feline17ff reviewed Fire & Flight by Brianna R. Shaffery
Review of 'Fire & Flight' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
Okay, so I was feeling like I was being dramatic when reading this kept making me wish to live in the past/ a world without capitalism and rushing around etc etc
Then on page 253, Xander says a line, and I was right! That's the whole point, seems like!
So, on to the review:
Okay, so first the vibes because this is my review and I can structure it how I want lol
So, off the bat, the vibes are wholesome, calm, soft.
It's slow-paced, and has very little dialogue in the first half of the book.
But it works with the theme that we're told the book is, i.e. The synopsis
See, the synopsis specifically calls it a book about support system and healing after hurt.
And the book really does follow that theme of helping you heal.
We start 2 years after Nyla faces a traumatic life changing …
Okay, so I was feeling like I was being dramatic when reading this kept making me wish to live in the past/ a world without capitalism and rushing around etc etc
Then on page 253, Xander says a line, and I was right! That's the whole point, seems like!
So, on to the review:
Okay, so first the vibes because this is my review and I can structure it how I want lol
So, off the bat, the vibes are wholesome, calm, soft.
It's slow-paced, and has very little dialogue in the first half of the book.
But it works with the theme that we're told the book is, i.e. The synopsis
See, the synopsis specifically calls it a book about support system and healing after hurt.
And the book really does follow that theme of helping you heal.
We start 2 years after Nyla faces a traumatic life changing event (her whole family is dead now).
Now, when you're writing characters who have gone through something you can write it a few ways:
Now, all of these are fine and would be great representation for different people.
This book is #3 and #4. They're both grieving and stuck, and only when they meet each other and help each other do they start their road to recovery (and it's apparent! Nyla and Xander get some of their spunk back and mess with each other and it's a really lovely friendship 💖)
Criticisms
The blurb makes it seem the book is about their journey to Fortune Falls. But they find and exit Fortune Falls in a few pages in the middle of the book. It's obvious the plot is about what they learnt at the Falls, but it's still jarring when they reach and leave and then I'm left with figuring out the plot with the characters.
Though, the plot is very spoiler-y so I do appreciate them trying to keep it super hidden on the blurb.
Who this book is for:
It's for people healing or wanting to slow down. There's very little dialogue for the first half and then the characters are getting to know each other and what they want to do and where they're headed.
It's slow-paced, even when the plot starts, because these two are hurt and grieving and so it makes sense they don't chase after the plot.
If you're someone who's hurting, grieving, or healing (like I was when I started this book), then it'll make you cry. Yes, it made me cry thinking about it, and my friend called it an "anchor" because I desperately needed some healing and he wholesome and soft and calm vibes were exactly what seemed like at the time. So much that I didn't want the book to end, which was me being desperate lol. (I was in a really bad place).
But, I got a bit better, and I continued reading, and I hope it makes you feel better.
(I read half the 2nd book, and it's not as slow paced and very plot-y, so enjoy the calmness of this one while you're recovering, then, get back into plot with the 2nd one lol, if that's what recovered you looks like :))
Then on page 253, Xander says a line, and I was right! That's the whole point, seems like!
So, on to the review:
Okay, so first the vibes because this is my review and I can structure it how I want lol
So, off the bat, the vibes are wholesome, calm, soft.
It's slow-paced, and has very little dialogue in the first half of the book.
But it works with the theme that we're told the book is, i.e. The synopsis
See, the synopsis specifically calls it a book about support system and healing after hurt.
And the book really does follow that theme of helping you heal.
We start 2 years after Nyla faces a traumatic life changing event (her whole family is dead now).
Now, when you're writing characters who have gone through something you can write it a few ways:
- Immediate reaction. The grief, denial, anger etc
- Moving on, they're over it. They'll never be the same now and it's part of their tragic backstory, but they've learnt and grown
- In the process of recovery
- Or, you can write that they're stuck in the process and aren't moving forward.
Now, all of these are fine and would be great representation for different people.
This book is #3 and #4. They're both grieving and stuck, and only when they meet each other and help each other do they start their road to recovery (and it's apparent! Nyla and Xander get some of their spunk back and mess with each other and it's a really lovely friendship 💖)
Criticisms
The blurb makes it seem the book is about their journey to Fortune Falls. But they find and exit Fortune Falls in a few pages in the middle of the book. It's obvious the plot is about what they learnt at the Falls, but it's still jarring when they reach and leave and then I'm left with figuring out the plot with the characters.
Though, the plot is very spoiler-y so I do appreciate them trying to keep it super hidden on the blurb.
Who this book is for:
It's for people healing or wanting to slow down. There's very little dialogue for the first half and then the characters are getting to know each other and what they want to do and where they're headed.
It's slow-paced, even when the plot starts, because these two are hurt and grieving and so it makes sense they don't chase after the plot.
If you're someone who's hurting, grieving, or healing (like I was when I started this book), then it'll make you cry. Yes, it made me cry thinking about it, and my friend called it an "anchor" because I desperately needed some healing and he wholesome and soft and calm vibes were exactly what seemed like at the time. So much that I didn't want the book to end, which was me being desperate lol. (I was in a really bad place).
But, I got a bit better, and I continued reading, and I hope it makes you feel better.
(I read half the 2nd book, and it's not as slow paced and very plot-y, so enjoy the calmness of this one while you're recovering, then, get back into plot with the 2nd one lol, if that's what recovered you looks like :))