Review: The Secret Fire by C.J. Daugherty & Carina Rozenfeld

Title: The Secret Fire.
Series: The Alchemist Chronicles, #1
Author: C.J. Daugherty & Carina Rozenfeld.
Publication Date: September 10th, 2015.
Publisher: Atom.
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 424 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

A battle against fate.
A race against time.

Taylor Montclair is a regular girl from the quiet backwater of Woodbury, England. Sacha Winters is a darkly mysterious boy from the City of Lights - Paris, France.

While Taylor is focused on her dream of attending Oxford University, school couldn't be further from Sacha's mind.. Sacha know exactly when he's going to die. He's done it before.

On the appointed day, Sacha's time will run out. And his death will fulfil an ancient destiny that could unleash chaos and catastrophe. Taylor is the only person who can save him. Neither of them know that yet. They haven't even met.

Hundreds of miles and a body of water separate them. Deadly forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart. They have eight weeks to find each other and unravel an ancient web of mystery and danger.

The clock starts now.

 

Review

Where should I start with this book? From the very first chapter of The Secret Fire, I was completely and utterly hooked. The Secret Fire is told in the dual perspective of the male and female main characters, and as I've said a hundred times before, I love books written that way. I love how invested you can get into both characters lives, and see how they interact with each other. The paranormal aspects in The Secret Fire are also really unique and fantastically done and the whole feel of the book seems really authentic and it’s beautifully written. You also switch between the Paris and England settings in The Secret Fire and at first I thought this would be a bit confusing, but it’s actually very easy to follow and keep up with.

Taylor is the female protagonist in The Secret Fire and at first I wasn't sure whether I liked her character or not. She seemed a little too reserved for my liking, but as I got further into the book you can see her character develop. She doesn't change completely, but becomes more open and you start to realise that her character isn't as uptight as she seems. One of the only problems I actually had with this book was that I thought Taylor’s character was a little bit too perfect and predictable, and although I did like her character, it irked me a little bit at how common her characteristics were. She’s a great character, don’t get me wrong, but she seemed a lot like a carbon copy of every female nerdy character in YA literature out there. There wasn't anything, aside from the paranormal aspects, that really set her apart from other characters out there - but oh well!

Sacha is the male protagonist and I adored his character! Sure he was a little immature, but I loved his snarky and sarcastic nature and the deep affection he has for his family. I also loved Sacha’s sense of humour; some of the things he came out with throughout the book had me really chuckling to myself. You could definitely tell that Sacha used humour as a defence mechanism, but I actually really liked that about him. I loved the relationship between Sacha and Taylor, their friendship develops quite quickly, and there isn't a hint of insta-love as the chemistry between the two of them builds slowly. I do wish however that there was a little bit more romance involved, I feel like there was this big build up to something and nothing really came of it in this book which was a shame, but hopefully in the next book there will be more. Mostly I just loved how their relationship wasn't the main focus of the story, but worked alongside it and intertwined with the story beautifully.

Overall, I thought The Secret Fire was an absolutely brilliant novel! If you’re looking for a fast-paced, action-packed novel filled with humour, mystery, adventure, unique paranormal aspects and so much more, I’d definitely recommend picking up this book. C.J. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld write together so wonderfully and seamlessly and between the two of them they've created a nearly flawless and amazing book that’ll have anyone on the edge of their seat. It’s impossible not to get drawn into The Secret Fire and be dragged along for the ride with the characters, trust me; you’ll be dying to find out what happens next! I really can’t wait for the release of the second book in this series, because I know it’s going to be incredible – it’s just a shame there isn't any information on it yet. Lastly, I just want to say a BIG thank you to C.J. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld for writing such a unique and fantastic book, please write more together!

Quotes

'This is how things have been as long as anyone can remember,' she'd said the day she told him of his fate. 'The family has tried everything to save the boys but each time... they die.'
Her eyes had been filled with a grief so stark, it had shaken him.
They'd been sitting on the sofa in the living room,, Sacha remembered. The same sofa that was there now, soft, brown and sagging a little in the middle. It had been his sixteenth birthday. That year she'd given him a computer game he really wanted. And a death sentence. - Page 150.

He chuckled. 'And you're just some English girl with a leaf in your hair.'
'There's a leaf in my hair?' Reaching up, she felt for the object.
'Here. Let me.' Leaning towards here, Sacha pulled the leaf from a curl carefully. Her hair felt incredibly soft beneath his fingertips. The last rays of the setting sun made each individual gold strand glitter.
'Here.' He held up the incriminating flora so she could see.
She looked self-conscious. 'My hair is so hopeless. You can probably find other things in there. Lost watches. The Bermuda Triangle. The missing link.' - Page 190.

'No, no, no,' she said, frustrated. 'I just wanted one candle. Just one.'
An odd sound from the end of the bench made her look up. Louisa was shaking with laughter.
Taylor's cheeks reddened. 'It's not funny.'
'I don't even,' Louisa gasped, hands clutching her sides, 'have any idea how you did that. You set the air on fire.'
'It was an accident,' Taylor said, but she found herself giggling, too. 'Just a tiny accident.' - Page 295.