Firewalker by Josephine Angelini | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I'm a Witch and Witches burn.
Lily is back in her own universe, and she's ready to relax with Rowan. True, she almost died in the Pyre that fueled their escape, and must hide her magic for the safety of the world, but compared to fighting the monstrous Woven and leading armies in the alternate Salem, life is looking good.
You think I'm a monster, but my choices, as ruthless as they seem, are justified.
Unfortunately, Lillian, ruthless ruler of the 13 Cities, is not willing to let Lily go that easily. If she can't persuade Lily to return to her world, she'll have to find a way to make her come back.
Picking up right where Trial By Fire left off, Firewalker is another sexy, fast-paced, heartbreaking thrill ride from internationally bestselling author Josephine Angelini!

Firewalker by Josephine Angelini is the sequel to Trial By Fire and OMG, you guys, this book totally raises the stakes of the previous book. I think right here is a good stopping point if you have not read Trial By Fire because, trust, I know how bookworms feel about spoilers. Also? Firewalker is the kind of book that begins where the prior book left off – which I love. I don’t remember there being a long recap section or a part where I was super confused in the transition from the first book in the series to the second book. In fact, the move from Trial By Fire to Firewalker is very seamless and I highly recommend you get on this Worldwalker series bandwagon. These books are SUPERB. Also? I am glad that Angelini has another YA series because I am about to go and devour it in my wait for book three to come out.

HERE THERE BE SPOILERS FOR TRIAL BY FIRE WHILE I DESCRIBE FIREWALKER

Okay, so Firewalker opens up with Lily and Rowan back in Lily’s universe. Lily has survived the pyre, barely, and was able to jump back into her world and take Rowan with her, thus escaping Lilian and her war. To Lily, this is ideal as she recovers and sees her family again. She helps to clear her mother’s name, as she went missing for a few months while she was in Lilian’s world. She also has this FBI agent who was very concerned about her case who just will not give up trying to get more answers, even though the truth is too hard to believe.

So, anyways, Lily is back and of course, Tristan, her best friend, is concerned and a little bit mad too. He finds himself jealous of Rowan. However, Tristan has mechanic ability and so, Lily grapples with telling him what really happened when she disappeared. Meanwhile, Lillian is trying her damnedest to bring Lily back to her world. Part of the plot is how Lillian shows Lily just why she is being so terrible and a major tyrant. Furthermore, Lily is assembling a team of new mechanics with Rowan’s help and if you like teambuilding you will like this part of Firewalker by Josephine Angelini.

Yeah, so Lily definitely goes through some dynamic growth in Firewalker. I feel like she matures quite a bit. I also like that she seems less weak in this book. I mean, she better understands her power and how to use it, so she is not so much a sitting duck. This is something that I appreciate. I also loved how she was able to consider a radically different viewpoint like a rational person and ponder it and then act on it. I won’t give too much away, just she does something that is very, very hard once she has all the information. That is something that takes strength of character and courage – especially given the fallout that Lily deals with over her decision.

As for the romance in Firewalker, it is ON FIRE. See what I did there? So, okay, there is not at all a love triangle in this book. Tristan still has feelings for Lily, but she’s totally gone for Rowan. And while he is in Lily’s universe their relationship goes up a level and it is super adorable and wonderful. Of course, because books can’t have nice things and things cannot be perfect all of the time, there comes in some tension and problems and strife. Those bits were super hard to read, but I have every confidence that book three will end the series the way I want it to resolve – I mean, between Lily and Rowan. If you like reading about characters who have roller coaster relationships, I think you’ll enjoy Angelini’s sequel. I will say that I do continue to want Lily and Rowan to succeed and find happiness, even though at moments it does seem impossible. So, good on Firewalker for getting me to root for those two.

Angelini is definitely a no holds barred kind of author with her Worldwalker Trilogy. Yo, I did not think she would go in a certain direction and then she totally did. There’s also unexpected deaths. There are moments of intense action where I had to read kind of fast because I just wanted to know if everyone was going to be okay (definitely not always the case with this book). ALSO! The secondary characters – Una and Breakfast. They are introduced very briefly in Trial By Fire, as in if you blink you might miss them. In this book, Firewalker, they are expanded upon and really developed. You will see why when you read the book. I loved the sort of twist that their characters added. Finally, I must warn you that Firewalker ends on a cliffhanger which made me regret not waiting to read this until book three was released. However, given that there are an actual million other books out there, you should have no trouble handling the wait for book three to come out.

Readers who are in the market for a young adult series about witches, parallel universes, and monsters would do well to get their hands on a copy of Trial By Fire and Firewalker by Josephine Angelini. This is a series that has kept me on the edge of my seat for two books and over 600 pages. I am so engaged and obsessed and desperate to know what is next for Lily, Rowan, Juliet, Una, Breakfast AND Lillian.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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