Child of Fire reviews part 16

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Behind the cut!

1) Another Twitter review, this time in three parts from Radlein. (Short version for those who don’t want to click: He liked it).

2) Twitterer burrchristopher liked it, too: “I will read the sequel when it comes out.”

3) A blog review by “sometime game designer” Rob Donoghue. It’s positive: “And recommend it I would for anyone looking for a fast, fun and dark ride. Really, my only complaint is that it’s only the first book in a series, and I’m already chomping at the bit for the second.” It’s a thoughtful review and made for interesting reading.

4) Here’s another positive (and lengthy) review from Michael M. Jones: “Child of Fire is a hard-hitting addition to the urban fantasy field, full of mystery, violence, strange magic and stranger people, like if someone mixed together Jim Butcher and Stephen King and infused it with some Die Hard sensibilities. There’s a lot to like about this book, and I’m quite eager to see where the series goes from here. Connolly hits the ground running with this debut, and I couldn’t be happier.

5) I’ve mostly been posting positive reviews because the negative ones keep appearing in places I’ve already linked to, like Goodreads. Here are three example pull quotes: “Not particularly well-written or paced – barely any downtime at all to catch my breath as a reader before the protagonist is flung into another situation.” “Next was the burning and forgotten children (which was disturbing in intself) that was never adequately explained what they were being used for or where they went exactly.” “I also didn’t get the whole ‘wheel of fire’ thing.”

Strangely, one of those three reviewers is open to reading book two.

6) A twitterer named Priscellie calls it “Excellent

7) I’m not sure what to think about this next review, this one from “The Mad Hatter.” Here’s a quote, verbatim: “Child of Fire is an Urban Fantasy that is not exactly an Urban Fantasy. It has the tropes of and sentimentality, but takes place entirely in a small town in Washington State with a decidedly dark take as nasty creatures, werewolves, and evil magic are the main focus. Child of Fire goes full throttle from start to finish in a new Urban Fantasy. It comes off as an odd mix of feeling like a light read at less than 350 pages, but still having an edge which was a pleasant surprise for a debut book.

The reviewer was tepid about it, wishing for more back story for Ray and Annalise. It’s also straight up insulting at one or two points, stating that I didn’t reveal more about the setting because I’m “still learning my craft” rather than just acknowledging a creative choice the reviewer might not like very much.

And while I’ve heard plenty of people gripe about my book, I’ve never had anyone criticize it for “sentimentality.”

No matter. Hey, in the future, these posts will be called “Book reviews” or something, since I expect there will be some for Game of Cages, too.