Marked by Fire

Os Qu4tro Elementos #1

by Josy Stoque, Elizabeth Lowe (Translator)

Tamires and Gustavo’s marriage has the outward appearance of complete perfection. They are young and glamorous, visibly in love, have a beautiful two-year-old daughter, and everything they could materially want is provided by Gustavo’s job as a powerful executive. Things are not quite as rosy as they might seem, however…

Tamires, an orphan who knows nothing about her real family, often has terrible nightmares. She feels like the only thing that connects her with her previous life is an amethyst that, when she holds it, makes her feel at peace. Every day she goes to meditate at the Iguazu Falls near her home, the place where she was found as a young girl. Soon Tamires begins to suspect that all these elements fit together somehow, and this suspicion gets stronger when she hears about scientist Pedro Tosquini, who has made an important discovery about a solar alignment that he says will usher in the “Age of Aquarius” and bring peace to humankind.

Suzane and Marcel are tasked with protecting and advising Tamires. They come from a world inhabited by superhumans with magical powers, and Tamires may not realize it but she is one of their own. They are the guardians of the heart of the planet, which keeps it alive and in the correct rhythm. Tamires and her three unknown siblings are protectors of a prophecy, and each embodies an element. Tamires carries the torch of fire, and with the help of Marcel must find her way back home.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2013

About the author

O primeiro livro da carreira de Josy Stoque foi a saga sobrenatural Os Qu4tro Elementos, traduzida para o inglês pela AmazonCrossing.
Ela escreveu também Insensatez, em parceria com Gisele Galindo, Estrela – Em Busca do Amor Eterno; a trilogia Puro Êxtase, sucesso de vendas na versão digital; o romance erótico policial Não Espere pelo Amanhã, que se tornou Best-seller da Amazon; e Eu Nunca, com Mila Wander, um dos mais vendidos da Veja Online.
Josy é pisciana, sonhadora e, claro, viciada em livros. Tanto que a sua gatinha tem nome de personagem: Tris.
Ah! Ela tatuou os 4 efes da protagonista de Puro Êxtase, para nunca se esquecer de viver intensamente.

Reviews

[Brigantia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this through a Goodreads giveaway.

This was actually a pretty good story. I liked the suspense, I liked the characters and how they were written... I kinda wish I could get the rest of the series.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish the book.

The story could have had potential but it was very choppy and jumped around between pov's too often. I felt the book lacked flow and proper world-building, along with overall character development.

ARC provided by Netgalley

[C. Baccari · Rating 5 out of 5]

NexFascinating

Page after page the author kept me reading hating to put the book down. Wanting to find the answers. Now I must find what the author will write next.

[carla stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marked by fire

I just enjoyed this book. I like books I don't want to put down. And wait for the next one to come out.

[Dee Rodden · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was half telenovella and half sci-fi magical fantasy.

A loving, ric and successful couple who are physically passionate with each other and have a perfect child are suddenly on opposite sides of a mystical phenomenon. Betrayal and intrigue ensue.

I finished it becasue it was only 200 pages but I will not be seeking out the rest of the books in this series.

[Phyllis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really hard to follow. Strange.

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Kissed by the spray of the Iguaçú Falls in the lush heart of the Brazilian rain forest, the luminous woman Tamires kneels, searching for answers. The falls have always beckoned her, their pull as mysterious as the fire that burns inside her—a fire whose elemental force is the key to unlocking her mystical destiny.
Thirty years earlier, young Tamires was abandoned beneath the falls with only a sparkling amethyst pendant linking her to her origins. Now, as extraordinary powers awaken within her, she knows she must finally unearth the truth behind her past. Her search leads her to a visionary astronomer, to the enchanted falls where she was found, and—most dangerously—to another man.
At every turn, Tamires confronts tightly guarded secrets shielded by lies that threaten not only her family but also the future of all humankind. Only she holds the power to discover the truth, and to fulfill her destiny of righting a perilously unbalanced universe.

First off, I loved the cover of this book. It caught my eye on Net Galley and, after reading the description, thought it would be something that I would like.

I was wrong. In fact, I couldn't finish it.

The biggest problem I had with this story was that it jumped around so much. There was no real flow to the story, no real development of the characters - or the world the author was trying to create - when every few pages we were on to another character, another plotline.

Also, the whole "secret" thing was very annoying:

Tamires has a secret past she doesn't know about...
Gustavo had a secret that he couldn't possibly tell Tamires...
Alexandre had a secret crush on Tamires...
Carolina had a secret she couldn't tell anyone...

Finally, I think something was lost in translation. A lot of repetitive phrases made reading this feel somewhat boring.

I don't think I would ever finish this book, let alone read any more of them.


Paul
ARH

[Johnnayea Edmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did leave me with questions after every chapter. I believe the author did a great job in revealing from the very start that there were secrets and unanswered questions and also that those answers lies within the connections of the characters. I must say that I did not figure out the answers before the author wanted me to know them

On the other hand, I found this to be a slow read because there was not enough hints or tidbits dropped throughout to keep me invested in learning the answers.

At no point was this book a book that I felt I couldn't put down. Although I did get bored in the beginning, the story did gain some momentum.

I think the characters of focus in this book were developed well, and I am guessing we will learn more about some of the other characters. There is one character that I found very fascinating and intriguing, and he was made up with enough complexity that I want to read more about him- Alexandre. This might just be enough for me to continue on with the series.

[Litia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover was cool and I read the summery which I thought…cool, but as I started to read I wanted to freeze it and save it for another reader. I was interested when it began with the story of the river and waterfalls but then it quickly drowned in the abyss of confusion and rapid plot jumps. There was a lot of jumping around and the characters and plot were not fully developed. I don’t know if the translation contributed to the disconnection but I think any good storytelling transcends barriers. It would have been interesting to have more details of the elements, character backgrounds, the “fire transformation” and magical homeland origins. If the author enjoyed success in its native language than maybe forgo the English translation but the keep the cover, that’s really cool. Thank you for sharing your story, I’m sure the next installments will bring clarity and more depth to the story and elements that have been revealed.

[Alysse · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read the summary for Marked by Fire I thought it sounded really interesting and the cover looked cool. The story however doesn't really live up to the summary or the cover. The premise of the book was different. The book tended to switch point of views frequently and I had issues following along during some parts. I also felt the characters lacked depth and never seemed to develop. I didn't find the book horrible, but it could have been so much better. I was able to finish it, but it wasn't a book I just couldn't put down or that I could see myself reading the next one in the series.

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank You!*

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the plot was decent here, the writing itself was lackluster and had a habit of falling into a story "Telling itself" rather than "Showing itself", in this case, it's too bad. The stories premise is interesting enough that with a little more effort put into its construct, it could have been something that caught a lot more attention; but as is, it merely flounders into the ending/sequel.

[Pj · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was not all that impressed by this... i will be honest and say that yes i jumped through some pages here and then at some parts when i was completely exasperated by the portrayal and attitude of the characters... i may read it again some day in the future and see if i like it more then.