An action packed adventure…
Lion of Fire is a chaotic, but exciting start to a series of magic and adventure.
SYNOPSIS
Riley Jordan, a college senior, goes from “least likely to succeed” to the world’s most dangerous wizard. After uncovering a plot to destroy humankind, Riley is plagued by dark visions of destruction involving an unsuspecting human girl he just met named Emma Clark, who he can’t get out of his head. Struggling to control his powers, Riley and his three best friends must portal-hop between magical realms to fight the darkness and discover the truth. Now, with graduation and Armageddon looming, Riley must face his own fears and learn how to protect those he loves before it’s too late.
An Epic Modern Fantasy…
I would consider this book to be a contemporary fantasy mixed with some epic fantasy elements because it exists in the modern world, but also in magical realms. There’s magic spells, secret passages, specialized magic. There are prophecies and hidden dangers, magical creatures, some there to help and others to harm. It’s a good balance between modern fantasy and the epic adventures of dragons and sword fighting. The world building is introduced in a way that’s easy to follow. Most of the information is given as it is introduced so you don’t have to worry about trying to figure out what’s going on or the rules of this world and its magic.
An Epic Adventure..
The hero’s journey is one of self discovery and thrilling adventure. There are a few moments of leisure where the characters are able to just coexist, enjoy a meal, have some fun but these are brief moments
MORE DETAILS
Word Count (rounded)~ ?
Page Count: 396
Genres: Magical Realism, fantasy, coming of age
because the threats around them seem unwilling to let Riley rest for too long. There was never a dull moment in the story as Riley and his friends faced threats, seeked answers, and often found themselves running for their lives and fighting to survive.
Introducing Riley, the Fire Wizard…
The main character is Riley, a wizard who about to finish college, feels lost because unlike most wizards, he has not discovered his path.
All wizards have a specific type of magic they are capable of, and there are many categories mentioned which I will mention with the other characters. I would say Riley is your standard main character, the one every story demands. He is incomplete, looking for his place in the world and the reason. He is the one you may find yourself relating too, and this always makes it more satisfying to see him grow as a person. But Riley is shocked when he realizes he is a fire wizard, the first to exist in 70 years. Riley is a bit of a rule breaker, but not in the troublemaker way. Moreover, he seems to be the kind of person who believes rules aren’t always meant to be followed and is therefore willing to bend them when needed. Of course Riley is surrounded by friends, each with their own strengths.
Riley’s Loyal Team…
First we have his roommate Logan who is a combat wizard. As I mentioned there are many types of wizards, but I don’t want to get into that because learning what they can do is part of the fun of reading fantasy. Logan is the designated trouble maker, the one not only willing, but eager to get his hands dirty, almost like it’s a rush of adrenaline for him.
Then there is his girlfriend Madeline, the healing wizard. She is the moral compass, the compassionate one, the one you would want to hide reckless actions from, but want to be there when you’re in trouble.
Riley’s final friend is Caleb, a nature wizard, and the more responsible one of the group. Caleb had less to do in the story, not in the action, but in the social interactions, but I got the sense that he’s kind of a dork, and I say that in a good way.
Then we have Emma, a human girl who ends up involved in the chaos for reasons none of the characters can figure out.
There are also other characters there to help Riley and his friends when needed which includes the Dean of the college, Duncan, another administrative member Ms. Richards, the head of security, a professor, and mostly a faculty member Mr. Black.
The reason I said the characters might feel familiar is that I feel that most stories use the same combination of characters. The main character, the moral compass, the trouble maker for comedy relief, and the intellectual character. That being said, although their personalities were all made clear, the story was so action packed that there wasn’t a lot of room to go delve deeper into their personalities so I’m hoping to get to know the characters more in book two.
My Rating…
All in all, I think this book is a great introduction to the world building. My only problems, and these are my own preference not an opinion on quality, is that I wish the story had more resting room. There was always something happening so I found myself wanting more of those simple moments where characters just get to be people and not heroes, but I know some people see those scenes as a waste of time. Also everything was explained multiple times. This I can see being extremely helpful if you’re someone who doesn’t have more time to read because it keeps you up to date, but I read the book in five days so it just felt repetitive and I started skipping everytime Riley started filling other characters in on what happened since I had just read it minutes before and didn’t need the refresher. Which is why my personal rating for this book is three stars.
The next book I’ll be reading is “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides, a psychological mystery.
Jasmin De Anda 