Book Review: The Fire Thief (The Fire Thief #1)

The Fire Thief
Erin St. Pierre and Gwynn White
5/5

Overview

I surprisingly loved this book and I'm shocked that more people aren't into it. I know that fae are all the rage these days, so maybe it should be advertised as more of a fae thing? It felt a lot like Throne of Glass before all the confusion that made me stop reading that series, so I think it has a lot of potential. Basically, Stasha is an orphan controlled by a psycho religion, works for way below minimum wage and has to make extra income via betting and fighting in a pit. The fae are introduced, she tries to reject them and finds it unavoidable, but she sticks to her morals and never gives up on her friends.

Stasha is the perfect heroine to me, she's smart, she's strong, and she knows her weaknesses. YA/NA books (I don't know which this falls under if either) tend to have their "feisty heroine" fall onto some spectrum of stupid yet special. Stasha makes some stupid choices, but she redeems herself in my eyes and I can't wait to see where her powers go and who she becomes. Also Boadicea??? I love the history of Boudicca, and a super strong Queen like Boadicea is my favorite kind of character.

(Spoiler) I spent the entire book thinking that Klaus would be dying for character growth on her part. I hate it when books fall to this cliche, it's understandable and I can see how easy it is, but I'm looking forward to who he becomes as a character as well. I love their friendship and I really hope that Stasha doesn't end up being roasted by Boa or Averin. (End Spoiler)

The romance is kind of a slow-burn thing, it hasn't culminated yet. There's obvious chemistry (his literal words) between Averin and Stasha, which you expect from the description, but there are also little warning signs that might implode in the next book. For now though, it's clean and cute and hopefully wholesome.

Would I Recommend?

Yes! It's an amazing find on Kindle Unlimited, well-written and well-structured. There are obviously flaws in the progression that I might find a problem with in a more popular and mainstream series, but it's the first book in a series and has a lot of potential. Can't wait to read the sequel!