Bookfever: Blog Tour ~ Review: Shadow Fire by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Title: Shadow Fire
Author: Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Series: The Light Chronicles #1
Publication: February 24th 2014 by Astraea Press
Genre: Young Adult ~ Fantasy ~ Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Cover Rating: 3/5
Overall Rating: 3/5

Ashlyn – a free-spirited teenager whose peaceful life is shattered when the village elders honor her with a perilous quest to recover a stolen relic.

Zane – a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark secret that could make her hate him forever.

Delistaire – a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.
All three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power of a Goddess.

Shadow Fire - adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal

As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of the evil lurking in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond strengthens. But will they find the relic before Delistaire? Or has their entire quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman in pursuit of ultimate power?

I'm not gonna lie — I kind of had a hard time finishing Shadow Fire I did enjoy it for the most part but around 30% it started dragging a bit for me. It seemed there was no ending in sight. I am glad, though, that I did manage to finish it in the end.

What's this book about? The village of Verdane chooses every five years a teenage girl who must go on an epic quest to find a stolen relic. Though the girls who get chosen always end up dead, they don't have a choice. This year they choose Ashlyn. Together with Zane, a tough but sexy mercenary she goes on a daring adventure to find the Goddess statue before the evil sorcerer Delistaire can get his hands on it. Along the way they meet several allies ( some mean well, others not so much), monsters and even magical creatures involved that can imprint imagines into your mind to communicate. Oh and there's kissing. A lot of kissing!

Overall this was a good read but with some flaws. I liked the heroine in this book, for sure. Ashlyn was like a fantasy version of Katniss Everdeen in my eyes. She started out as a fierce character and kept that attitude for the most part of the book but sometimes that fierceness faded a bit, especially when other men (in other words: Zane) had to keep saving her. So those times were a little disappointing.

Zane, the mercenary coming to Ashlyn's aide on her quest for a magical relic that can't fall in the wrong hands. It's hard not to love Zane. He's a very swoon worthy and I can definitely see why Ashlyn fell for him. My only minor point for their relationship was that it went so very fast. I'm not one for insta-love, though I can't quite say that's what happened. There was definitely insta-attraction, so I'll leave it at that.

The quest was very interesting and long. I found myself enjoying everything Ashlyn and Zane were up against. The monsters were very fearsome, I have to admit. And I really loved Shadow (wolf) and Freya (griffin). They also met some other people but the one standing out the most to me was the pirate Taranis. He was simply awesome. And I loved that he ended up with someone as well!

Now, about the writing. It was really colorful, in my opinion. I love the way the author described the world and it was descriptive too, which I love. I only had a problem with the language used in it. It didn't seem to fit with the time of this book, though I'm not sure if this is supposed to be set in the past. It does have a medieval feel about it and it is a fantasy book so I'm guessing that it is, and some words used didn't really fit. I can be totally wrong about this of course but I've seen other people saying similar things about it. But other than that I really did like the writing because it was quite good.

All in all, Shadow Fire was a pretty good read with great writing, fierce characters and magic at every turn. Though it had a few flaws and was maybe a tad too long for me, I did like it and am glad to have read it. I'd recommend it to people who love fantasy.

Favorite Quote:

"Hey, Zane," I whisper, "shouldn't the flag on the crow's nest be a skull or something intimidating, not a dolphin?"
"I think it's supposed to be a shark," he whispers back.
"Well then it's the least menacing shark I've ever seen," I reply giggling.

About the Author:

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Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance and is a member of Romance Writers of America.

She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs and four cats. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. Her house is filled with dragons, though she does lament that they are the porcelain, non-flying variety.

Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!)

Her debut novel, Shadow Fire, is the first book in the Light Chronicles series. Watch for book two, Stolen Moon, a standalone sequel, coming August 2014.