Review || Ignite

Kara Swanson never fails. 🥹 I've enjoyed her books ever since I read The Girl Who Could See back in 2021, and her latest release was no exception.

About the Book

Can Mara survive in a world where the fire in her veins is worth killing for?

In a frozen wasteland suffocating beneath a dying sun, Mara is a young phoenix raised by her father to explode at his command. He’s the only one who can help her control her fire, and Mara desperately follows his orders to protect their phoenix family from relentless human hunters.

Her sheltered existence is shattered when her family mysteriously vanishes, thrusting Mara into a perilous quest to find them. Along the way, she unravels a devastating truth: her people may not be the innocent victims she's been taught to believe.

When she comes face-to-face with the kindhearted Eli, she begins to wonder if the humans aren’t the monsters she's always feared. What if the greatest danger doesn’t lie in the icy world outside—but in the truth of who Mara really is?

Fire and ice collide in this thrilling tale of a phoenix girl born with the power of a dying sun.

Review

Ignite was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and my goodness. I knew it was going to be amazing, but I didn’t realize that it would become one of the few books that speaks to me on such a deep, personal level and one that sparks light in my soul. It’s a book that I now hold near and dear to my heart and that will resonate with me for a long time.

There are many rich themes in Ignite, but the ones of healing, trust, and being brave stood out to me and are incredibly powerful.

It’s rare for me to deeply feel for and connect with characters in the way I did with Mara. My heart ached for Mara as she struggled with knowing who to trust and believe. The conflict she faced was so heartbreaking yet so beautiful as it helped her blossom into the fiery, courageous woman she needed to be. Overall, she’s just such a well-written female protagonist and has some of the best character development I’ve read in a long time.

The imagery and worldbuilding were phenomenal and whisked me away to an intriguing world of fire and ice. The prose was lovely. And the plot (especially in the second half) had twists that kept me on the edge of my seat.

And that ending??! I need Book 2 immediately!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of the anthology from the author and all opinions expressed are my own.

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Have you read anything by Kara Swanson? What's a book with a cliffhanger that had you begging for the sequel?