Judy's Reviews > Cursed by Fire

I have admitted before that I am a sucker for a good cover. Add that to an interesting blurb in one of my favorite genres and I am all over a book. It wasn't until I started putting together this post that I realized the book was self-published. That's right, totally didn't catch it. The editing was that tight. I was in for a bigger shock when I saw on Amazon that the author was none other than a blogger that I follow for their weekly discussion: Coffee Shop Talk.

The story is set in an alternate world. One where shifters, vampires, fae and other creatures of the night decided to come out of hiding. In the six years since that happened, the world has changed. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain, and many it seems aren't happy about it.

The main character, Aria, is what's called a pysker. Her particular talent is pyrokinesis - think Firestarter, but all grown up. She is a mercenary, working for a small firm when the story opens. She was hired to find a small boy, thought kidnapped from home. When she finds him with his throat slashed, and his small body mauled, Aria wants to hunt down the Rogue that did it to him. When it turns out that the boy was a shifter, fear of war between the Shifters and Vamps becomes a frightening possibility. Even though her father has trained Aria to always hide what and who she is, she finds herself taking a stand and ultimately choosing sides.

Though the book didn't end on a cliffhanger, it did end with a note of suspense and set up some hard questions and situations for the next book - which I really want to read. This was a magnificent start to a world that I can't wait to find out more about. Especially for a rookie author on a first time book.

I saw quite a bit of parallels and influence from the Kate Daniel's world. It's not a copy cat story just set in another city/state. But with the similarities, it made me feel comfortable right away - like visiting a distant relative and finding familial traits to bond over. Ultimately, for me this was a 4 star read.

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the chance to review the book.