the plot and the main protagonist's journey.

While female protags seem to be all the rage currently - Divergent, Hunger Games, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Ms. Pearson fleshed out a very tangible, likable and powerful girl with a special "spark" in the form of Ardentia. As opposed to Tris and Katniss, however, Ardentia is not forced to follow a harrowing path. She chooses it.

I particularly enjoyed how the author married the genre of "coming of age" with both dystopian and paranormal. It was also quite refreshing NOT to encounter any glittering vampires.

For me anyway.

[Catrina Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story really grabbed my attention before I opened the book. A daughter coming to her mother's rescue. Early on you learn her mother was cursed because she did the unthinkable, stood up to a member of the demon nobility. Everything about this story kept that grip and pulled me through a fun tale.

This story is full of characters that really lived long after I was done reading it.

I really enjoy it when an author can bring characters to life in such a lasting and lingering manner. Few are this talented, and for a debut novel, she has proven she will have a long and prolific writing career.

[Seb · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Spark’, the first in the Hellfire trilogy, is a dramatic depiction of the battle between Heaven and Hell in a post apocalyptic world where the surviving humanity is challenged in its very existence by demonic forces it must risk everything to combat. The future depends on the skill and courage of Ardentia, a huntress who must track down the demons responsible for enslaving her mother. Author Karyn Pearson weaves a sure path through this exciting story, interlacing the well-constructed plot with vividly described battle scenes that will set your heart racing.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book

Really a very good book. It took the seven deadly sins and made them real and very dangerous. It has a lot of different twists and turns in it. Worth reading