This series is so overlooked and is so amazing. The writing is good, the plot is well paced, the characters are wonderful.... Witch stories, world-jumping, and science all in one I love it ( )

DNF'd
this is putting me to sleep! nothing seems to be happening and I'm quite bored by this "everyday life" routine. not what I wanted for this sequel.

Okay, here goes.... There was ALOT of action and romance in this one- but that makes the betrayal all the worse. Please stop reading if you don't want to know or plan on reading this one. If you have seen any of my other tirades on the "love triangle" in YA novels, this one didn't/doesn't really bother me as much, but I still noticed it.[sigh, urgh]

Now because of the betrayal {I'm really trying not to discuss who or how} I hope that the perpetrator isn't just simply forgiven in the third part-- aw forget it....


SPOILERS AHEAD



Seriously stop reading.....you have been warned....


After putting all her trust in him [though yes, she kept/keeps things from him- though he does the same thing-- being stone kin with Alaric- realy?!?], and he STILL sees her as Lillian and NOT Lily.. URGH!!! And I'll be honest, he was so "hurt" that she thought he was Carrick, when he is actually WORSE than Carrick- Carrick has been completely truthful in his motivations- power, he'll use whatever he can to get that power. Rowan misused Lilly's openness and love for him - to trap her. He was going to let her die in that cage... and now that the one who loved her for just her being her, might be dead-- I'm hoping not, but who knows. I really hope that Ms. Angelini doesn't just do the "well, I understand you just wanted to protect your people, so it's okay and besides we're now up against a bigger villain."
She does pose the question of who a real villain is, and does the end really justify the means.. interesting premise-- I just hope the story doesn't become rote in its ending. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Parallel worlds, parallel characters allow for an exciting series of events.

Opening Sentence: Lily lay floating on a raft of pain.

The Review:

Josephine Angelini’s Firewalker doesn’t follow many standards when it comes to fantasy, or even science fiction. While Firewalker is mostly categorized as fantasy, there are many elements of science, or even science fiction. After devouring Trial by Fire, the first in the Worldwalker series, I couldn’t wait.

In Firewalker, Lily is back in her own world. Luckily, Rowan is there to heal her from the effects of his own world. Eventually, Lily and Lilian continue to converse between worlds, which allow Lily to see how others view her. But Lily finds herself wanting to learn and know more from Lillian — to prevent from following down the same path. Decisions catapult a series of events that bring the two worlds together. And in the end, it will leave your heart pumping.

There are relationships between characters that I could do without. I am not a huge fan of angst, or anything that relates to it. Personal taste prevents me from enjoying that aspect of Firewalker. All of the characters have a connection, that allows for the story to be more personal. It allowed me to connect with more than one character, while valuing them individually. It did take me a bit of time to refamiliarize myself with the characters. Naturally, I was worried about reaching a stalemate with the characters, but I felt a renewed fondness for a few, and a surprising excitement for others.

With everything that has gone on (without revealing spoilers), it took a bit to separate one world versus the other. Details of fantasy overrule the elements of science. Where I felt that one was taking over, Angelini eventually melds the two together to bring an interesting and unique element to the story. The characters grow, but in Firewalker, I really got a chance to get to know Lilian.

The world building in Firewalker is wonderful. Not only do we have a parallel universe, we also have elements of a present-day setting as well as a fantasy setting. It isn’t too often where I run into something similar. It allowed for comparisons, giving me the chance to truly favor one thing over the other. It helped me connect to the characters, their cause, and the series of events that take place.

There are many revelations in the plot that make for an intense story. It seemed like the intensity grew with each chapter. Angelini did a great job pacing the story, never rushing a scene, or causing the momentum to slow down. I will say that there were a few elements that I’d rather do without, but overall I enjoyed Firewalker.

Notable Scene:

“What the hell just happened?” Tristan shouted. Great trenches were dug in the snow, and deep tracks led into the darkness.

“Lily, are you okay?” Una said. Lily realized she’d collapsed, and Una and Juliet were trying to lift her off the ground. Una looked up at Tristan, Breakfast, and Samantha, standing over them. “Holy shit, did you see that?” she asked, breathless.

Juliet frowned, but said nothing.

“I saw it,” Breakfast said. “They were glowing.”

Tristan crouched down next to Lily, his face grim. “Where have you really been for the past two and a half months?”

FTC Advisory: Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan provided me with a copy of Firewalker. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Firewalker, by Josephine Angelini, was not as good as the first book was. I thought it was sad how the author messed up Lily's life in her world. She can't ever go back, but that means she can't see her real family again. I also don't like how she just escaped some other parallel universe, but then goes right back to it and can never return home again. Her best friend Tristan comes back into the picture. There's tension between Tristan and Rowan, which creates that typical love triangle. I don't like how Rowan betrays Lily, so I start to root for Tristan. Right when I start to actually like Tristan's character he dies. I feel like killing him was necessary. He was Lily's best friend, and he was just starting to learn that he had powers. This book just wasn't as great as I had hoped. Rowan bothered me more in this book because he was so oblivious to the fact that Lily was keeping the truth from him to protect him. I just wasn't expecting Lily to go back to the same parallel universe she was trying to escape from. I thought this book would turn out differently. Of course it has a giant cliffhanger at the end as well, so that was annoying. I still liked the book, but it was a little bit of a let down compared to the first book. ( )