Customer Reviews

The Girl Born of Smoke

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A Girl Born of Smoke starts off with an young girl, Aurora, running from a mysterious man and finding sanctuary with two strangers. After I read the first few chapters, I thought I knew what was going on, but I was wrong. Jessica Billings spins a tale that takes you through fascinating and unexpected twists and turns that truly leave you guessing about what is going to happen next. The moment you think you know who the good guys are, you will find yourself proven wrong in the next paragraph. I managed to catch on to some of the twists, but one took me by surprise and had me eagerly reading more.

Beyond the well-crafted story line, the characters are diverse and distinctive and a pleasure to get to know as the story progresses.

This is an excellent first novel of a new author who I hope will be writing more.

Right from the very beginning, we have a sense that there is something different about this girl Aurora, who is beating a hasty retreat from her home, with no sense at that point of where she is going.

As if by fate, Aurora connects with an odd couple who seem to revel mostly in their differences, who just happen to be sojourning in Aurora's former neighborhood. Soon, they are prepared to bring her to their home, far away, and help her establish a new life.

Establish she does! When she settles into her new home, she connects with some interesting people, the most significant of whom is Djerr, someone who will join her in the Citizen's Army, which has been locked in battle with the Wizard's Army. The Wizard's Army is not, at this stage, composed of Wizards, but rather by people who await the arrival of the new wizard, with the intention of serving that wizard, whose destiny is to bring peace and order to a beleaguered, war-torn land. Little do the faithful realize that the wizard they seek is in their midst!

Billings writes a crafty tale that will surprise readers with many twists and turns. Aurora is a strong enough character to withstand some rather dark aspects of her personality that make her more real, more human, than most protagonists.

The Girl Born of Smoke should be on your bookshelf today! Thanks for an entertaining read Jessica!

Jim Henry

"The Girl Born of Smoke" appears to be, at first glance, a simple tale of journey and self discovery. However, to under-estimate the story is to over-estimate yourelf. Everytime I thought I had the tale figured out, author Jessica Billings turned it around and went off some new direction, daring me to guess again. Who is a hero and who is a villain is a continual question not answered at length until the very end.

Written in inviting prose and populated with living, vibrant characters, the author tempts the reader to turn the page and continue on regardless of the hour or the day. Don't start this book unless you've the proper time to lose yourself in its pages. And remember--you might *think" you know what's going on, but you probably don't.

This book starts out with a lone girl, Aurora, leaving her home town. Along the way, she comes across a man and woman who take her back to their home to raise her as their daughter. While there, she befriends a boy, Djerr, who is an absolute sweetheart. The boys tells her of the time when there were wizards in the world, but the wizards were hated by some people who fought to exterminate them all. Legend has it that another wizard will one day come.

Except, this is more than a legend, and two armies are willing to stake their lives on it. One army will fight to defend the wizard while the other seeks to kill the wizard. Aurora discovers that she is the wizard. Not only that, but things aren't necessarily as they seem and it's up to her to figure out the truth from what everyone's been led to believe.

I really enjoyed this book. The twists and turns the author took me on were amazing. Just when I thought I had one person or situation figured out, the author threw me for a loop! I had a hard time knowing who I could trust and who I couldn't--and at times that included the main character! This fantasy also had a clean romance, and the author explained aspects of how magic was possible on this world which I often hear fantasy readers wishing were in more fantasy novels. The book was well written and the blend between dialogue, action, and description was expertly done. I think people who are looking for a fantasy with an epic feel to it will be delighted with this book.

This book was previously reviewed at RedAdeptReviews.com
Plot/Storyline: 5 Stars
"Thin tendrils of smoke rose up from the blackened ruins, twisting and coiling in the still air." The first sentence of Ms. Billings' book immediately brought to mind a picture of a burned out building shell. I am a, "why did this happen?" kind of person, so I was immediately hooked. I wanted to know why there was a fire. Why did the townspeople just stand by as her home burned to ruins? Why was no one helping her?
The answers to these questions came gradually through the book as the author allowed Aurora's story to unfold. Bits and pieces of her old life came to light as she interacted with the people in her new life after the fire.
I liked the lore behind the "Why were there no more wizards in the land". Aurora's travels with both armies for the upcoming battle allow her to grow and understand the futilities facing both sides. She struggled against admitting she was the gifted wizard everyone in the land was waiting for, while seeing that a change in the way the world operated was needed.
I don't want to say much more because I feel it would be along the lines of a spoiler, but I will say that I enjoyed the climactic "battle" between Aurora and the "Bad Guy" that decided the fate of the world as she knew it.
Characters: 5 Stars
I'm a mom of three teenagers, and a massive worry-wart. From the very beginning of the story, I worried about Aurora. A young girl alone in the world, no one to care for her, my heart went out to her. As the story progressed and Aurora faced the challenges of her life, I grew proud of her just like I would of my own children. When she faced her past, I wanted to hold her in my arms to comfort her as she cried. When Aurora faced her enemy, I wanted to cheer for her.
Roxanne & Kirian were the couple who took Aurora in and cared for her after her home burned down. They bickered a lot, but I felt that this lent credibility to their "reality." When they ended up on opposing sides of the conflict, it was believable because they were each following their own moralities.
Early on in the friendship between Aurora and Djerr it was obvious that he liked her as more than just a best friend. He stuck by her side beyond what friendship accounted for, following wherever she decided to go. He wasn't a lapdog though, and had opinions and thoughts of his own.
As Aurora's "dream wizard" trainer, Rupert helped Aurora reach her full potential. He pushed her beyond what she thought she could do. He did not coddle her, but he also didn't deny her abilities or tell her that she was worse than she was. When Aurora did something no other wizard had ever done, he freely admitted that no other wizard could have done what she did.
Writing Style: 5 Stars
As I read The Girl Born of Smoke, I fell deeply into the land, time, descriptions, and people of the story. The descriptions were vivid enough to give me a good "feel" for things, and yet not so extremely detailed that there was nothing left to my imagination (unlike Jean M. Auel). The language and dialog flowed perfectly for the story, and the byplay between the characters was believable. I felt that Ms. Billings did a good job of having things happen throughout the book rather than just telling me that things had happened.

Girl Born of Smoke and Fire is a good adventure with elements of Sword and Sorcery.
There is just the right amount of mystery around the main character to make you want
to keep reading. My husband read me the preview chapter and I was hooked.

This was a very well written book that kept me questioning the very fabric of the storyline. I think I know what's happening and then everything turns about with a wonderful expressiveness that few authors have the ability to manage.
The story features a lone girl named Aurora who befriends a boy and finds out about an unknown world of magic and wizards. Her journey of self-discovery and awareness gave me a great journey of my own into a new and fantastical world.
As a magician, I thoroughly enjoyed the magical aspects that the author managed to express with great word-play and a nice style. I wonder if her background includes experience in magic, because she certainly writes as though she has.
This was one of those full-evening reads and I was unable to put it down till I finished it. That hasn't happened in a while... till now.

Readers and fans of the magical will enjoy this tale as we follow the lead character in her journey to not only find out who and she will ultimately is but also as she struggles to find a place. Searching for best friend who has been mistaken to be a wizard, she also must discover if there is a place in his life for her at the end.

Magic users, wizards, vying armies seeking her...all very wonderful components to this story that will have you turning each page in anticipation. Never a dull moment in a well-crafted story.