I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A young man harboring rebellion in his heart as humanity is forced to serve under the dragon gods finds himself in a fight for his life and the lives of those he loves in author Jim Hepburn’s “Hunted by Fire”, the first book of the Fires of Innovation series.
The Synopsis
Finding one’s place is never easy.
What is fifteen-year-old Felix Deltorei supposed to do when he longs for rebellion? In his world, where the dragon Gods reign with barbaric force, such thoughts could cost him his life.
The risks have been drilled into Felix and his friends since they were children. The war between humans and the winged Gods ended with a treaty; humanity would serve them or be driven extinct. Hundreds of years later, under the watchful eyes of the Gods and their devoted followers, those same laws remain.
Felix knows he has to find his place in the world before he’s found out. Surrounded by teachers who only ever value faith, obedience, but also technological advancement, Felix strives to achieve security and a better life in the only way he knows how; with his inventive mind. However, just as he gets his chance, one of the province’s famed inquisitors arrives in town. Little does Felix know, the devastating events about to take place will risk exposing him, but they will also push him out into a journey that might mean the deaths of the ones he loves if he can’t escape in time.
The Review
This was a compelling and gritty high fantasy read for YA fans. The chilling environment that the author’s narrative encompasses takes the reader to new heights, exploring a frightful world in which the protagonists are thrust into a race of survival against impossible odds. The terror that encompasses the opening chapters as the power of the “gods” and those that serve them becomes apparent made this a gripping tale immediately.
For me, the heart of this story comes in the world-building and mythos that the story encompasses. The concept of these all-powerful forces of nature and the need for rebellion taking heart in the cast of characters made this story flow smoothly. The themes of forced conformity and religious oversight made this a thought-provoking read as well and helped elevate the fantasy elements of the story.
The Verdict
Harrowing, thoughtful, and engaging, author Jim Hepburn’s “Hunted by Fire” is a must-read YA fantasy novel that is both a great start to a brand new series and a richly developed fantasy world. The dynamics between the protagonists and the depth of their journey both together and separately made this a truly compelling fantasy world to get lost in. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Like many young men in high school cursed with a dash of creativity, Jim found a love for writing, which everybody else thought was practically useless. Those folks urged him to get good at math and science instead, and so he worked at those, but he was never sure if he could hack them out at a university level. After he graduated said university with an arts degree (where he had to read an awful lot), he wondered what other young people had gone through the same thing. It’s always been his dream to inspire young men and women to pursue STEM projects, as he thinks the world could use as many helping hands it can get and he thinks they are up to the challenge.
In other news, he grew up near Toronto, Canada and devoured any written adventure he could find, including many of the works written by Kenneth Oppel, D. J. MacHale, Christopher Paolini, and Rick Riordan. Later on, it was Jim Butcher, R.A. Salvator, Hajime Isayama, and Tsugumi Ohba who fueled him through his early adult years and to whom he associates much of his personal growth to.
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