Friday, September 26, 2014

Firebug by Lish McBride

Series: Firebug #1
368 p.
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Published 9/23/14
Source: NetGalley and publisher for review
Ava can start fires with her mind . . . but is it a blessing or a curse? 
Ava is a firebug—she can start fires with her mind. Which would all be well and good if she weren't caught in a deadly contract with the Coterie, a magical mafia. She's one of their main hit men . . . and she doesn't like it one bit. Not least because her mother's death was ordered by Venus—who is now her boss. 
When Venus asks Ava to kill a family friend, Ava rebels. She knows very well that you can't say no to the Coterie and expect to get away with it, though, so she and her friends hit the road, trying desperately to think of a way out of the mess they find themselves in. Preferably keeping the murder to a minimum.
My thoughts:

I've enjoyed Lish McBride's writing and sense of humor, so naturally when I had a chance to read this book I jumped at it. I was not disappointed. She writes her characters well and there was no exception to that rule in this book. I loved all the characters except Venus. However, I'd have to be some nut to like her. :)

I have to admit I wasn't sure I would like the plot. Ava has been "hired" (more like conscripted) into a mafia like magical fairy hierarchy in which she plays the assassin. I wasn't sure of this plot until Ava rebels when put on the spot to assassinate a family friend. She is extremely protective of her made family. This really tightened up the relationships and my worry about how they would get out of their predicament. I still ended up with a couple of questions about the plot, but nothing at all to douse my enjoyment of the book.

I give this book 4 stars. Those that love a good romance within the pages might be disappointed but be aware that there is so much potential. I recommend this book to those who love snark, humor and YA UF.

24 comments:

  1. Like you, I'm a pretty big fan of Lish's sense of humor so I bought a copy of this as soon as it was released. I'm glad it worked out great for you, I honestly had no idea what to expect. But I think I'm going to enjoy it, too.

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  2. It's nice that even if you weren't sure about the plot everything was finally ok. Maybe I should try it.

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  3. I liked this one -- was a bit surprised by the story, which is a good thing, IMO. The snark was good, the premise was intriguing...not a bad read at all!

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  4. Firebugs, a magical mafia and an author who writes with humour? I'm loving the sound of this.

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  5. I've been looking forward to reading your review of this one ever since you mentioned liking it on my new releases post on Tuesday. And, now I KNOW that it deserves a home on my TBR pile. Thanks! :D

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  6. I was just looking at this one. I don't mind lack of romance when there's a good story.
    I love snarky humor in my books so it sounds like this is one for my wish list :)

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  7. She really does fantastic characters, doesn't she? I adore their snark and wit. I enjoyed this one a lot too!

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  8. I haven't heard too much about this so it wasn't really on my radar until now. Glad to see the plot of this worked out for you despite the fact you had your reservations--I'll definitely have to re-think this one myself. Wonderful review, Melissa! :)

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  9. " I'd have to be some nut to like her."

    Then that means I'll probably love her. lol. This sounds good1

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  10. LOL! Well... I do think there will be one eventually...

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  11. Ahh I so wouldn't have even thought of this one but that sounds pretty entertaining. The magic mafia totally caught my eye and an author that can do humor/snark well. Love that.

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  12. You had me at snark & humor so I'll be picking this one up soon.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  13. You had me at a good romance. Thanks for the great review.

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  14. yeah the plot sounds...different...very different..

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