Review ~ Born in Flames (Born in Flames Trilogy #1) - Candace Knoebel

Ebook received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Published: September 6th 2012 by 48fourteen

ASIN: B0096PPK4Q

Description

Red mirrored scales race up my arms as the haze of pain blurs my vision. My bones crack, breaking to realign. I scream. It is then that the realization of my unavoidable fate sinks in; I am of a dying race. I am dragon.

Aurora Megalos, orphaned and teetering on the edge of adulthood, thought finding her past would curb the sting of being an outcast. Having no memories of the time before she awoke on her foster mother’s doorstep, she yearns for the emptiness inside her to be filled. With her fellow orphaned best friend, Fenn, by her side, she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. But something powerful stirred within her that she couldn’t explain. Something wanted out.

In the dark of night, a crazed Seer, dubbed Mr.Creepy, erases everything she’s ever known with an impending prophecy. She now faces two paths. Return to her true home to protect a dying race against a growing evil, or stay hidden in the safety of our realm with a shot at a true love. With a vengeful Arch Enemy stopping at nothing to see her dead, she’s running out of time; a decision must be made. What would you choose?

My Opinion

I first saw this book when I entered a giveaway to win a copy. The beautiful cover caught my eye and the dragon concept intrigued me. Sadly I didn't win so when Candace Knoebel offered me a chance to review the book - when I took part in a cover reveal for the sequel - I was quite excited and jumped at the chance to accept. 

Recently I have started to read more and more dragon themed books and I'm starting to get into them. Born in Flames presented an interesting concept with Aurora not remembering anything from her previous life in a different world. You get thrown straight into the action which did confuse me a lot as no description of who everyone is, is given and so it was hard to make out what was going on. However the book did remain at a fast pace and even though people aren't cleared up until the end it did add to the over all mystery as you follow Aurora's journey of discovery. It also helped me feel like I was finding stuff out with her rather than being a few steps ahead.

The plot line in Born in Flames was constructed and structured well however the book could use a serious edit as beside the numerous grammatical error there were a few continuity issues. This left the book either contradicting previous events or forcing me to re-read bits to check whether the information really had been stated for example, at one point Aurora tells Fenn a letter that has just been read out mentions him directly by name but when you read the letter it does not. It not only confused me but ruined the overall finish. Other times it could do with an edit to avoid repetitive sections that seem to go over the same information with unnecessary detail. I must admit I did skim some parts as I was like "OK I already know this and have been told a few times, move on..." and parts became boring.

With regards to the characters, I have to say I love the name Aurora and the way the author linked it to the name's meaning I thought was quite clever. For most of the book though, Aurora was whiney and annoying, throwing tantrums at the first sign of any hardship. She also came across as quite childish, a fact shown with her nickname of "Mr Creepy" for a guy trying to help her. I did like her towards the end where she did start to come alive but personally it was a bit late and I would have like her development to be spread through the novel rather than all at once. It also felt like she wasted a lot of time with her whining and refusing to do things. I mean they were on a time scale and it just lacked a realistic quality. For me there was no sense of urgency. 

On another note I would have liked more romance as personally it all seemed a bit abrupt. They had been living together for years and never done anything about it or admitted their feelings but within a space of a few weeks they have this deep connection all of a sudden. Not to mention when they both admit it finally Fenn was cut out of the novel! Maybe he will be in the sequel and more will develop, I don't know. 

Overall Born in Flames was a fast paced book that did hold my interest, however if the writing continues at the standard it is right now I'm not sure I will be able to read the sequel as this book was in need of a good edit to get rid of mistakes and hone in on the main points to get rid of unnecessary detail that made it seem long winded in places. I love the cover and the overall concept and think with some changes Candace could have a good book on her hands.