Book Review of Flying With Fire by Emma Mills

Synopsis:

Nobody who enters Ravenwood school will ever be the same again.

Fifteen year old Brooke has been in care all her life. Now she finally has an adoptive family who don’t want to send her back to The Home; but their solution for her problems is much more dangerous.

A secret boarding school for possessed children. A boarding school where any unnatural behaviour will be stamped out. A boarding school with no escape; where witchcraft is punished and vampires are murdered in the sunlight.

Brooke is the only one with the power to escape the security wards, yet she must find a way to help them all before it is too late.

Review:

Flying With Fire by Emma Mills
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

This is a fantastic urban fantasy, which is a prequel to the Witchblood series. However, this could be read as a stand-alone.

Brooke Gardner is a fantastic character. She is a young teenager of 15, and an orphan. I liked this young woman as she tried to cope with nightmares that seem real, and a life that spiraled out of control. She is sent to a special boarding school for "troubled" children, where she finds out that she is not a normal human. She is an Elemental witch.

I have read the Witchblood series, so was eager to read this book as soon as I heard about it.This story captured my attention from the first page.

There are some wonderful characters in this story, and we are introduced to Brittany, the young witch who later meets Jess in the Witchblood series. We also meet Leo, a half-human/angel. I must admit that I did like Ember, who was also a witch, as well as Caleb and Blade. These characters were lifelike and interesting. The Headmistress of Ravenwood is, however, a fanatic with a sadistic bent. She is determined to stamp out any paranormal activity such as witchcraft, which she sees as possession.

The story was full of action and danger. I loved the way the story unfolded, but I found some of the plot was not as sharp as it could have been, though there are several twists and turns that surprised me. It is not an easy book to read, as there are some very disturbing scenes of torture and violence. I would have loved to have seen more interaction between Brooke and Leo, but as there was a major plot twist concerning these two characters, I suppose it wasn't possible. I was a little disappointed when I reached the end of the story, because I wanted to keep reading!

Emma Mills has written another fantastic YA novel. This book, however, is rather darker than her previous series. I loved the fast pace of the story, and it flowed beautifully.

Due to the mention of Electroshock Therapy and drug therapy, I do not recommend this to younger readers. However, I highly recommend this YA Dark Urban Fantasy if you love YA Paranormal Romance, Dark Fantasy or Horror genres. - Lynn Worton

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