Wildefire Göttin Des Vulkans (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Okay...I would actually rate this book at 3.5 stars, not because I disliked it, but I liked it so much that I want it to improve for the better. NOTE: This review contains not-so-inadvertent spoilers that I am too lazy to tag. There is definitely something to be said for male authors writing from a teen girl's POV. The first benefit being of course, that the heroine kicks butt. The second would be the sense of liberation - if he's good looking, admit it and go after him. Or accept, as the case may be. None of the whining and the angst that most YA heroines have over some psychopath runway model with gelled hair. So a big thank you to Karsten Knight for creating a heroine who is believable, human (so far as it applies to emotions) and strong. I hate women who skirt around the question of whether - gasp! - they actually like someone or not. Another plus point for the book - no one was kept in the dark for ridiculous reasons and the reader is introduced to the central themes pretty soon. My issues with the book lie in the prose, action and the depiction of teens. The writing started off with clunky prose and the narrative doesn't have the snappiness of the dialogues. This is where I applaud Knight again, for the fun dialogue that didn't meander, was plenty sarcastic and was pretty realistic at the same time. Then comes the action. Sigh. There were so many tennis scenes which I thought could have been cut out and used for character development instead. I barely got to know Rolfe (who I loooooooved, by the way) and he was snuffed out. It would have been way better if Ashline came into her powers midway in the book, instead of discovering them at yet another tennis match and then using them for 5 seconds to put out a tsunami (in her underwear!) Though, I did like the technique of the group experiencing memories together - an effective way to explain motivation while keeping the text short.Now the issue of stereotypes. There aren't any for individual characters - they seem like just the surfer boy or the aloof hot girl, but they are all given a chance to explain and redeem themselves, to show us that they are more than what they seem. No, the problem lies in the depiction of teens in general, what with all the drinking and escaping they do. Some of us aren't like that you know, so to generalise all adolescents as reckless thrill seekers is a bit too much. On the other hand, that could just be bias on my part and this might be reality that the author has experienced, so there's no point in giving him too much flak for it.These things aside, Wildefire deserves credit for taking a unique premise and executing it with witty, crisp dialogue and a gripping plot. The author doesn't shy away from violence, but given that it is mostly fight scenes and not the almost-rape/sexual abuse that some YA authors think is acceptable, I don't really mind. (I am a bit violent at heart anyway. GO TEKKEN!) I am thoroughly looking forward to reading the next book. This is the greatest book of all time.I am sorry to say this to the Percy Jackson series fans but the Wildefire series is better by a longshot.It has good characters enough cliffhangers and good action.The flashbacks though, there is a section in Wildefire that has boring flashbacks, sorry Karsten Knight but I skipped them. ALL of them. But I just recently got Afterglow the final book in the series and am totally excited to read it!Once again sorry Percy Jackson fans and Rick Riordan but I think Ashline Wilde and her sisters plus Karsten Knight have beat you on this one. :D
What do You think about Wildefire Göttin Des Vulkans (2011)?
This is not great literature. But it is fun! And it left me dying to read the next one!
—Baylay
Amazing, amazing book! Fell in love with it! New favourite.
—cilia87
