Fire & Chasm

by Chelsea M. Campbell

Azeril is a ward of the Church, and their most cunning weapon. By day he hides in plain sight as a student, but with his beloved obsidian knife, he also kills wizards. Az has no memory of his life before the Church, until one night, when a wizard recognizes him from his past. The killer in Az never misses his mark, but he can’t destroy the only potential link to his life before this. For the first time, Az has a lead on who he used to be—if only he could escape the watchful eye of the High Priest long enough to investigate.

Azeril discovers that the line between good and evil—the primal forces of the Fire and the Chasm—is as shifting as his own moral compass. And the truth about who he is will put his entire world in danger.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Ebooks, Fiction, Magic

172 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Chelsea M. Campbell grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where it rains a lot. And then rains some more. She finished her first novel when she was twelve, sent it out, and promptly got rejected. Since then she's written many more novels, earned a degree in Latin and Ancient Greek, become an obsessive knitter and fiber artist, and started a collection of glass grapes. Besides writing, studying ancient languages, and collecting useless objects, Chelsea is a pop-culture fangirl at heart and can often be found rewatching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Parks and Recreation, or dying a lot in Dark Souls.

Reviews

[Amanda K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full Review
It took me a little bit to get into this book, mostly due to repetitiveness. The narration would establish something, and then the a character would establish it, and then another character would establish it, and then later it would be explained again like it wasn't already established 3 times. And on the novel would go, circling back to the same things again like it's some new thought or revelation. But, if you can forgive that, the storyline was actually pretty interesting. Yeah, at times it was predictable, but even though you know some of what happened or would happen, you still don't know everything, and those little mysteries are what will keep you turning pages.

The characters were sort of fleshed out, but they just didn't really speak to me. There's a lot of themes of good and evil and redemption here, and I like the path that the characterization took for most of the characters. Azeril is an altar boy, but he also is a wizard killer, and not only that, he enjoys it, enjoys causing pain. Despite that and his mysterious past, he also cares deeply for the girl he loves and his best friend. The girl he likes is strong and loyal, but she randomly has fits of pouting and self pity over the fact that her dad left her, which seemed out of character each time it happened. The best friend was a nice addition for the first part of the story, and I would have like to see more of him. The stranger who knows about his past was a character I was surprised to like. He did bad things in his past, but he seemed to really have changed for the better.

Overall, the plot line was interesting, the characters were ok, and the writing was overly repetitive. I don't regret reading it, but it's not something I'll reread.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

YA fantasy, first-person POV, heavy on the romance, light on the anything else.

[Aparajitabasu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original Link to the review at my blog Le' Grande Codex - here

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I don't normally go towards fiction that adhere to religious themes. The concept of heaven & hell. Of God & Devil. But really loved what I read here, religious themes included. Fire & Chasm aside from sporting an explosively gorgeous cover follows the story of a young acolyte of the church, Azeril who while suffering from what looks like a permanent memory loss, is an integral part of the war between Good& Evil. The Good-The Fire. The Evil-The Chasm.

With his obsidian knife in hand, is known as the Wizard Killer. The good & evil war is not really new but Chelsea M. Campbell has presented something new here, that almost makes this concept her own. Fire represents the good and grants each acolyte of the church with special powers. The Chasm represents the deep reaches of hell, an embodiment of evil. At first Azeril's character and what he is can be off-putting but as you go forth into the story you see more sides and begin to root for him.

There is darkness in his past and Azeril fights with it everyday desperate to attain that light. His mysterious beginnings also make him a hot commodity for both sides, so it is even more of an excitement to see Az figure out what the truth is, making it one of his defining quality. The world building was definitely the best part of the book. The tale is fairly dark and Campbell expertly maintains that atmosphere till the end.

The pace is also very well maintained. It is a tension-filled, attention-grabber that keeps you invested till the end. May take a bit of time to get into the flow but when you do it it takes you along and doesn't leave till the end. Action packed and keeping the plot moving, this is a consumate standalone ...... but I would totally not mind if the author decided to continue.

"Dark, fast paced and unputdownable tale in the battle between good & Evil"

[Angela]

7 January 2016: $1.99 on Kindle

[Mark Rainbird · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book really hard going. The main character evoked occasional moments of sympathy but in general I didn't care what happened to him. I gave up at 50% through the book as I simply didn't care enough about the plot or the characters to finish reading it. The setting was nothing original and the concept of magic versus religion has been done too many times.

I found this book really hard going. The main character evoked occasional moments of sympathy but in general I didn't care what happened to him. I gave up at 50% through the book as I simply didn't care enough about the plot or the characters to finish reading it. The setting was nothing original and the concept of magic versus religion has been done too many times.

[Katy Sauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

See all of my reviews @ https://gloriouspanic.wordpress.com/

The story starts out fairly dark, explaining how Az is a weapon of the Church. I'll admit for a while I was a bit turned off from him as a character but as it all unfolded you begin to see more and more sides to him as a character. That being said, some of the other characters were kind of 'eh'. Leona especially, with her general attitude and well, acting like a teenage girl. I suppose I can't really fault her for that. I really enjoyed the fight against good and evil and how it wasn't really worded in that manner. What sort of surprised me though is the very close resemblance of this story to that of many religions which have a 'heaven' and 'hell'. I'm a bit on the fence about whether or not I liked this aspect or not. I didn't even really make the connection until the ending, so it's not overt by any means.

The world building is okay but I do feel it could have been a bit better. There were aspects to the world which I never felt I got enough information about. In the complete opposite though, some things were just explained.. too much. Some of these things kept me from rating it higher. However, toward the end it really grabbed my emotions. Perhaps I'm just the type to cry in very tense unpredictable situations, but it did have me tearing up. What's even better about this book - it doesn't leave me with a 'cliff hanger' leading into the next book of the series wrap up. I really appreciated a stand alone young adult book. But, if by chance, the author felt like giving us another - well I'd be obliged to read about what happens next. (Hint, Hint Chelsea M. Campbell) In summary, even if I had some reservations about the world building and ending - I really enjoyed it.

Disclosure: I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.

FIRE & CHASM may be the hardest book I’ve had to review yet. It was a book I really enjoyed while reading it, but when I sat down to review it I realized it had a lot of flaws.

My main issue with this book was Azeril. I love a good flawed character, because I’m not perfect and I can easily relate to a flawed character. However, Azeril isn’t just flawed, he’s broken and screwed up inside. I felt sorry for him and I wanted to see him succeed. But since I was never able to connect with him, I really didn’t even like Az by the end of the book.

Campbell did an amazing job creating a detailed and unique world. She put a lot of effort into creating a whole social structure and religion revolving around the two great powers in her world, the Fire and the Chasm. I kind of feel like part of the great world building goes to waste though since it’s just a stand alone novel, so we won't be visiting this world again.

In the end, Campbell did a great job with her world building, and her story telling was superb. FIRE & CHASM was a book that once it got going made me keep turning the pages and wanting to find out what would happen next. For me though, great characters along with a great storyline make a five bat book, and this one just didn’t have the great characters in my opinion.

Notes on Audiobook: I read this as an ebook, but I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew this is available as an audiobook.

Sexual content: Non-descriptive sex scenes

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire & Chasm is a short (172 pages) YA fantasy book. It follows the story of Azeril a young acolyte of the church that whilst suffering from amnesia joins the battle of the Church versus the Wizards by killing wizards one at a time at night.

The war is of a typical divide; good and evil, light and dark, Fire and Chasm. Fire represents the church and the religion the church worships, Fire also grants each acolyte a unique gift/power/ability at some stage during their teenage years. The Chasm represents all that is unholy, evil and the darkness in the world.

I found it to be a really fast and enjoyable read, as there isn't many characters it allows the story to keep moving at a quick pace which is one of the main features as it is quite action orientated. The limited amount of world building also feeds into this as it removes the typical fantasy world building section and I felt increased the tension as the plot keeps moving and not stopping to take breaths.

I didn't enjoy the relationship between Azeril and Leora however, at times it felt slightly awkward and uneasy, it just didn't seem to fit the story properly. There was one chapter, or rather scene, in particular which I felt that was unnecessary - and there simply for the sake of it.

In conclusion I really enjoyed this fast paced fantasy story and despite having some problems with the book I would definitely recommend it to YA fantasy fans or anyone that feels they might enjoy a quick action packed fantasy read. 4/5.

[Saruuh Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

((2.5 stars))

This book had all the elements for an amazing book, but it just didn't click with me personally. I liked plenty - the characters and their motives were easy to understand, the threat was fairly unique, and I didn't mind the world/lore of the Fire and the Chasm. Some points felt a little overly religious like the ending where the MC overcame the Chasm (bad, corruption, sin) by accepting Fire (pure, wholesomeness.) For a book about a church I expected less of that, for some reason.

But I did like a lot about this - the magic was fairly unique, having been gifted from the Fire, I loved the moments of darkness from the boy, and I'd never read anything like Az's addiction to Obsidian. Az and Leora's relationship was sweet, and I liked how they were friends at the beginning, instead of a growing romance.

But nothing about this book really stood out to me. It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't anything new, and I can't imagine I'll remember it.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fire & Chasm follows Azeril, who is the most cunning weapon of the Church in the fight against wizards - with his obsidian knife, he never misses his spot to kill a wizard. He can't remember anything from his life before Church until a wizard recognizes him from his past and it becomes very difficult for Azeril to investigate and find out what it is all about without the Church taking notice.

The premise sounded really good to me, but in the end it was much heavier on the romance than on the identity part which I was hoping for which unfortunately led to me enjoying it much less. I felt that Azeril was a bit whiny and annoying at times and despite what he was being faced with, his priorities weren't really in a place I would have thought plausible. It was quite a fun and light read, but very different from what I'd expected and rather superficial as opposed to profound/dramatic.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, I really liked the ending of this one a lot, but I feel like there was some little spark missing from the rest of it. Maybe it was that Chelsea M. Campbell sense of humor--this is a much darker story than any of her others, which is fine, but I do so love her witty dialogue. This one is also a bit more focused on the romance than I generally prefer, with some fairly cheesy bits, ALTHOUGH--no love triangle! Huzzah for that! All in all it's an interesting world, and I liked all the time spent in the grey area between good and evil, and the focus on redemption and forgiveness. I think I just wanted a little more depth or something. I'm definitely glad I read it though, and there are certainly parts of this story that will stick with me.

[ariesmagic · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't even be nice to this book with how boring it is. I started it on May 27 and have read over 40% of it, but NOTHING is happening besides the main character whining about everything. It's so unfaaairrrr that he has this ability he doesn't want. It's unfaaaaaaaairrrr that he can't remember his past. It's unfaaaaaairrr he does things he can't tell his love interest about.

Look, I get the kid has been through a lot of terrible things he can't remember and he's killed people and enjoyed it but there's little to no plot and NONE of the characters are likable. I just can't read it. This book has almost single handedly thrown me into a book slump and I refuse to live like this!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't call this a YA book exactly, but I'm not sure it fits "new adult," either. What I know is it held my attention and danced with my imagination for all it's action, suspense, sweet young romance, and high volume of symbolism. I enjoyed the mangled web of dark and light that painted each character, and the age old battle that we fight, even outside the world of Fire & Chasm. A fast read with a great message, I recommend it to anyone.

[James Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading through this book for quite some time. It is interesting and challenging. This smartly written, thought-provoking novel is a must read for any fan of fiction. A unique blend of all my favorite literary genres it's no wonder I loved it.
I can't put into words how much I adored it. If you love a YA Fantasy, read The Fire & Chasm.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book from netgalley in return for an honest review. I got confused, a male lead in a book like this is a rare thing, and my brain defaulted to a female POV several times. Whilst I know this isn't the authors fault, for me the lead wasn't a strong character. I enjoyed reading this, but it took me a while to get into. I'd recommend this if you want an easy read.

[De'Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Azeril's journey to find out who he is and why he can't remember his past grabs you and doesn't let go. Much of the story was engaging and unexpected. I enjoyed the imaginative twists and explanations and was drawn into the struggle of Fire & Chasm.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this novel in a goodreads drawing.

A boy living in a church that worships fire spends his evening killing wizards. One of the wizards recognizes him, and of course the boy has a relationship with that guy's daughter.

Not bad, but predictable.

[Lamar · Rating 5 out of 5]

action packed and clever and won this here1

[Brenda Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast paced fantasy story for YA fantasy fans or anyone that would enjoy a quick action packed fantasy read.
I received this book from goodreads.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok teenage fiction.

[David Stimpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed this ...good story

[Angela Kitchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

not your average fantasy novel. More a psychological thriller with a touch of magic; more "thinky" (as my daughter would say).

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with some interesting ideas, but I didn't really take to the PoV character

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent read. It held my attention.