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Magic by Fire: Spark of a Flame
Liam Fosnik doesn't remember a time with magical schools or freedoms. All he knows is that his uncommon magical ability to create and manipulate fire is outlawed by the queen. To the outside world Liam simply works at the town bakery, spends time with friends, and stays away from town soldiers. But when a mysterious old man visits Liam's small town, he soon finds himself on the run from the Royal Guard and entangled in the telling of an ancient prophecy.
"Magic By Fire: Spark of a Flame" is the first in a new series by Travis RJ. With the fate of the kingdom at hand, Liam must choose whether returning magical freedom to the land is worth the heavy cost.
"Magic By Fire: Spark of a Flame" is the first in a new series by Travis RJ. With the fate of the kingdom at hand, Liam must choose whether returning magical freedom to the land is worth the heavy cost.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2021
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 28, 2021
"I have ignited a fire---a spark of a flame!"
I'm not normally a fan of fantasy. With the exception of a few popular series, the genre has just never really captured my attention. When my friend and debut author Travis R.J. offered me a copy of his debut fantasy novel to review, I was hesitant to accept it. It isn't the genre I would normally pick up, and I was nervous that I wouldn't enjoy the writing. As I opened the book, however, my hesitance soon began to fade. Magic by Fire: Spark of a Flame drew me in through a powerful opening that quickly introduced the main characters and hinted at the adventure to come. I was ready to go wherever this story was going to take me.
By all accounts, Liam is an ordinary boy. He lives with his mother in a small village, and the pair manage the local bakery. Each day looks much like the others, and Liam is perfectly content with this routine. After work, he often sneaks out of the town to the forested landscape that surrounds it. Liam and his best friend Pat spend the evenings playing with an enchanted ball and cautiously exploring their abilities with 'ignegic', fire-based magic. Being a Pyrend, someone who can perform this magic, is extremely rare. Moreso, practicing ignegic has been outlawed by the queen. Already it seems that Liam isn't as ordinary as we originally believed.
In Magic by Fire: Spark of a Flame Travis R.J. deftly lays the foundation of his planned trilogy upon the characters who inhabit it. The care with which he crafts each person and relationship directly translates into us connecting with them. The bond between mother and son, mentor and mentee, and best friends are each fully realized. The emotional connection with the characters served to heighten the action and drama that they encountered. More importantly, this careful character work grounds the fantasy in a sense of reality.
Whether you are someone who regularly reads the genre or are more like myself, there is something for a variety of readers to find in Spark of a Flame. The story sets up a classic hero's journey, placing the ordinary main character into extraordinary circumstances. An old prophecy sets most of the narrative action into motion, and it is up to the main character to determine if they will play into that prediction or go against it. In most fantasy I've read, it is the world-building that usually plods along and loses my interest. Travis R.J. circumvents this challenge by revealing most of the world through his characters and the events that unfold. There is a brief section at the midpoint of the novel that started to lag a bit for me, but it quickly gave way to more revelations and a suspenseful encounter in a faraway town. Ultimately, Magic by Fire: Spark of a Flame was exactly the kind of novel I needed to read to ignite my own interest in the genre. It promises to burn into a fully formed blaze over the course of the nest two installments.
I'm not normally a fan of fantasy. With the exception of a few popular series, the genre has just never really captured my attention. When my friend and debut author Travis R.J. offered me a copy of his debut fantasy novel to review, I was hesitant to accept it. It isn't the genre I would normally pick up, and I was nervous that I wouldn't enjoy the writing. As I opened the book, however, my hesitance soon began to fade. Magic by Fire: Spark of a Flame drew me in through a powerful opening that quickly introduced the main characters and hinted at the adventure to come. I was ready to go wherever this story was going to take me.
By all accounts, Liam is an ordinary boy. He lives with his mother in a small village, and the pair manage the local bakery. Each day looks much like the others, and Liam is perfectly content with this routine. After work, he often sneaks out of the town to the forested landscape that surrounds it. Liam and his best friend Pat spend the evenings playing with an enchanted ball and cautiously exploring their abilities with 'ignegic', fire-based magic. Being a Pyrend, someone who can perform this magic, is extremely rare. Moreso, practicing ignegic has been outlawed by the queen. Already it seems that Liam isn't as ordinary as we originally believed.
In Magic by Fire: Spark of a Flame Travis R.J. deftly lays the foundation of his planned trilogy upon the characters who inhabit it. The care with which he crafts each person and relationship directly translates into us connecting with them. The bond between mother and son, mentor and mentee, and best friends are each fully realized. The emotional connection with the characters served to heighten the action and drama that they encountered. More importantly, this careful character work grounds the fantasy in a sense of reality.
Whether you are someone who regularly reads the genre or are more like myself, there is something for a variety of readers to find in Spark of a Flame. The story sets up a classic hero's journey, placing the ordinary main character into extraordinary circumstances. An old prophecy sets most of the narrative action into motion, and it is up to the main character to determine if they will play into that prediction or go against it. In most fantasy I've read, it is the world-building that usually plods along and loses my interest. Travis R.J. circumvents this challenge by revealing most of the world through his characters and the events that unfold. There is a brief section at the midpoint of the novel that started to lag a bit for me, but it quickly gave way to more revelations and a suspenseful encounter in a faraway town. Ultimately, Magic by Fire: Spark of a Flame was exactly the kind of novel I needed to read to ignite my own interest in the genre. It promises to burn into a fully formed blaze over the course of the nest two installments.
March 1, 2021
Imminent Discovery !!
Liam (Fosnik) Ballard’s magical ability to create and manipulate fire is outlawed by the queen. So he keeps a low profile, working in a bakery in town and enjoying his friends. He stays away from trouble.
Trouble comes to Liam, however, when an old man visits the bakery and draws the attention of the Royal Guard who primarily guarded the royal castle. Having them outside of the capital was not a good omen. Can the prophecy be foretelling something Liam will participate in? He had heard the prophecy referred to a descendant of Jensuvan who was one of the first pyrends. Odd that both Liam and the old man were also pyrends. And when his friend, Pat, told him the Fosniks were the last of Jensuvan’s descendants, and there aren’t any of them left, he was not comforted. He looked at his friends and told them, “My last name isn’t Ballard… I’m the last Fosnik.” And if the Royal Guards had a dragonstone, which they usually carried with them, they could identify his mother and Liam as pyrends because their eyes would glow.
Everything seems to be closing in as a guard knocks at their door and his mother tells him to hide. The guard was able to identify her as Natalya Fosnik and knew there was another they had to locate. Will it all be over if the guard captures him and locks him away… or is something worse planned for him?
Liam (Fosnik) Ballard’s magical ability to create and manipulate fire is outlawed by the queen. So he keeps a low profile, working in a bakery in town and enjoying his friends. He stays away from trouble.
Trouble comes to Liam, however, when an old man visits the bakery and draws the attention of the Royal Guard who primarily guarded the royal castle. Having them outside of the capital was not a good omen. Can the prophecy be foretelling something Liam will participate in? He had heard the prophecy referred to a descendant of Jensuvan who was one of the first pyrends. Odd that both Liam and the old man were also pyrends. And when his friend, Pat, told him the Fosniks were the last of Jensuvan’s descendants, and there aren’t any of them left, he was not comforted. He looked at his friends and told them, “My last name isn’t Ballard… I’m the last Fosnik.” And if the Royal Guards had a dragonstone, which they usually carried with them, they could identify his mother and Liam as pyrends because their eyes would glow.
Everything seems to be closing in as a guard knocks at their door and his mother tells him to hide. The guard was able to identify her as Natalya Fosnik and knew there was another they had to locate. Will it all be over if the guard captures him and locks him away… or is something worse planned for him?
December 18, 2020
More than I expected
This exciting slow-burn exploded onto the pages an intensity of magical action, suspense, and drama, with delightful twists that keep you wondering what will happen next. The characters are complex, dynamic, and authentic. This engaging storyline’s plot will keep you emotionally bound to the drama as it unfolds through each graphic and detailed scene taking you on a journey that you want never to end. I loved getting to know these characters and where their odyssey will take them. I highly recommend this tale.
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review
This exciting slow-burn exploded onto the pages an intensity of magical action, suspense, and drama, with delightful twists that keep you wondering what will happen next. The characters are complex, dynamic, and authentic. This engaging storyline’s plot will keep you emotionally bound to the drama as it unfolds through each graphic and detailed scene taking you on a journey that you want never to end. I loved getting to know these characters and where their odyssey will take them. I highly recommend this tale.
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review
February 13, 2021
A really great read. Magic by Fire had me reading all night.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews