Pages: 202
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy, Supernatural, Mystery
Release Date: January 28, 2015 | Amazon
Edition: Kindle
Source: Author
Rating:
It has been six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still tenuous at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the city and the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it seems.
Aria Naveed has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many wrongs of the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren't as weak as they appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races combined.
When a stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.
I honestly had no clue as to what to expect when it came to Cursed By Fire. I knew that it wasn't a story that I would necessarily pick up myself, but I definitely deserve a pat on the back for stepping outside of my comfort zone, and being able to enjoy a book that I'd normally wouldn't take a second glance at. Now I know what you're thinking, " You enjoyed this book, but yet you rated it 2 stars? " Well . . . Sorta. There were many downsides to this book for me, but with the story being quite fast paced, I must say I was surprisingly entertained . . . sorta.
What if Twilight & The Fantastic Four Had A Baby?
A 7 year old boy is found dead. Mutilated it seems, by a Vampire.
Aria Naveed, a mercenary for the organization Sanborn Place is assigned the job of finding out the WHO, WHAT, & WHY's of the situation. Her boss Mike plays the " inside " position, getting information on possible leads and or parties, while Aria is partnered with her good friend James, a shifter from Clan Wolf of the Pacific Northwest Pack. Together this duo will take down all supernatural beings involved . . . right? I mean come on, you have this beast of a wolf, matched with Aria who's a Psyker, a human born with Psychokinetic powers, so as a team they should be pretty badass . . . right?
Again . . . sorta.
A 7 year old boy is found dead. Mutilated it seems, by a Vampire.
Aria Naveed, a mercenary for the organization Sanborn Place is assigned the job of finding out the WHO, WHAT, & WHY's of the situation. Her boss Mike plays the " inside " position, getting information on possible leads and or parties, while Aria is partnered with her good friend James, a shifter from Clan Wolf of the Pacific Northwest Pack. Together this duo will take down all supernatural beings involved . . . right? I mean come on, you have this beast of a wolf, matched with Aria who's a Psyker, a human born with Psychokinetic powers, so as a team they should be pretty badass . . . right?
Again . . . sorta.
As soon as I started this book I knew it was going to be either a hit or miss for me. I don't typically read Urban Fantasy . . . at all, but I figured this would be a great way for me to get my feet wet in the genre. I'm still a bit conflicted on my feelings and thoughts towards this book, so I figured a short list of likes and dislikes would break everything down, while keeping things short and sweet.
What Kept Me Going
The Pacing. If it's one thing us readers love, it's a book that's a short read. Chapter one sets the pace for the rest of the story as we're quickly thrown into the investigation of a murder, followed by a few plot twists.
The Concept. I'm not the biggest fan of Urban Fantasy, well to be honest I haven't read much of the genre, but I was surprisingly intrigued by Cursed By Fire's concept. Multiply murders, aspects of forensics, my favorite supernatural beings, (Vampires and Werewolves) the action, (even though there wasn't enough) all these components kept the DNF monster from coming out to play.
Aria's Powers. I used to love watching The Fantastic Four as a kid, and when I discovered Aria was Psychokinetic, I was so excited! Her ability wasn't as cool as The Human Torch, (no one can touch the infamous " Flame On! ") but when angered, flames begin to trickle her skin, then WHOOSH, next thing you know she's a walking candlestick.
What Stopped Me In My Tracks
The Characters. There wasn't much depth to any of the characters, making it very hard to connect with them. I liked James and Aria's playful friendship, but other than that, there wasn't really anything to remember about them or anyone else.
The Love Triangle? This was my biggest " Huh? " moment of the story. Some random guy pops up out of nowhere, and all of sudden he's a potential interest. Then next a friend starts showing his affection towards Aria, that you pretty much see coming from a mile away. It was just all a bit much.
Lacked Substance Out of all the issues I had with this story, this would be the one that nagged me the most. Even though I liked how fast paced the story was, NOTHING actually happened. I remember reaching the end of the book, and thinking, " Wait what? " So I checked the percentage I was at, and sure enough it said 100%. It seriously felt as if the book stopped dead smack in the middle of the story. Nothing was resolved, no questions were answered, and even though I know the author is setting things up for the sequel, I still think some aspects of the story could have been better developed. Another thing that was lacking in my opinion was the action. With this kind of story, you know that there's going to be some type of ass kicking, and to my disappointment, there wasn't much. Three action scenes is all we received, one where Aria was attacked, another where she used her powers, and finally a incident towards the end of the story, but unfortunately, they lacked depth as well, and ended up being flat.
The Pacing. If it's one thing us readers love, it's a book that's a short read. Chapter one sets the pace for the rest of the story as we're quickly thrown into the investigation of a murder, followed by a few plot twists.
The Concept. I'm not the biggest fan of Urban Fantasy, well to be honest I haven't read much of the genre, but I was surprisingly intrigued by Cursed By Fire's concept. Multiply murders, aspects of forensics, my favorite supernatural beings, (Vampires and Werewolves) the action, (even though there wasn't enough) all these components kept the DNF monster from coming out to play.
Aria's Powers. I used to love watching The Fantastic Four as a kid, and when I discovered Aria was Psychokinetic, I was so excited! Her ability wasn't as cool as The Human Torch, (no one can touch the infamous " Flame On! ") but when angered, flames begin to trickle her skin, then WHOOSH, next thing you know she's a walking candlestick.
What Stopped Me In My Tracks
The Characters. There wasn't much depth to any of the characters, making it very hard to connect with them. I liked James and Aria's playful friendship, but other than that, there wasn't really anything to remember about them or anyone else.
The Love Triangle? This was my biggest " Huh? " moment of the story. Some random guy pops up out of nowhere, and all of sudden he's a potential interest. Then next a friend starts showing his affection towards Aria, that you pretty much see coming from a mile away. It was just all a bit much.
Lacked Substance Out of all the issues I had with this story, this would be the one that nagged me the most. Even though I liked how fast paced the story was, NOTHING actually happened. I remember reaching the end of the book, and thinking, " Wait what? " So I checked the percentage I was at, and sure enough it said 100%. It seriously felt as if the book stopped dead smack in the middle of the story. Nothing was resolved, no questions were answered, and even though I know the author is setting things up for the sequel, I still think some aspects of the story could have been better developed. Another thing that was lacking in my opinion was the action. With this kind of story, you know that there's going to be some type of ass kicking, and to my disappointment, there wasn't much. Three action scenes is all we received, one where Aria was attacked, another where she used her powers, and finally a incident towards the end of the story, but unfortunately, they lacked depth as well, and ended up being flat.
Cursed By Fire may appeal to those who are fond of this genre, but it didn't entirely work me. If certain things were elaborated on a bit more, the characters & plot better developed, then maybe I would've had more of a pleasureable experience. But even after rating it only 2 stars, I'm still kind of intrigued to see what goes down in the second novel. I just have this strong feeling that what I didn't enjoy in book one, book two may redeem for me.
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