I recently received an ARC of INTO THE FIRE by Ashelyn Drake from Month9Books, and I have to tell you, I found it difficult to put down. Wow. What a great read! What’s it about? Take a look:
Back cover blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman’s life is a perfectly normal one until Logan Schmidt moves to Ashlan Falls. Cara is inexplicably drawn to him, but she’s not exactly complaining. Logan’s like no boy she’s ever met, and he brings out a side of Cara that she isn’t used to. As the two get closer, everything is nearly perfect, and Cara looks forward to the future.
But Cara isn’t a normal girl. She’s a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical phoenix bird, and her time is running out. Rebirth is nearing, which means she’ll forget her life up to this point—she’ll forget Logan and everything they mean to one another.. But that may be the least of Cara’s problems.
A phoenix hunter is on the loose, and he’s determined to put an end to the lives of people like Cara and her family, once and for all.
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My Review
I have to say, I love covers and this one really drew me in, but it was the blurb that made me want to read this book. I found the entire concept super cool – people who are descendants of the mythical phoenix. I was intrigued to see how the author wove this story. I was not disappointed.
The story opens with Cara’s brother going through ‘the change’ and Cara wondering what it will be like for her, in one month’s time, when she must do the same. It is heartbreaking for Cara to watch because she and her brother were very close, but he won’t remember her after he is reborn the first time. The thought of “losing” her brother and of losing her own memories is too much for her to deal with, so she resorts to ‘escape’ mode, retreating to her favorite place where she can think and come to terms with what is happening to her and her brother. There’s just one problem. There’s a new guy named Logan invading her safe zone, and he’s got a chip on his shoulder. Neither Cara or Logan want to be attracted to each other, but the phoenix ‘imprint’ is strong, and before we know it, Cara and Logan are so far involved with each other, that nothing can tear them apart – except for maybe the Hunter who wants to kill her and steal her essence. Though I suspected the ending about 2/3 of the way through the book, I still enjoyed the way the author pulled it all together, and I LOVED the last line of the book!
INTO THE FIRE is told from both Cara’s and Logan’s POV. This is great because I got to understand Logan and Cara from both in an insider’s and outsider’s perspective. Understanding both of them and their motives made it very easy to fall in love with them as a couple and continue to root for them through the entire story.
I did have some minor issues that kept me from giving the story five stars. I really wanted to understand more about these human phoenixes and how Cara and her kind came into existence. I would have liked to have seen some interaction between Logan and his father instead of being told what the relationship was. A scene here, a scene there would have done wonders for increasing tension and really feeling Logan’s suffering. There also was the whole ‘imprint’ thing. I understand what was going on, but every time I hear that term, I think of the #Twilight series. I hate reading a book only to roll my eyes and say to myself “Seriously?” I really do believe it’s time for authors to come up with a different term that doesn’t make their readers jump out of that book and think of another.
Overall, INTO THE FIRE was a quick, exciting read and I highly recommend it to those who love young adult urban romances. I will definitely be standing by to read the next book in the series.
Thank you Month9Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
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