7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
(4.5) "If memories were coins, I'd die a rich woman.", July 24, 2009
This review is from: Wildfire: A Novel (Hardcover)
When we last saw Firethorn, she had resolved to follow Sire Galan to war rather than retreat to the country house he had provided her. As _Wildfire_ opens, she does just that. But the gods aren't finished with Firethorn yet. Before she reaches the city of Lanx, where she will be reunited with Galan, Firethorn is struck by lightning.
She survives, but not unscathed. Firethorn comes away from the incident with several ailments, most notably aphasia. She often says one word when she means another. What I found most interesting about her speech disorder is that it sometimes reveals uncomfortable truths, such as when she accidentally refers to the bloodthirsty Queen Mother, whose name is Caelum, as "Callous."
Firethorn does reunite with Galan, but their time together is short. She falls into the custody of Prince Corvus, who is fleeing into exile in the neighboring country of Lambanein. He finds Firethorn's prophetic dreams useful and takes her along. In the treacherous mountains that separate the two kingdoms, and later in Lambanein as a servant, she faces new dangers and the continued meddling of the gods.
If _Firethorn_ was the story of Firethorn and Sire Galan, _Wildfire_ is Firethorn's story alone. Throughout the novel, her quest is to discover what the gods want with her, and what sort of person she should strive to become. We follow her as she tries to help others, bargains with gods, and sometimes loses her way.
Like _Firethorn_, _Wildfire_ is not for the faint of heart. It's gritty, often gruesome. There's one scene in particular, right at the end, that I hope fades from my memory soon! However, I found _Wildfire_ rewarding. I enjoyed the beautiful writing and the heroine's personal journey. As the novel ends, Firethorn has a renewed sense of purpose, but I know there will be more twists and turns ahead for her in the third book. I'm looking forward to reading it, and hoping there's some peace or contentment at the end of Firethorn's road.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Firethorn and Wildfire -- my favorite books EVER!!, August 7, 2009
This review is from: Wildfire: A Novel (Hardcover)
I'm not great at reviewing books, and some of the other reviewers here have done a much better job, but I'll give it a try since there are so few reviews of this book thus far. Like everyone else who loved Firethorne, I waited five long years for the sequel -- I absolutely loved Firethorn and I can't believe it was Sarah Micklem's first book. Wildfire was definitely worth waiting for -- a long lasting and luxurious read. Now I can't wait for the third and final book, but if it takes her another five years to write another novel this wonderful, like Firethorne I will find the strength and patience to endure! (And I hope it's just as long or even longer -- I don't want this series to end!) And I plan to reread Firethorn and Wildfire in anticipation of it's release. I always wondered and imagined what life must have been like for a woman living in medieval times and I wondered how a woman could have possibly survived if she wasn't born rich or entitled, "dark" and "gritty" don't even begin to describe how awful and hard it must have been, and I think the story of Firethorne's life explains how it could have been endured -- it seems likely that back then people must have burned much more brightly in the short amount of time that they had on this earth. I'm an older fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and to me Firethorne and Wildfire are the first fantasy novels that have even come close to duplicating that kind of far-ranging adventure. Now if we could just convince Peter Jackson to produce the film version . . .
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wildfire, August 1, 2009
This review is from: Wildfire: A Novel (Hardcover)
One thing for sure about Sarah Micklem, she does not write a predictable story. Not one page, paragraph or sentence. It's as if her fingers take over and then say 'ok Sarah, write yourself out of this plotline'. This second book takes a completely different path about 1/3 of the way in. Perhaps it is because I am not usually a reader of sci/fi / fantasy books that I did not find about 2/3 of the story as interesting as I did the first book "Firethorn" since it dealt more in a sci/fi / fantasy world than Firethorn did. I'm sure I would not have continued reading the book if it had been a stand alone book and if not for wanting to know what was going to happen with a certain relationship (I don't want to give anything away). Also, Sarah Micklem's writing did not let down. It was her excellent/skilled writing that kept me turning the pages. The last 60 pages had me riveted -- it's like all that middle stuff was setup for this. I just wish the middle stuff had been more interesting to me. I do plan to read the final book in the trilogy.
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