Monday, October 31, 2016

Review: Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley


Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley
Book One of the Effigies series
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: November 22, 2016
Rating: 2 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

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?

What I Liked:

I didn't totally dislike this book, but I had several issues with it. These reviews are among the most difficult to write. On the one hand, clearly I didn't love the book. On the other hand, I didn't hate it. Am I trying to convince people to read the book? Or deter them? It's a tough call!

In this first book in a new series, Maia is an Effigy, and the whole world is about to find out. Effigies have the ability to fight phantoms, using one of the elements (fire, water, earth, air). Effigy abilities appear in a random person, and there are only four Effigies at a time, so the abilities pop up when one of the Effigies dies. Natalya, the Fire Effigy, is dead, and now Maia will take her place. But there is something sinister happening. For one, everyone thinks Natalya killed herself. But did she? And then there is Saul, who can control phantoms, and will stop at nothing to get to Maia, killing hundreds of innocent people in the process. Maia is taken to the other three Effigies, who must help her learn about being an Effigy quickly. But will it be too late for Maia?

I got a serious Ghostbusters vibe at first - and I'm talking about the new Ghostbusters movie, with Melissa McCarthy. Effigies destroy phantoms, and the phantoms can be any manner of creature, in a phantom apparition. They destroy them with their element - for example, Maia is the fire Effigy, Belle is the water Effigy, Chae Rin is the earth Effigy, and Lake is the air Effigy.

The book was interesting enough to hold my attention for the entire story, though it dragged throughout. It wasn't a long book, but it took me longer than usual, to finish. But I did finish the story, and it's not like the story was totally boring overall. I have to give the author points for creativity of story, even world-building. The setting changes often, from the U.S. to Argentina to England to France. Which was cool!

I also have to mention that this should be considered a "diverse" book! It made me extremely pleased to see a character with Caribbean roots. Because, obviously!

There is a tiny bit of romance, but it's basically not there. Maia has a crush on a boy, and the boy has a crush on Maia, but that's it. I guess we'll see more of a development in this department in future books. 

I'd continue with this series. I wasn't completely disinterested or bored, though my review as a whole might make you otherwise.

What I Did Not Like:

Ahhh, where to start. Let's start with the characters. Every single character was flat, one-dimensional, boring, and had no development throughout the story. Maybe it was just me, not connecting with anyone? But it felt like everyone's personalities and mindsets are the same from start to finish. I didn't think Maia got braver or fiercer or smarter or anything "more", as the story went on. As an Effigy, even a new one, she has a huge responsibility. I was hoping to see her moping self transform into something better... I guess that's not happening, in this book.

But all of the other characters were just as flat. The other three Effigies are critical to this story, and I'd say that Lake is the only one that I saw some little bit of change. But even her, meh. None of the characters had any depth to them, and/or I could connect with any of them.

Also worth mentioning - each of the girls was unique, but they were such stereotypes. Belle, the cold one (the b***h). Chae Rin, the rebellious crazy one. Lake, the dramatic one (pop star). And Maia, the quiet one. Stereotype, stereotype, stereotype, stereotype...

Even the romance was flat. Rhys is a Sect agent, and he protects Maia over and over. I liked Rhys, but he was so one-dimensional and perpetually perfect. You can see that he is holding something back, but every time he wants to tell Maia the thing, he gets interrupted. That was incredibly frustrating! And a bad move, on the author's part. That question goes unanswered, which it really should not have, in this book.

And then there was Maia's dialogue and inner monologue. I don't know if that's just the author's writing style, but Maia's thoughts and speech made me cringe at times. She seemed so juvenile. Yes, she's sixteen, but she seemed like an adolescent, especially given some of her speech.

I'm still confused as to how Effigies are chosen. Randomly by nature? Immediately after one Effigy dies, the abilities jump into another person? And why was Saul "special"? I do not understand that part of the story at all. I'm not understanding the big reveal around Saul, as well. I'm not understanding the source of the phantoms, why they exist, etc. The author really just did not explain anything in this book. I'm not sure if she was waiting to reveal more information in future books?

And then there was the fact that this books dragged a lot, throughout the book. It was boring sometimes, but I think it was the pacing too. Theoretically the idea of this book really appealed to me, and I kept waiting for it to "wow" me, so I kept reading. I was never wow-ed. 

Would I Recommend It:

Ehhh. If you were already interested in this book, then it's probably still worth pursuing. If you had a passing interest or not interest at all, then don't bother. If this series gets better, then it may be worth binge-reading. This wasn't the most impressive fantasy novel.

Rating:

2.5 stars -> rounded down to 2 stars. Part of the reason why I'm rounding down is because, while there were redeeming qualities, there just weren't enough of them. I could see myself reading more from this series. But probably because I need closure. Hopefully it's three books or less!


Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

22 comments:

  1. The main idea sounds really interesting, but the fact that the characters are undeveloped makes me think twice to read it. Good review :D

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    1. Yeah, the author could have done much better with the characterization. :/ Thank you!

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  2. Cliche characters and no growth? Hmmm, not sure I would enjoy this one. The setup does sound fun though with the ghostbusters vibe! This is great honest review, Alyssa, I know what you mean about reviewing books that you have mixed feelings about!

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    1. It was a little disappointing, especially after being so excited to read it!

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  3. You know what I hate? When books with great covers are disappointing. :( I don't think I'll be picking up this series - the points you have mentioned have irked me enough as it is. :(

    I'm sorry this one was a disappointment but I'm glad you didn't hate it completely.

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    1. SERIOUSLY THOUGH! The cover this book is so amazing. But the book was just not great.

      Thank you, Di!

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  4. Dang. I was hoping this one would be a good one, so I'm a little sad it was disappointing. The concept is definitely cool, but ugh, I can't with boring, flat characters and no romance. I'll skip! Thanks for taking one for the team, Alyssa.

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    1. Same here! I was reading this like... is this the same book that I was excited about reading?! I couldn't believe it.

      Ha! Thank you, Nick. ^_^

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  5. it is a tough call, because you certainly don't want to convince someone one way or the other and then them not agree with you. i have the hardest time with 3 star reviews for that reason.
    and does this cover remind you of the first book of the Percy Jackson series?! That's the first thing that came to mind for me when I saw it!
    Thanks for the honest review!
    Emily @ www.rabbitholereviews.com

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    1. At first, I gave this book three stars (hence the beginning of my review), but then I changed the rating to two stars. I really did not enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped.

      It does have a Percy Jackson vibe! :D

      You're very welcome, and thank you!

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  6. I've had an eARC of this book forever now it seems. The longer I've had it, the less desire I've had to read it and your review here doesn't make me wanna read it more. Haha! I might opt out of this one, thanks for saving me the time! Great review! :)

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    1. It's so bad how that happens - the longer you have an eARC, the less interest you retain! I have that problem too. This one really isn't worth the reading. :/

      Thank you, Cyra!

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  7. I love that cover! It sucks it wasn't a great story overall :/ A romance would probably save this book for me so it sucks to know it's barely there. I probably won't read this one. great review though!
    Genesis @ Latte Nights Reviews

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    1. It is amazing! I was pulling for this book. I think I would have given this book three stars if the romance was a bigger part of the story, but it was more annoying and barely-there than anything else. Ugh!

      Thank you, Genesis!

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  8. Yikes! Sorry you didn't care for this one. I was looking forward to this one but some of the things you mentioned (flat/stereotyped characters for one) would annoy me! Maybe I'll just borrow this from the library sometime lol. Great review though.

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    1. Borrowing from the library is a safe idea! Low on commitment. If you read this one, I hope you like it more than I did!

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  9. The cover looks very intriguing but the story reminds me of the Power Rangers. I'm sorry you didn't care much for this one. But I loved reading your review, thank you!

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    1. Ahhh, I definitely see what you mean! The cover is so great - too bad the story wasn't. Thank you, Olivia!

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  10. Aw, I'm so sad you didn't love it, it looks like a very interesting book.
    I just knew about it a few days ago, so I won't add it to my TBR.

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    1. It had my attention for so long, so trust me, I'm sad too! :/

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  11. Ugh, this book doesn't sound very good at all :\ I'm sorry you didn't like it sweetie. Hugs. <3 I don't think it would be a book for me either. And aw. No romance? RUDE, haha :) Thank you for sharing Alyssa. <3

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    1. It just wasn't great! I don't think I'll continue with the series. *sigh* Thank YOU, Carina!

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