Sunday 4 March 2012

Book Review - Blue Fire

Title: Blue Fire
Author: Janice Hardy
Series: The Healing Wars (book 2)
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Release Date: 31 Mar 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0007326822

Synopsis
Part fugitive, part hero, fifteen-year-old Nya is barely staying ahead of the Duke of Baseer’s trackers. Wanted for a crime she didn’t mean to commit, she risks capture to protect every Taker she can find, determined to prevent the Duke from using them in his fiendish experiments. But resolve isn’t enough to protect any of them, and Nya soon realizes that the only way to keep them all out of the Duke’s clutches is to flee Geveg. Unfortunately, the Duke’s best tracker has other ideas.
Nya finds herself trapped in the last place she ever wanted to be, forced to trust the last people she ever thought she could. More is at stake than just the people of Geveg, and the closer she gets to uncovering the Duke’s plan, the more she discovers how critical she is to his victory. To save Geveg, she just might have to save Baseer—if she doesn’t destroy it first.

 
My Review
I really enjoyed book 1 'The Pain Merchants' and couldn't wait to read book 2. I sat down this morning to start this one and had finished it in about 3 hours.
Nya is still being hunted after the events of book 1, but she isn't taking it lying down, running an undercover operation to rescue apprentices from the Duke and his evil experiments with magic, she is working from the shadows. 
Danello has a bigger part in this book and I was glad for it, he is a solid presence in Nya's life, strong, confident, and funny in places. He is the perfect balance to her fiery temper. 
Aylin also features more and she is a breath of fresh air. I love her calming presence and sense of organisation. Tali once again is in trouble and Nya is determined to look after her, I keep hoping for Tali to break out of her shell and take responsibility for herself, stand up for herself. It hasn't happened yet, but I hope it will in the third book.
There are a lot of new characters in this book and they offer a good range, I love the little street boy with his cheeky, sarcastic humour. Vyand one of the 'bad guys' is a great villain, she is one of those who appears weak but will pop up when you least expect it and take the enemy down.
The plot moves fast and had me hooked. I couldn't put the book down. It has a good mix of adventure, mystery and magic. There wasn't a minute that I was bored, my attention was hooked all the way through and it had a lot of twists and turns that I hadn't expected. 
I am really looking forward to book 3 which comes out in April, I want to see if Nya and Danello succeed. 
A great, quick read that will have you hooked.

My Rating
   

2 comments:

Lan said...

Why have I never heard of this series before? It sounds really cool. I like that the sidekick characters are well fleshed out. Normally they're what lets a book down. Gotta get my hand on the first book.

barmybex said...

I hadn't heard of it until it turned up at the library. I agree with you about the sidekicks, can be disappointing, but these are great. Hope you can get hold of them and enjoy them! :D