Mortal Fire Review

Mortal Fire by Elizabeth Knox

Title: Mortal Fire

Author: Elizabeth Knox

Series: None

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication Date: June 11, 2013

Genre: Fantasy; Supernatural; Romance; Young Adult

Pages: 448

Format: Hardback

 goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Canny Mochrie's vacation takes a turn when she stumbles upon a mysterious and enchanting valley, occupied almost entirely by children who can perform a special type of magic that tells things how to be stronger and better than they already are. As Canny studies the magic more carefully, she realizes that she not only understands it--she can perform the magic, too, so well that it feels like it has always been a part of her. With the help of an alluring seventeen-year-old boy who is held hostage by a spell that is now more powerful than the people who first placed it, Canny figures out the secrets of this valley and of her own past.

Cannie Mochrie is misunderstood. Known for being the daughter of a hero and for her skill in rote learning (especially mathematics), she has established a name for herself, but not a very big one. When she is forced to accompany her brother and his girlfriend on a research trip about a tragic mine accident, she is not happy. When they stumble upon an enchanting valley, Cannie notices things that no one else does. A house hidden from view. Children with rhyming names that have uncanny abilities. Mysterious Marks appearing all over the valley. Pretty soon Cannie would do anything not to leave this extraordinary place. As she discovers an imprisoned seventeen year old in house almost impossible to reach, past crimes are discovered and magic is revealed. This intelligent read shows us that no matter how things seem, they are never how they appear.

I almost DNFed this book.

I am so glad I didn’t.

Mortal Fire is so unlike any other fantasy book that I am used to reading. It was so strangely intriguing and amazingly peculiar. And it’s a standalone! It’s like this perfect little package filled with perfect little characters and the perfect plot, all wrapped in perfect pretty packaging.

But, no matter how much I loved this book after I finished it, I did almost DNF it. I almost put it down, never to be revisited. The truth is, is that the beginning is slow. And confusing. It’s one of those books that start out confusing and mysterious, that leaves you feeling like your brain is rattling inside your skull. You feel like you have to dissect each and every word and it takes so much concentration! And just as your about to give up, a cute boy enters. I don’t know about other people, but a cute boy is reason enough for me to stick with a book. After a while you get so absorbed into this book that, while you still have to rest your mind at regular intervals, you can’t seem to stay away from it for very long. It’s too strange, too weird, and, in my opinion, just plain too fantastic not to finish.

The ending is the best part. Which is a good thing. It kinda sucks when an ending is the worst part. That’s usually when a book is part of series. Well, lucky for me, this book was a standalone. And a very good standalone at that.  All those loose ends you just couldn’t put a handle on during the book are tied into neat little bows. Everything ends in the way that you wanted, and you’re left feeling happy and satisfied.

Sometimes you just read a book that is so put together and well thought out, that you can’t help but look at it as a masterpiece. Mortal Fire is the perfect example. It is not just an extraordinary journey for the mind, but for the heart as well. While I think the audience for such a book is smaller than most, I am part of such an audience. I loved it and think it is remarkable. I am so going to read Knox’s other books.