Firecracker (Arcturus Academy, #1)

Arcturus Academy #1

by A.L. Knorr

98% of fire magi who attempt the agonizing forbidden ritual known as The Burning don’t survive. Those who do… level up in ways undreamt of by the Unburned. I survived. Now I've got other problems. Headmaster Chaplin charges me with tutoring struggling student April, but when bullies target April, I feel my control slipping. It doesn't help that the worst of them is my crush's evil twin, who--for reasons no one can explain--I share a powerful mage-bond with. It all might be enough to push me into darkness. Will I emerge a hero or a fiend? Arcturus Academy is an action-adventure series of five books by a USA Today and Amazon best-selling author. Saxony is a strong female heroine swept into a world of dizzying plot twists, sweet romance and intriguing mythology, all woven against a backdrop of elemental magic. Perfect for fans of Kelley Armstrong, Maria V Snyder, and Shannon Mayer. If you like magical power plays, page-turning action, and the high of first love, then you’ll adore A.L. Knorr’s explosive series.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Magic, Clean Romance, Supernatural Romance

404 pages, Paperback

Published September 25, 2020

About the author

A.L. Knorr is a USA Today Bestselling Author and award-winning Canadian conjurer of clean fantasy for teens and the young at heart. Her stories blend elemental magic, epic adventure, fierce female leads, and just enough romance to make your heart flutter (without needing to hide the book from your grandma).

Whether you’re chasing fire demons through Venice, swimming with mermaids off the coast of Poland, or unraveling supernatural conspiracies in ancient ruins, her immersive worlds pull you in—and don’t let go.

No explicit content. No f-bombs. Just page-turning plots, vivid magic, and characters you'll wish were real.

And if you like your fantasy with a little more grit, danger, and fallen angels? Check out Shadows of the Fallen—where secrets are deadly, powers come at a price, and trust is the rarest magic of all.

Join her VIP Reader List for secret book news, and first dibs on every new release:
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Reviews

[Alina Tache · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have fallen in love with Ms. Knorr's Elemental Universe and it seems with every book I end up daydreaming about how awesome it would be to live in it. In this case, how awesome it would be to have literal fire power. This new series follows Saxony, who we've previously met in Born of Fire. That was when she got the power to create and control fire. Now, she learns more about the fire mage world. And she starts by attending an academy - Arcturus Academy for fire mages. What she learns there is... simply amazing. Ms. Knorr's creativity astounds me. She took something that appeared simple (the power to control fire) and created so many intricate details around it. I honestly have no idea how to give more info without giving spoilers, so I'll just stop at that. What you need to know, dear potential reader who is considering to buy this book, is that this book deserves your time, attention and all the emotions you'll go through with Saxony! Get it! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have started re-reading it and I'll go back to that...

[Ari (Head in a Book) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kind of enjoyable start of sequel series to the elemental focusing on Saxony with some references to other characters in the original. The book focuses on Saxony going to an academy where fire mages learn to control their power.
The book felt slow-paced and I did struggle to get through it, the ending did intrigue me slightly, giving me a reason to actually continue on with the series.
The reason I felt reluctant to continue the series is due to the slow-paced plot as well as the characters due to not enjoying either of those aspects of the books. I like the magic system which is frankly why I will continue the series which correlates to a demand asked by someone at the end of the book.
Overall an average book with a slow-paced plot that feels longer than it actually is.

[sophie ✩°｡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was really hard to get through this book… but since it was a gift from my grandma I wanted to make her happy and read it.
the writing wasn’t great, the characters were kind of cringe and at some points, it felt all sooooo forced? the two brothers were both complete idiots. yes, there was a potential enemies-to-lovers trope. yes, there was a potential friends-to-lovers trope. but that doesn’t change the fact that it was weird and wasted. I bought book number 2 so I’m giving the series another try. Don’t disappoint me!!

[Lupe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me

I felt like the characters and story line are missing more depth. I don’t know it wasn’t for me. It all felt very childish, the games , the bullying.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG I so recommend this! Welcome to the first year at Arcturus Academy for Fire Mages, it’s exciting, it’s challenging, it’s addictive and thrilling and has a fantastic storyline with an awesome kick ass female mc. With incredible world building I found myself intrigued as I followed Saxony on her adventure filled with twists and turns, mystery and suspense as well as a little romance. I am so excited to read the next book!

[Catwithbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Für zwischendurch nicht schlecht.
ich kenne ja die Hauptreihe, die sollte man kennen, wenn man diese hören möchte.
An sich fand ich sie nicht schlecht, aber hätte mehr das Gefühl es ging hier mehr um Teeniedrama. Ich hoffe das die nächsten Teile was besser werden.

[Swalsk · Rating 2 out of 5]

The magic system was interesting and kept me reading. I wasn't into any of the characters or the plot.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne

[Freya_The_Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5💫 I was kinda disappointed because I loved her story in the Elementals series but I will continue reading the series cause I really like A.L. Knorr's writing style.

[Jeanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Nicola Torrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

The same beautiful prose and descriptions Ms Knorr is known to her fans for producing. The same wonderful imagination composing this excellent beginning. So why only 3 stars? I feel as though it's only half a book; it's like a TV episode ending with "to be continued". I know that once I delve into Fire Trap, my rating will bounce up to 5 ⭐ and the first book will be complete.

[Avid · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just could not get into this novel. Didn't like the characters, didn't like the world-building. Initial action sequence was WAY TOO LONG, so long it became boring. Maybe I'll try again later, but for now, I'm moving on.

[Priscila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firecracker definitely took me by surprise. I hadn't realized this was the second book of sorts in Saxony's story, but it definitely played off well. I mean, I felt like I was missing something, as in, I expected this to be the beginning of her story, but not in the "I don't feel caught up, can someone please explain what's going on?" kind of feel. The author did an impressive job of making the reader root for Saxony right from the beginning, and the action scenes definitely hooked me in. Yes, there's a lot of fire terminology and the science behind it, but it all comes together nicely and getting to see some examples/demonstrations really help. I liked the dynamics of her with her peers, especially the chemistry with Gage, but also with Tomio and April. Ryan was really easy to not like, as well as Jade. There are a lot of secrets going on, and they definitely made for some hold-your-breath situations throughout the book. But overall, I think I liked learning along with Saxony about her powers the best (especially those private lessons with Basil). And while I'd like to see the mage-bond being explained, I thought it was going to be a bit more central to the story with the way the blurb hinted at it (I still don't get the big deal of it if she has the same bond with both twins).

The narrator was great at portraying the many emotions that happen in this book, from anger to hurt and crying, all the way to relief and happiness. I liked her voice for Saxony, though since she has a lower pitch, it was easy to mix her voice with one of the guys in some conversations (especially at the beginning). Still, most of the characters' voices are pretty distinct, so that by the end of the story one could mostly tell who's speaking.

Overall, I think this is a great introduction to the Arcturus Academy series (though if you want the back story on Saxony, go ahead and read Born of Fire first), with plenty of action, fire mage secrets, and twists that will have you flipping the pages as fast as you can. However, I'm not sure whether I'll continue this series or not. Either way, I'd recommend this one to anyone looking for a different kind of Academy YA Fantasy series, with a dash of sweet romance, and a heavy dose of fire mage action. ~ 4 stars

Content:
Sex: none. Only passionate kisses. However, there's talk of a side character wanting to lose her virginity, as well as mention of a "wet dream" (as a way of describing the Academy)
Language: can't remember. A couple of d*mns, maybe?
Violence: mostly related to combat training, some fights, threats, bullying/making a character a social outcast.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I LOVED Born of Fire. It was AMAZING. I couldn’t WAIT to see what Saxony got up to next. But this? This was pure torture to read.

There was absolutely zero satisfaction or even SENSE to the majority of this book. The events that unfolded and then the ‘surprises’ or ‘twists’ were completely unbelievable given the events previous to their reveal.

For the most part, this book was boring. Nothing interesting happened at all. And the descriptions of certain things were so long and drawn-out that I literally skipped PAGES (multiple times) because they were so detailed and UNimportant.

I’m also disappointed because from Born of Fire and Pyro, we got a completely different picture of both Saxony and Basil. And then from Book 6 of Elementals Origins, The Elementals, we hear that Saxony is actually an elemental and not ‘just’ a fire mage. But then she comes to this school and she’s simply someone who’s lived through a burning. She’s weak and can’t do much and needs to be taught many things. Yet in The Elementals, she was able to create a miniature SUN and was esteemed and lauded.

And speaking of The Elementals, I kept thinking how Saxony never referred to, thought of, or asked Basil about any of the things she experienced with the Arkon(?) and her other elemental friends. It just didn’t fit. It was like this author wanted this be both a stand-alone series, but also a continuation in that she didn’t really have to give a backstory or explain who certain people were and just assumed we’d read the previous books. I think what that means is that this storyline was lacking in following the paths of logic from where the original story started to where we would be now. Saxony WOULD HAVE had greater powers than the rest - even Basil. She WOULD HAVE had doubts, fears, etc. about the evil demons resurfacing. And more.

Anyway, you can tell I was disappointed in where this series began and went after reading all 6 previous books. I truly enjoyed those. And I had very high hopes for this series based on the synopsis. But I no longer do. Gage is a weak idiot. Ryan is completely unredeemable. And somewhat even Saxony isn’t relatable in this book. I liked her best in her own story in the last series. Even the way she’s referred to by her other friends in their books isn’t the same girl we interacted with in Born of Fire. I’d really hoped for better, but I was let down. And so now my search for another author and series continues as I will not be going further in this or any of the other connected series.

[AMG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fire Mage/Instalove

SYNOPSIS (2 out of 5 Book Series): FC is a fire mage which means she can produce and control fire. However she is a “burned” which means her fire powers are stronger and more superior to unturned fire mages. She attends an academy to learn how to control and use her fire power. The MC is a twin and the FC is in love with one and hates the other who is pretty evil. The series covers her attendance at the fire academy, learning her different skills and how the evil twin tries to constantly get her to make him a “Burned”.

I gave up after book 2 and was skimming towards the end of book 2. These books are well written in terms of grammar and well edited. Unfortunately that is all I can say. I found the books incredibly boring. The author goes on and on about all the different skills the FC learns and there is barely any drama in Book 1 until the epilogue and whilst Book 2 has a bit more it is again at the end and limited. The strange thing is that despite how much detail the author gives on all the different skills the FC learns you actually get barely any backstory about the FC or how she became a Burned. No idea what her home life is like or what happened when she became a fire mage, details about her high school life or how she met the MC. Same with the MC, limited information or substance.

The MC is Gage, the good twin. I had thought that maybe the story would lead to the FC going for the bad twin but it turns out he really is just a nasty piece of work. It’s unclear why or if he has any redeeming qualities as there is limited substance to him just nasty actions. The MC is described as “nice” and “good” and “keeps his room neat and tidy”. That just about sums him up. He is unbelievably vanilla and boring and again, limited actual information about him or the FC’s relationship with him or how they even really become a couple.

On the whole a strange series with no substance. A shame because it is the first time in a long time that I have read a book that has been decently edited!!

[Nicole Thöne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es sind Geschichten über Magie und persönliche Herausforderungen weit verbreitet. Besonders hervorzuheben ist das Werk, das die Reise von Saxony erzählt, die lernt, ihre außergewöhnlichen Feuerfähigkeiten zu kontrollieren. Dieses Buch bringt eine spannende Mischung aus Magie, Spannung und zwischenmenschlichen Konflikten.

Ein zentrales Argument in dieser Erzählung ist die Art und Weise, wie Saxonys Kräfte sowohl ein Geschenk als auch eine Last sind. Ihre Fähigkeit, Feuer zu manipulieren, zieht Neid und Misstrauen von anderen Schülern an, was die Frage aufwirft, ob außergewöhnliche Talente in sozialen Umfeldern immer positiv aufgenommen werden. Ryan verkörpert den Konflikt zwischen Bewunderung und Eifersucht. Diese Dynamik lässt sich leicht auf das echte Leben übertragen, wo talentierte Individuen oft mit ähnlichen Herausforderungen konfrontiert sind.

Darüber hinaus wird durch Saxonys Reise deutlich, dass persönliche Beziehungen und das Finden von Akzeptanz entscheidend sind für das persönliche Wachstum. Die Autorin schafft es, durch ihren fesselnden Schreibstil die Leser in diese emotionale Achterbahnfahrt zu ziehen. Somit bleibt das Buch nicht nur aufgrund der fantastischen Elemente spannend, sondern auch durch die realistischen zwischenmenschlichen Konflikte. Der erste Teil endet vielversprechend und lässt die Vorfreude auf die Fortsetzung wachsen.

[Thalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hat die deutsche Version mal irgendwer korrekturgelesen?? Die Sprache ist ja schrecklich (zumindest in der ebook Version). Es fehlt gefühlt in einem Satz pro Seite ein Wort oder es ist eins zu viel oder der Satzbau passt vorne nicht zu hinten. Dann gibt es Zeichensetzungs- und Grammatikfehler (das/dass), worüber man noch hinwegsehen kann. Aber fehlende Wörter und fehlerhafte Syntax ist dann im Lesefluss doch sehr störend. Dabei ist der Schreibstil sonst recht einladend und gut zu lesen. Schade!

Inhaltlich ist diese Geschichte relativ monoton und eher für Jüngere interessant. Es geht um Unterricht (tatsächlich verhältnismäßig viel im Vergleich zu anderen magischen Akademien), Streits, Rivalitäten, Intrigen, Mobbing und Freundschaft. Wen das interessiert, der ist hier genau richtig.

Wer Spannung sucht, ist hier falsch. Eine Szene am Anfang lässt Hoffnung aufkeimen, aber diese Szene wird einfach nicht mehr aufgegriffen im Rest des Buches, sodass es eher ein Buch über normalen Schulalltag ist, nur halt an einer Feuerakademie.

Für mich ist das Potential nicht ausgeschöpft, vermutlich, damit man min. 5 Bände schreiben kann. Dadurch bleibt die Handlung flach und es gibt keinen richtigen Kernkonflikt oder Showdown oder irgendetwas, worauf man hinarbeitet.

[Christine Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointed by this book. I have every other book in the series, plus the Kacey Chronicles, and I liked all of them. There was some cringe high school-esc moments, but it was kept to a minimum, and most of the stories had very mature young women dealing with intense situations. This book though, so full of lame high school drama, and she's supposed to be in an academy for college aged students. I hated every one of her fellow classmates, and at times I was even annoyed with her. The ending was absolute trash. She is supposed to hide her burned status from the antagonist as he will try to do it too, but he figures it out and the book ends by him blackmailing her. He says he will tell everyone unless she helps him do it. This is such a non-issue. I would immediately tell the headmaster and then proudly stop worrying about hiding who I am and tell my closest friends what's up. Who knows, maybe she will at the start of the next book, but I am less than enthused about starting book 2. Here's hoping the author keeps the bad high school drama to this series so I can continue to enjoy her work.

[Jenner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't really sure how to feel about this book at first but I started to get into it after 45% of the way through.


Basil seems to be hiding lots of secrets. I think the first has to do with the twins Gage and Ryan. Maybe they are the same person and their personalities split strangely. If there isn't something to this, I will be very disappointed. Secondly, he paled when he found out Ryan was sabotaging April. I feel like it has to do with Ryan and the twin thing. He also never seems to intervene when it comes to Ryan. I'm not sure what that means. Thirdly, I think the formula is real. Fourthly, there was something in the secret room. Fifthly, I don't know how I feel about him warning her that she could become evil. I could see it being real but also I could see it as a trick or that he just wants to believe that becoming burned makes you more likely to become evil.

How would Basil not know that she helped April? If it gets ignored, I will be annoyed.

Of course Ryan figured out that she is burned and wants to be burned too.

[Jenna Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read

Saxony was not my favorite of the friends in the elemental series, but I did like this great semester of the bring at Arcturus Academy.
Of course, she and Gage are still sparking. Their relationship is hindered by his evil twin, Ryan. I hated Ryan, but then, the reader is meant to. She is already different than the other students because she is still finishing high school and she had been through a burning. This means she is more skilled but has to hide her ability. This makes her odd and she is not open and friendly, either.

If Saxony approached things differently, it likely would have made her life easier. I appreciated the brief cameo of Targa in this book. Saxony is better with her friends. I'll probably keep reading but I'm looking forward to getting through the series at the moment.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saxony's Adventure Begins

I love A.L. Knoorr books. Her Elementals Origins series introduced us to Saxony and her Friends, here in the Arcturus Academy Series we continue Saxony's story. If you have not read the first books I recommend you do as the following contains SPOILERS!




SPOILERS:

As the youngest student at Arcturus and the only Burned one Saxony is facing a year filled with unknowns. She is excited to see her crush, but not her crush's evil twin. In this book she faces trials and tribulations that are only the start. The story ends as it should leaving you want more, but luckily book 2 will be here before you know, October 15th is lwss than 2 weeks away.

This book 1 is a great opening to Saxony's story and I loved every moment.

[Paula Dyches · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Crackling Beginning to a Series

Parents: ideal for 16+
Language: PG13
Violence: PG
Sexual content: PG13 wet dream, pursuit of the loss of virginity.

The story is a super fun start to an elemental series. Story was fast paced and gives a good perspective on what it’s like as an outsider entering a tight knit community that was raised with a different set of rules. Saxony is a girl you can really cheer for because she’s so far from perfect or typical. This is my first elemental read and I found it quite enjoyable, on to book two!

Narrator (4🌟) had great differentiations and was fun to listen to.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Rosemary Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobook of this title within the series set box. (Audible)

The start of a new school can be frightening enough, without the students all being capable of producing fire and heat.
Yes, it is a different concept, one that requires a different approach to a syllabus to teach how to manage, control, and use such a gift.
The young woman that is our central character is the youngest first year enrolled. In fact, she is still completing her last year course work for high school, alongside some fairly advanced magii lessons. She has some background that the principal knows about, that she came by under very stressful circumstances. If you are intrigued, you should read or listen to the series for yourself.

[Roger]

Firecracker (Arcturus Academy, #1), my twenty-sixth read from author A.L. Knorr. WOW! Extremely well written, the characters, even the minor ones, are well developed with an attention-grabbing storyline. I’m a character reader, I get into the characters. Who and what they are. Why they do the things they do. The things that make the reader get invested in the characters and thereby the story. The first section was just a repeat of Playing With Fire: A Young Adult Fantasy (Arcturus Academy Book 0), the lead into the new Arcturus Academy series I’ll be reading more from this author! (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you loved Saxony’s story in Born of Fire, you will love this new series. It is Saxony’s development as a burned fire mage at a school for mages. While the first few chapters seemed sort of long as Saxony chases a thief through the school, the scenes help us learn a lot about Saxony’s and her potential as a mage. The rest of the book helps us to see how Saxony will be shaped by her experiences. There is a bit of romance. There is quite a lot of conflict and a bit of mystery.
I listened to the story on audible with my husband. We very much both enjoyed this story and look forward to the next book release. The narrator does a fantastic job as well.

[Tzu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Damn, this was so boring. The writing was awkward most of the time. The interactions between the characters were cringe-worthy and just lame. Glad this is finished. It was a while ago I read a book this bad. Nothing even happened? Like what's the plot? The book starts with a whole (way too long) chase of a thief in the school, but then it's not even plot related? At least not in this book. Ryan is cringe, April is dumb as hell, MC is arrogant and thinks she is already the best because she is a Burned one, like oh boy. Let me just delete this and get my money back.

Oh and the magic system? What the hell?

[Debi Mozingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would you do if you had to hide what you really were from the world? With one twin sweet on her and the other twin seeking a way to destroy her, Saxony has never been more segregated and alone. This is a fast-paced account of Saxony's introduction to mage school. Separated from her best friends, and being the youngest and strongest student in the school, Saxony struggles for acceptance. And all while doing her best to bring down the school bullies while still keeping her boyfriend. And there's hidden rooms, and lots of secrets! I loved it!

[Joanne H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a engrossing story and keeps your interest engaged! Some people are fire mages and some mages are called Burned. These are truly mages that can do most anything with fire. Melt metal and reshape, jump higher and many, many other neat things. Saxony was a Burned but no one was to know if but the Dean. Gage and Ryan were twins but Gage was sweet on Saxony and Ryan was only out for himself and stepped on anyone in his path. All were going to fire instruction school at Arcturus Academy to improve their skills. Good storytelling, good book!

[Selina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great opening for a new series! I'm so glad to be back in the elementals world. My only complaint was that I had forgotten some of the terminology and would have appreciated a quick reminder at the beginning, so it was a steep curve to remember as I read. It really expected you to have read the previous book (which I did) and perhaps the novella (which I missed until now). Overall very excited to keep reading!

I received an ARC of the audiobook from the publisher but these are my honest opinions.

[Kimberly #Audiofile · Rating 4 out of 5]

…. I have to say I wouldn’t have forgiven that easily haha.

The twins ….. I’m yet to decide on them.


Great start to a series. YA Paranormal novel (therefore no smut guys). Looking forward to book two.

I’m not buying into any of these relationships yet but I do love saxony. Fierce and independent. ROCK ON!

Gifted audio in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars. Audio was fab I enjoyed the narrator however I must say sometimes saxonys voice sounds real male……we’ll just say fire deepens it shall we? 🤣🤣