Wildefire [Paperback]

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book from my dear friend. I had been waiting to read this book since it was first released.

There was loads going on in the story line for the mythological that was running through the book to the conflicted between characters, new friendship and more action then you could throw a stick at.

In a way you could tell a guy wrote the book because there was never a boring page there was always some kind of action going on and that's one of the main thing I really loved. The mythological side of this book was outstanding I'm a big fan of myths of any sort. While I have read books like Percy Jackson and the Pegasus series this series for more for the teen readings then younger readers.

The conflicted between ash and Eve was one of the key points in this story. It was great to see the hate but also deep down I wonder whether they had any choice but to dislike one and other.

There was lots of other great characters in the book and they all fitted really well together they all brought something interesting and new to the mix. Ash was a strong main character that to me was a bit of a tom boy that really helped me like her because I myself am a bit of a tom boy. She was out spoken and was always speaking her mind which normal got her into trouble.

Now the ending was mind blowing I did not see that coming at all and I was shocked and enraged that the author ended the book that way (cliff hanger!!) But it was a good thing he did because one thing I know is I well be buying book two.
To sum this book up I would say....

A mind blowing mix of none stop action and conflicted and myth.
5 stars.

Every now and then a book comes along that makes you stop and go wow, I *HAVE* to read that and Wildefire by karsten Knight was that book for me. I mean, how many books do you know that feature a kickass Polynesian Volcano Goddess, right? I had the pleasure of meeting Karsten briefly at BEA this year and although sadly there were no ARC's, a friend stepped in and gave me hers :) And even though several pages were loose and kept falling out, it didn't matter to me. I was finally reading the book I had longed to read since I first heard about it.

One of the best things about Wildefire (besides the humour) is the mythology and I really enjoyed learning about the history behind Gods and Goddesses. I thought the book opened with a bang and ended with a bang but Karsten made us wait a really long time to discover what Ashline could do. I never expected it to be a journey of discovery or rather a rude awakening more like and I look forward to seeing her discover more of her powers in subsequent books.

Ashline is definitely a strong female character but I thought at some points in the book, she came across as arrogant. I'm not sure if it got lost in translation but at one point Colt is talking to her about going on a date and when she accepts she says something along the lines of "time to join the big leagues". I thought that sounded a little arrogant, like she was "all that" and he should be lucky that he is taking her out. With regards to Colt, I was wondering all the way through WHY he was attracted to Ashline, especially as she was verging on being mean to him in the beginning but he kept coming back for more. Was it purely her looks? Does he like a challenge? Does he have his own agenda? What I thought Ashline lacked was vulnerability and this is precisely why Eve (Ashline's older sister) was my favourite character in the book. I liked the idea of putting a super power in the hands of a troubled teen and watching the chaos that ensues. She exuded a lot of flawed logic and thinks she can bribe Ash into loving her and running away with her if she promises not to hurt people. I thought Eve was the most believable character - she showed both a strength and a vulnerability which shined through the writing.

The secondary characters were interesting, especially her school friends who turned out to be Gods and Goddesses alike. Whilst I absolutely loved the sense of humour and witty one liners pouring out of this book, a lot of the voices sounded similar however and it would have been nice to see more distinction there.

Despite this, I have to say that I did really enjoy the book and after a particularly bad day at work last week, I was very grateful that reading Wildefire took me away from everything for a little while. And let me tell you that the ending will BLOW YOU AWAY and it's one of the best, most shocking endings I've read for a while.

Overall, this is a promising debut novel from Karsten and I look forward to reading the rest of the series which in my eyes can only get better.

P233 "There's a fiery tide coming, and there'll come a time when you're going to have to decide where you stand. Do you want to be just a flicker in history? Or will you stand up and be a torch in the tide?"

Wh... thi... bril... puhhh.......

Words. Gone. All the beautiful ones have been stolen from the stars and knitted into literary jewels by the awesome Karsten Knight. Seriously. Wow. I could lick this book the writing is so utterly scrumptious, divine, brilliant. I literally hugged this hardback when I was done and it's only the second time I've ever done that.

P355 "Above the heads of the dancing students, the rafters had been strewn with hundreds of lighted orbs, burning pale like miniature galaxies. Ash had this vision of the roof ripping open along the seams, and all of the lights flying off into the jaws of the night."

Almost every page has at least one extended metaphor that made me sigh soooo happily. And it's not just the truly magnificent prose that makes Karsten Knight's Wildefire a singularly tremendous addition to the YA paranormal genre, but the originality of the concept, the authentic characterisation, the thrilling suspense and vivid action. I won't go into the plot because discovering what Ash and the other teens she befriends at Blackwood Academy are is truly very cool but I will say that from the first page I was hooked. The novel begins with action, moves into suspense, then action, then romance, then creepy, creepy suspense, then action, then romance, then suspense, then action, then action, then action... you get where I'm going with this right?
Quite literally a book you won't want to put down.

I can't even form a proper review for this novel... Knight really has kidnapped all the best words, holding them captive in this phenomenal world he's created. Usually I go through prose, plot and characterisation but I just... I'm still on a Wildefire high. I've been burned people, burned by the awesomeness.

Suffice to say... I'm highly recommending Wildefire by Karsten Knight.

I haven't given this rating to any paranormal books this year (only dystopian so far) but here it is...

Ten Explosive Stars!!!