Mundie Moms

Friday, November 18, 2016

FATE OF FLAMES by Sarah Raughley / Blog Tour: Book Review / Giveaway


By: Sarah Raughley
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Released on: November 22nd, 2016
Series: EFFIGIES #1
Purchase from: Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads
Rating: 3.5 stars - It's A Good Read
I received an arc from the publisher in exchange for my honest review

Four girls with the power to control the elements and save the world from a terrible evil must come together in the first epic novel in a brand-new series.

When Phantoms—massive beasts made from nightmares and darkness—suddenly appeared and began terrorizing the world, four girls, the Effigies, each gained a unique power to control one of the classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Since then, four girls across the world have continually fought against the Phantoms, fulfilling their cosmic duty. And when one Effigy dies, another girl gains her power as a replacement.


But now, with technologies in place to protect the world’s major cities from Phantom attacks, the Effigies have stopped defending humanity and, instead, have become international celebrities, with their heroic feats ranked, televised, and talked about in online fandoms.

Until the day that New York City’s protection against the Phantoms fails, a man seems to be able to control them by sheer force of will, and Maia, a high school student, unexpectedly becomes the Fire Effigy.

Now Maia has been thrown into battle with three girls who want nothing to do with one another. But with the first human villain that the girls have ever faced, and an army of Phantoms preparing for attack, there isn’t much time for the Effigies to learn how to work together. 

Can the girls take control of their destinies before the world is destroyed forever? 

Girl power, diversity, and a the power to control the elements. With her diverse cast of leading ladies who can kick some major butt, a few plot twists, some stellar world building and action scenes, debut author Sarah Raughley introduces her readers to a whole new world with Fate of Flames. This is one book I have been looking forward to reading this year, and it didn't disappoint. 

I loved that this book has a diverse cast of female characters. I loved how they all came together as a team, and worked together. Their differences are what makes them a stronger team. Each character had their strong points, and their weaknesses. Some I liked more than others, but even with the ones I wasn't a huge fan of, Raughley allowed me to understand why they acted the way they did. Being an Effligies takes a toll on the girls. I liked how they all learn to help each other, and while at the same time coming to terms with certain things that individually weigh down on each of the characters. I'm being vague in hopes of renaming spoiler free.

Character wise I like Maia the most. I'll admit, my feelings were back and forth with her through out the book, though towards the end I really liked the character she became. I knew she had it in her. There's a lot for her to get used to, and learn being apart of Elligies. Not to mention she's trying to solve the mysterious death of one of her idols. While I liked that over all the girls could be snarky to each other, and had each other's backs, they had moments of being catty to each other. One of the things I did enjoy about this book is their learning to work together, and by the end of the book I felt like the girls finally find their niche together.  

I really liked Rhys. It takes a strong guy to be around a cast of incredibly strong women, and Rhys was perfect for the job. There's a lot to him that's still shrouded in mystery that I'm dying to know what he's hiding. I liked the relationship he and Maia develop, though it's still a really new one. I hope we get to see a lot more of them together in the next book.

I am not a huge sci-fi fan, but I loved this sci-fi/fantasy blend. I liked how the Elligries organization, the world building, and the characters are all tied together well. As the story progresses, we get a better understanding of all three. I liked that there's a lot more to the Elligy world, than what we get in this book. 

The action scenes are AWESOME! These girls know how to fight, and have each other's backs. I loved that these scenes show case each of the girl's powers, and individual strengths. I loved how well they all work together. The girl power in this book is awesome! 

Over all, this is a great introduction to a series. The character growth was just as I excepted, and there's still a lot of unanswered question that I imagine will be answered in the sequel. It was enough to hook me. I look forward to picking up the next book in this series. I need answers!

ABOUT SARAH RAUGHLEY



Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to SF/F TV to Japanese Role Playing Games, but she will swear up and down that she was inspired by ~Jane Austin~ at book signings. On top of being a YA Writer, she is currently completing a PhD in English, because the sight of blood makes her queasy (which crossed Medical School off the list).

She is represented by The Bradford Literary Agency.
So far, you can also find her on Twitter, where work ethic goes to die.
LINKS: Website | Twitter | Tumblr

ENTETR TO WIN
3 Finished Copies of FATE OF FLAMES (US Only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

FOLLOW THE TOUR
11/14: Such A Novel Idea - Review

TALES FROM THE SHADOWHUNTER ACADEMY Launch Event - TONIGHT in NYC #TFSANYC


TONIGHT is the launch event for Cassandra Clare's TALES FROM THE SHADOWHUNTER ACADEMY! Joining her is Alberto, our favorite Simon, from Freeform's Shadowhunters. Along with the signing, and Q&A with them, Alberto will also be revealing the cover for LORD OF SHADOWS! I'll be there live tweeting from the event, and will be live streaming the cover reveal. Be sure to follow the #TFSANYC to follow along! 


If you can't make the event, no worries! The The Mortal Instruments Facebook page (here), will be live streaming the cover reveal for Lord of Shadows. 

From Cassie's post:

Come celebrate the book release of Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy with me and @arosende – there will be a q&a moderated by Crystal Bell from MTV News. :) – and then a signing!
Date: Friday, November 18, 2016
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Barnes & Noble, 97 Warren Street, New York, NY (Tribeca)
Call the store for wristbands! #shadowhunters #simonlewis #albertorosende #talesfromtheshadowhuntersacademy

** If you are attending tonight's launch event, make sure you check Barnes & Noble Tribeca’s Facebook event for important information.

LORD OF SHADOWS COVER SNIPPET #lordofshadows


Who's ready for tonight's LORD OF SHADOWS cover reveal? I can not wait! This will be the first time I see one in person, as Alberto (Simon from Shadowhunters) will be revealing it at tonight's Tales From The Shadowhunter Academy launch event. Earlier this week TMI Source shared a snippet of the cover, which I've shared below. 


I can not wait to see this cover!! Judging by this snippet, and from what the rest of Cassie's covers look like, it's going to be stunning! Follow the #TFSANYC tonight to see the cover reveal LIVE! More on tonight's cover reveal and the TFSA launch, here

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