Book Review - Trial by Fire

Trial by Fire

Author: Josephine Angelini

Series: The Worldwalker Trilogy #1

Genres: Paranormal, Witches | Young Adult

Release August 28th 2014

Publishers: Macmillan Children's Books

No. Pages: 384

Source: Review Copy - Macmillan Children's Books

Rating: 

Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

But how can Lily be the saviour of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

Trial by Fire is Josephine Angelini's, the author of the Starcrossed series, new book. And what one hell of a start to series it was. I'm a little ashamed, I didn't actually hear about this book till a few months ago, I was a big fan of her Starcrossed series, I loved how unique it was and found myself pleasantly surprised at how engrossed and hooked I was by the story line. Mythology isn't a genre that I've found myself having a problem with, however Greek Mythology was one that I hadn't really tried and was a bit unsure, but everyone was talking about Strosessed and how great the characters, story building and relationships, be it romantic or friendship or family, were portrayed in the trilogy. I took a shot with it and was glad that it payed of. I was left with a story that pulled on my hear strings and made me smile and though it is only the first book in the series, I'm happy to say that she has yet again made a story in Trial by Fire that I can sink my teeth in to.

At the first glance Trial by Fire seems like your avenge YA paranormal book, with a story line that is overdone and recycled. But just like her series Starcrossed, Josephine Angelini managed to find an idea and turn it into her own, making it different and exciting, she's managed to make characters we can relate to, despite the craziness of their life, relationship that we have similar experiences too or will one point in our life face, and friendship that we can only hope of having one day. 

As the summary suggest, Lily Proctor with her life-threatening allergies, doesn't have much of life. She can't go out and enjoy things that we would normally take for granted and the kids at school aren't accepting of it. Tristan is her one true friend, the one person she can be herself around out side of her family and the only other person who understand her, and he just so happens to be her long term crush. She has had to watch from the sidelines as he breaks heart after heart, but one night everything changes and things are finally looking up. Lily goes to a party with him, hoping that it will finally be the start of something new, but the other kids are cruel and she's left feeling more alone than ever, for the first time in years without the comfort of her best friend.  So when she's at home, wishing for a way out and Lillian, the cruel crucible from a very different Salem offers her one, does she take it? of course. But she doesn't know exactly know what she's agreeing to, thinking it was just her voice she was hearing in her head. Why I hear you ask? because Lillian is the darker more extreme side of Lily, and things are going to change forever.

I was pretty hooked from the start, I was desperate to read what was going to happen between Tristan and Lily and to find out why things changed, I was rooting for the relationship while at the same time cursing him, and this was all in the first few chapters. The minuet Lily stepped into the new Salem and we met Lillian, I knew this book was going to be a keeper. I loved both versions of herself, I liked the shy and timid Lily and the strong minded Lillian, but most of all I loved how she, like most others, had a deeper motive for all the bad things she's done. I loved how the new Tristan wasn't that different from the old, he was still the caring and gently Tristan and from what I gather he still liked the women (just maybe didn't break so many hearts haha). And Rowan... how do I sum him up? he wasn't perfect, he wasn't always nice by damn did I love him. 

This book wasn't without it's flaws, at time's I hated that there was a the 'I'm falling for you, but I shouldn't so I'm going to deny it only to try and shut you out but in the end draw you in more only to once again close of to you' yeah... it wasn't for me. But still, I couldn't help but feel like I NEEDED them to finally shut up and just get it on LOL. It didn't annoy me to the point I no longer liked them which is good. At times I felt like too little was actually explained about the new Salem, but given that it is a series I'm hoping it will be explained over time. I know this book was mainly about training up Lily and the relationship she had with Tristan and Rowan, so it's not a grudge I hold, I just might have been nice to know a bit more than we did.

I have a lot of favorite things about this book, I loved the willstones and the personal meaning that they carried as well as the power, I love the character development and how the relationship of any description built over time and most of all I just love the world Josephine Angelini created. All in all the book was far better than I expected, it has all the things you loved from her previous series (without the story line of course) and she has yet again managed to write a story that people are going to be talking about for a long time. Only thing I hate? having to wait till the next one comes out, I'll just go sit in a concern trying not to pull my hair out haha