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Spark of Fire
Ember Moore, a Reaper, just wants to get through high school. She isn't ready to save the world.
The Reapers are the police of the kindred races. They keep peace and law under the command of the Spirit Assembly. Until a dangerous cult, sworn to resurrect the last Phoenix, rises up to remove all opposition to their goal.
When a shocking betrayal rips Ember's family apart, Ember, her brother Liam, and a mysterious girl named Billie must turn to their sworn enemy for protection. An unexpected alliance will be forged. And a dangerous path will chosen.
Will Ember and the people close to her survive the coming war?
The Reapers are the police of the kindred races. They keep peace and law under the command of the Spirit Assembly. Until a dangerous cult, sworn to resurrect the last Phoenix, rises up to remove all opposition to their goal.
When a shocking betrayal rips Ember's family apart, Ember, her brother Liam, and a mysterious girl named Billie must turn to their sworn enemy for protection. An unexpected alliance will be forged. And a dangerous path will chosen.
Will Ember and the people close to her survive the coming war?
149 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 24, 2017
6 people want to read
About the author
Grace Anthony
16 books46 followersI am a homeschooled indie author in high school who writes under the penname Grace Anthony. I live in rural Illinois and am a passionate reader, writer, and rider. I am often found writing on a blue laptop named Saphira. I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic, introvert, and am addicted to coffee. I plan on writing many more books in the future.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 7, 2018
Not my usual genre, however the author's use of sparing, sparse prose without the usual fluff one encounters in books like this made for an enjoyable read. Solid effort.
February 4, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Spark of Fire starts off on a mission for siblings Ember and Liam and their father. It reveals some info on the antagonist for the story and let's the reader get a feel for the relationships between the characters. The book bounces POVs between pretty much all the characters so you get a look into everyone's motives and thought process. It wasn't distracting at all and was easy to follow. I overall enjoyed this story and liked the plot and characters. The ending surprised me in a great way and I'm interested in knowing more.
I'm intrigued by the origin of the Reapers and the kindered. I would have liked more detail into their abilities and history. The dialogue could have flowed a little better. Some of the exchanges between characters seemed bland (slightly personal preference, I love drama lol) or forced. In general my only pet peeve was that I wanted more in every area. More world building, more description of characters and events and more explanation of motives.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Author is in high school! I wish I was this talented and cool enough to write something like this back then!
3 ☆☆☆ for great story premise and exciting plot, fun characters and cool abilities. I took off for lack of detail and bland dialogue.
I appreciate the opportunity to read this and I think the Author has a wonderful story on her hands.
Spark of Fire starts off on a mission for siblings Ember and Liam and their father. It reveals some info on the antagonist for the story and let's the reader get a feel for the relationships between the characters. The book bounces POVs between pretty much all the characters so you get a look into everyone's motives and thought process. It wasn't distracting at all and was easy to follow. I overall enjoyed this story and liked the plot and characters. The ending surprised me in a great way and I'm interested in knowing more.
I'm intrigued by the origin of the Reapers and the kindered. I would have liked more detail into their abilities and history. The dialogue could have flowed a little better. Some of the exchanges between characters seemed bland (slightly personal preference, I love drama lol) or forced. In general my only pet peeve was that I wanted more in every area. More world building, more description of characters and events and more explanation of motives.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Author is in high school! I wish I was this talented and cool enough to write something like this back then!
3 ☆☆☆ for great story premise and exciting plot, fun characters and cool abilities. I took off for lack of detail and bland dialogue.
I appreciate the opportunity to read this and I think the Author has a wonderful story on her hands.
January 3, 2018
Lovely and easy read.
When I read books in this genre, I usually prefer reading ones written in first person because I like to connect with the main character and it's easier when you are almost in their heads.
However I had no problems enjoying this book at all. Grace has done a good job in letting one sympathize with Ember as you go through this adventurous book of betrayals, loss, action, friendship, family and so on. I also enjoyed the world building and the use of selkie folklore.
A part that resonated with me was where Liam says to Billie that he never wanted to be a reaper. This is something I feel a lot of people go through. This feeling that you are something you do not want. Or maybe you are working a job you dislike so it's hard to get up on Monday mornings (story of a lot of people)
No perfect book exists so I think some of the flow could have used some more editing but I will definitely be watching this young writer as she releases more books in this series and hopefully other series.
When I read books in this genre, I usually prefer reading ones written in first person because I like to connect with the main character and it's easier when you are almost in their heads.
However I had no problems enjoying this book at all. Grace has done a good job in letting one sympathize with Ember as you go through this adventurous book of betrayals, loss, action, friendship, family and so on. I also enjoyed the world building and the use of selkie folklore.
A part that resonated with me was where Liam says to Billie that he never wanted to be a reaper. This is something I feel a lot of people go through. This feeling that you are something you do not want. Or maybe you are working a job you dislike so it's hard to get up on Monday mornings (story of a lot of people)
No perfect book exists so I think some of the flow could have used some more editing but I will definitely be watching this young writer as she releases more books in this series and hopefully other series.
March 12, 2018
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly, this is not the type of book I usually read. Story-wise, it is a common tale that has been done a lot of late: teen person finds he or she is a supernatural being, goes off and does supernatural things. There is obviously a lot of call for this fiction.
The author, a young lady from US, has done a fine job with her writing: she has embraced the concept that you don’t need to use ten words when one will do, and I like that. The writing is smooth and easy to read and without waffle (again, I like that).
I feel she has a big future ahead of her!
Firstly, this is not the type of book I usually read. Story-wise, it is a common tale that has been done a lot of late: teen person finds he or she is a supernatural being, goes off and does supernatural things. There is obviously a lot of call for this fiction.
The author, a young lady from US, has done a fine job with her writing: she has embraced the concept that you don’t need to use ten words when one will do, and I like that. The writing is smooth and easy to read and without waffle (again, I like that).
I feel she has a big future ahead of her!
January 1, 2018
This is a quick and easy read. The characters are interesting and the story is unique. This young author has great potential, and I hope to see her continue her passion for writing.
February 3, 2018
I wrote this book over the course of eight months. And I can accurately say it was fueled by coffee and my intense fear of deadlines.
May 9, 2019
I received a free copy of Spark of Fire in exchange for my candid opinion. Spark of Fire is a fun paranormal action story. The strength of the rest of the writing made me go against my gut. It’s a fast read, and it does require the future books for the full story, but the action is fierce and often. The villain was a fresh of breath air, too. The rest of my review will contain spoilers.
The Good.
Ember is a supernatural bounty hunter along with her brother and her father. The book opens with her team attacking a pair of werepeople. Ember ends up killing one and reacts with disgust. I’m glad she doesn’t easily take to killing, but still gets the job done.
The kinetics of this world have a finite amount of power. Tattoos cover their bodies as they use up their power and eventually die. It was a cool idea and would look great on film.
I thought there would be a slowdown of the action when Ember and Liam go to school to protect Billie. This didn’t happen at all. The first day they’re there, they have to fight their way out.
Not only do the siblings have parents, but they are crucial to the story. Their mother’s betrayal was unexpected and awesome. Hopefully one of the kids must execute her in a future book.
The bad guy is actually nice to his people. He cares about his daughter. He feels loss when his friend dies. He doesn’t just twist his mustache as he laughs maniacally.
The Bad.
I didn’t like how kinetics could stop bullets with their powers. Nothing in the book suggested their reflexes are faster than a bullet. They should only be able to stop a shooter before he/she pulls the trigger, not after.
There are some editing issues. The typos aren’t too bad that they ruin the story, but they are frequent enough that I feel I should point it out.
My big issue is with the character Billie. Every other character was well written. Basically, the entire story was well written, except when it had anything to do with Billie. Unfortunately, she’s a corner of the main character trinity. She was a normal kid 48 hours before the story begins. In that short time she watches people die, gets separated from her family, and learns about magical creatures. She takes it all in stride. None of it bothers her. She acts more like a kid at summer camp than a real person. At first, I thought it might just be because the host of the Phoenix has subdued emotions. If that was the author’s intent, I feel she should have made it clear. Hours after people died (she even fires a gun that was inexplicably handed to her by professional bounty hunters) she sleeps. Yup. No fear of the entire army of supernatural beings chasing solely after her. She sleeps. In fact, she sleeps in to ten in the morning. She also criticizes people for killing. This is a theme that hurts both Liam and Ember. Liam even complains to Ember that she hasn’t had to kill anyone, despite that literally happening in the opening scene of the book. Essentially, when Billie is speaking, the story is hurting. Everything else was so good that I found it hard to believe the same person wrote this character.
The Technical.
This book is the beginning part of a series. The book simply ends. It has a strong cliffhanger. The book is enjoyable, but you won’t get anything close to closure from this one alone.
The Good.
Ember is a supernatural bounty hunter along with her brother and her father. The book opens with her team attacking a pair of werepeople. Ember ends up killing one and reacts with disgust. I’m glad she doesn’t easily take to killing, but still gets the job done.
The kinetics of this world have a finite amount of power. Tattoos cover their bodies as they use up their power and eventually die. It was a cool idea and would look great on film.
I thought there would be a slowdown of the action when Ember and Liam go to school to protect Billie. This didn’t happen at all. The first day they’re there, they have to fight their way out.
Not only do the siblings have parents, but they are crucial to the story. Their mother’s betrayal was unexpected and awesome. Hopefully one of the kids must execute her in a future book.
The bad guy is actually nice to his people. He cares about his daughter. He feels loss when his friend dies. He doesn’t just twist his mustache as he laughs maniacally.
The Bad.
I didn’t like how kinetics could stop bullets with their powers. Nothing in the book suggested their reflexes are faster than a bullet. They should only be able to stop a shooter before he/she pulls the trigger, not after.
There are some editing issues. The typos aren’t too bad that they ruin the story, but they are frequent enough that I feel I should point it out.
My big issue is with the character Billie. Every other character was well written. Basically, the entire story was well written, except when it had anything to do with Billie. Unfortunately, she’s a corner of the main character trinity. She was a normal kid 48 hours before the story begins. In that short time she watches people die, gets separated from her family, and learns about magical creatures. She takes it all in stride. None of it bothers her. She acts more like a kid at summer camp than a real person. At first, I thought it might just be because the host of the Phoenix has subdued emotions. If that was the author’s intent, I feel she should have made it clear. Hours after people died (she even fires a gun that was inexplicably handed to her by professional bounty hunters) she sleeps. Yup. No fear of the entire army of supernatural beings chasing solely after her. She sleeps. In fact, she sleeps in to ten in the morning. She also criticizes people for killing. This is a theme that hurts both Liam and Ember. Liam even complains to Ember that she hasn’t had to kill anyone, despite that literally happening in the opening scene of the book. Essentially, when Billie is speaking, the story is hurting. Everything else was so good that I found it hard to believe the same person wrote this character.
The Technical.
This book is the beginning part of a series. The book simply ends. It has a strong cliffhanger. The book is enjoyable, but you won’t get anything close to closure from this one alone.
September 16, 2018
3.5 Stars. A Fast-Paced YA Paranormal Novel with a Solid Plot. Spark of Fire by Grace Anthony is a fun YA read about reapers and shifters. Anthony has created a mythology that is familiar and brand new at the same time. Her main characters, Ember and Liam are teenage reapers on a mission to protect fellow high school student, Billie, who has her own set of mysterious superpowers. As reapers, they are highly trained to battle against rogue shifters putting people in harm's way.
[For more reviews from Lauryn April go to http://laurynapril.blogspot.com]
Anthony does a good job keeping the stakes high and the pace quick. I did enjoy reading this book and especially liked Anthony's well-written plot and focus on her characters who were complex and believable. This had a different perspective than I normally find in Young Adult Paranormal Romance books. There was a heavy emphasis on the relationship between Ember and her brother. Strong family relationships and the romance was more hinted at and was possibly being set up for the second book instead of being pivotal to the plot like it is in many YA PNR books.
Where this book lost a few stars for me was that it would have benefitted from a little more editing. There was a lot of passive tense and some awkward word choice. I also felt like some scenes could have been fleshed out a bit more. While there were some nice descriptions in some places, I wanted more description in others. And, the third person, multiple POV made it hard to know which character this story would focus on.
Overall, this was an interesting and suspenseful YA paranormal story with a solid plot and complex characters, but the writing itself would have benefitted from one more draft after a run through with a good beta.
Was the writing/editing solid?
3/5 - The writing was good but with a little more telling than showing and a good amount of passive tense it had room for improvement. There were some typos, though they were not a major distraction.
Did the book have a well-formed plot/subplots?
4/5 - This book really did have a solid plot and it took me on a journey.
Could you relate to the characters?
4/5 - I liked the characters and felt they were all believable and complex.
Did the story make you feel?
3/5 - This book is written in the third person and is told through multiple POV's. Because of that it took me a little while to get into and I didn't get as invested in the characters as I have with other books.
Was the book unputdownable?
4/5 - I would read large chunks at a time, but did put the book down on occasion.
[For more reviews from Lauryn April go to http://laurynapril.blogspot.com]
Anthony does a good job keeping the stakes high and the pace quick. I did enjoy reading this book and especially liked Anthony's well-written plot and focus on her characters who were complex and believable. This had a different perspective than I normally find in Young Adult Paranormal Romance books. There was a heavy emphasis on the relationship between Ember and her brother. Strong family relationships and the romance was more hinted at and was possibly being set up for the second book instead of being pivotal to the plot like it is in many YA PNR books.
Where this book lost a few stars for me was that it would have benefitted from a little more editing. There was a lot of passive tense and some awkward word choice. I also felt like some scenes could have been fleshed out a bit more. While there were some nice descriptions in some places, I wanted more description in others. And, the third person, multiple POV made it hard to know which character this story would focus on.
Overall, this was an interesting and suspenseful YA paranormal story with a solid plot and complex characters, but the writing itself would have benefitted from one more draft after a run through with a good beta.
Was the writing/editing solid?
3/5 - The writing was good but with a little more telling than showing and a good amount of passive tense it had room for improvement. There were some typos, though they were not a major distraction.
Did the book have a well-formed plot/subplots?
4/5 - This book really did have a solid plot and it took me on a journey.
Could you relate to the characters?
4/5 - I liked the characters and felt they were all believable and complex.
Did the story make you feel?
3/5 - This book is written in the third person and is told through multiple POV's. Because of that it took me a little while to get into and I didn't get as invested in the characters as I have with other books.
Was the book unputdownable?
4/5 - I would read large chunks at a time, but did put the book down on occasion.
January 25, 2018
This book has a lot going on in a short story. The action is well paced and enjoyable. Full of various types of magical and shape shifting beings Spark of Fire will pull in quickly.
January 13, 2018
3.5/5 stars (rounded to 4 stars)
Spark of Fire is a dialogue-driven novel that follows three main characters; Liam, Ember, and Billie, all teenagers forced to go against the Society of the Phoenix. I liked that Anthony chose to use 3rd person POV for her story, as it added a depth that only focusing on one character in this particular instance wouldn’t have offered. The beginning of the story makes it fresher and more realistic, as far as the YA genre is concerned, by making the parents an integral part of the narrative and giving the siblings (Liam and Ember) a bit of guidance, if only briefly.
The Society wants to take Billie (the phoenix host) and bring the phoenix back from the dead through her in order to create a paradise for humans and supernatural creatures, known as kindred (or so they claim). Ember and Liam are tasked with keeping Billie safe, which throws them into more trouble than expected. It seemed that a new threat popped up around every corner, and the different abilities of the various kindred added to the appeal. While I loved that Anthony added so much diversity in abilities, I mentally applauded at the fact that she either put quite a bit of research into firearms or has experience with them. Nothing takes me out of a story faster than inaccuracies with guns, as I grew up with an ex-military, ex-police officer father.
While there are some things in this story that could be tweaked to make it better, Anthony has great potential to be an excellent storyteller. There are some grammatical errors throughout the story, some of them a little distracting, and I would’ve liked a little more buildup to the main plot and bonding between the characters before they were thrown into the thick of things.
Overall, Spark of Fire is a fun, quick read. With a little TLC, it could rival the best YA Paranormal stories.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Spark of Fire is a dialogue-driven novel that follows three main characters; Liam, Ember, and Billie, all teenagers forced to go against the Society of the Phoenix. I liked that Anthony chose to use 3rd person POV for her story, as it added a depth that only focusing on one character in this particular instance wouldn’t have offered. The beginning of the story makes it fresher and more realistic, as far as the YA genre is concerned, by making the parents an integral part of the narrative and giving the siblings (Liam and Ember) a bit of guidance, if only briefly.
The Society wants to take Billie (the phoenix host) and bring the phoenix back from the dead through her in order to create a paradise for humans and supernatural creatures, known as kindred (or so they claim). Ember and Liam are tasked with keeping Billie safe, which throws them into more trouble than expected. It seemed that a new threat popped up around every corner, and the different abilities of the various kindred added to the appeal. While I loved that Anthony added so much diversity in abilities, I mentally applauded at the fact that she either put quite a bit of research into firearms or has experience with them. Nothing takes me out of a story faster than inaccuracies with guns, as I grew up with an ex-military, ex-police officer father.
While there are some things in this story that could be tweaked to make it better, Anthony has great potential to be an excellent storyteller. There are some grammatical errors throughout the story, some of them a little distracting, and I would’ve liked a little more buildup to the main plot and bonding between the characters before they were thrown into the thick of things.
Overall, Spark of Fire is a fun, quick read. With a little TLC, it could rival the best YA Paranormal stories.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 4, 2018
La autora ha sido tan generosa de ofrecerme una copia gratuita de su novela, pese a que sólo le puedo hacer una reseña en castellano, por lo que le estoy muy agradecida.
A diferencia de lo que indican otros reseñadores, yo sí suelo leer obras dentro de este género y, por lo tanto, puedo comparar. Es una historia interesante, que apetece ver continuada, con personajes bien construidos, que se hacen querer u odiar según el caso y tiene muchos puntos originales. No coincido con otros que comentan el libro en determinados giros argumentales que les gustan o no les gustan, como que prefieren que el texto se escriba en primera persona (no gusta en tercera) o que la protagonista sienta remordimientos al matar (sí gusta). A mí me parece bien tanto una opción como la otra, y no influye en mi idea sobre la novela. Es la primera de una serie, por lo tanto me parece bien que no todo se descubra desde el principio.
Pero lo que me ha resultado más difícil es el estilo. Las oraciones con frecuencia tienen exactamente la misma estructura. Ember hace esto. Ember dice esto. Ember mira esto. me sobra tanta Ember en el mismo párrafo, y eso sólo es un ejemplo de muchos. Más sinónimos, más dominio del lenguaje, más variedad al explicar las cosas, porque imaginación e ideas no le faltan, tiene muchas y buenas :)
A diferencia de lo que indican otros reseñadores, yo sí suelo leer obras dentro de este género y, por lo tanto, puedo comparar. Es una historia interesante, que apetece ver continuada, con personajes bien construidos, que se hacen querer u odiar según el caso y tiene muchos puntos originales. No coincido con otros que comentan el libro en determinados giros argumentales que les gustan o no les gustan, como que prefieren que el texto se escriba en primera persona (no gusta en tercera) o que la protagonista sienta remordimientos al matar (sí gusta). A mí me parece bien tanto una opción como la otra, y no influye en mi idea sobre la novela. Es la primera de una serie, por lo tanto me parece bien que no todo se descubra desde el principio.
Pero lo que me ha resultado más difícil es el estilo. Las oraciones con frecuencia tienen exactamente la misma estructura. Ember hace esto. Ember dice esto. Ember mira esto. me sobra tanta Ember en el mismo párrafo, y eso sólo es un ejemplo de muchos. Más sinónimos, más dominio del lenguaje, más variedad al explicar las cosas, porque imaginación e ideas no le faltan, tiene muchas y buenas :)
July 4, 2019
I received this book from Voracious Readers for an honest review. This is the first book in a series about the supernatural. There is a group of people - the Society of the Phoenix that worship the mythical phoenix bird. This group is made up of both humans and kindred. The kindred are the descendents of the beings that mated with humans and had offspring. They have a variety of supernatural powers like telekinesis, shape shifting, elemental manipulation, etc. Emma and her brother Liam are Reapers. Reapers are considered the warriors and police of the kindred race. They and their Reaper father are members of the governing body of the kindred as the police. They have been tasked with protecting a girl named Billie. She is the daughter of a witch and a male human. She is also the phoenix host. The Society of the Phoenix are looking to capture Billie for their own nefarious reasons and the governing body doesn't want that to happen with good reason. The end had a good little twist that wasn't entirely expected. This was a great start of a series and I look forward to checking out the rest of the series.
January 5, 2018
I was offered a free mobi copy of spark of fire to read and give my honest review. I really liked the premise of the book. A family of reapers are part of a police force that enforces the laws for all the kindred races. There are many types of telekinetic people, wares, magic users and others in this world Grace Anthony created. She offers a fresh take on short fantasy fiction with a well thought out plot and world uniquely her own. Each of her characters are fleshed out. They each have their own hopes, desires and fears. The two teen protagonists have been trained by their father from a young age. Along the way they fight against a secret society who hopes to resurrect the last Phoenix. The siblings along with others they have gathered along the way hope to stop them from resurrecting the Phoenix.
It was a great story, an easy read with a good amount of action. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who reads fantasy.
It was a great story, an easy read with a good amount of action. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who reads fantasy.
January 3, 2018
A quick read, which I stayed up last night enjoying. This is my genre so I was excited to jump into the story. The plot grabs you right away and gets into the plot. I don’t normally enjoy stories told from multiple perspectives, but I felt this really allowed the story to build slowly as we saw each character tell their side of the story and progress.
If you enjoy, shapeshifters, warebears, reapers and General stories about magical “kindred” teens - this story has it.
There is some editing and touch ups that could be done (as happens with indie publishing) but you barely notice as you get into the story. Very fun
If you enjoy, shapeshifters, warebears, reapers and General stories about magical “kindred” teens - this story has it.
There is some editing and touch ups that could be done (as happens with indie publishing) but you barely notice as you get into the story. Very fun
April 13, 2018
Ember and Liam have been training since they could walk. They can’t walk into a room without looking for exits. Their charge? Someone important. How? Well I can’t tell you because that would spoil the whole adventure for you. Learning on your own is so much more fun than being told what happens. Ember and Liam’s parents are struggling to keep their children safe and due to that trouble arises. Ember and Liam must keep each other and Billie safe.
A pretty story about the spirit and human world/planes. Kindred. Kin. I love things with these kind of things. Makes things fascinating. And action pack.
A pretty story about the spirit and human world/planes. Kindred. Kin. I love things with these kind of things. Makes things fascinating. And action pack.
February 8, 2018
This is a fast-paced YA Urban Fantasy. The young protagonists use their special abilities and race against time to save their parents and, indeed, the whole world from the evil machinations of a secret society. Teen readers will find this highly enjoyable with characters they can relate to and lots of magical action.
March 19, 2018
Spark of fire by Grace Anthony is a 4 star read.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this book.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this book.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews