Reviews

pyre_starter_small rue sparks.jpg

Book Review: The Pyre Starter

With the strike of a match, the flame is lit— but the flames can turn all you love into a pyre.

Review and Graphic by Rue Sparks

The Pyre Starter by Jaimie N. Schock is full of heartfelt dialogue, engaging action scenes, introspection on what family means and what lengths we’ll go to in order to protect the ones we love.

We begin with a despondent Dakota, living a jaded and meaningless life while sporadically attending classes at a university. We dive right into his lowest moment—attempting to end his own life.

A college acquaintance, Terrell, attempts to persuade him to give life another go by sharing with him a secret kept behind locked doors for thousands of years: magic is real.

A disbelieving Dakota follows Terrell on an adventure of love and misfortune that spans a cross-country road trip, monumental loss, and new beginnings. The ending will shatter your heart to pieces, then put the broken remains back together again. Not ever the same, but for all it’s mismatched and worn-down edges, still whole.

The Good:

I fully enjoyed the wild ride Schock takes us on. While predictability and tropes are an acceptable vehicle for story in genre fiction, Schock relies on none of them. As a result, I couldn’t predict the next steps of the story as it emerged, let alone the outcome, something I normally pride myself on being able to do.

It was like a puzzle with disparate pieces, until the last ten pages where it all came together in the only way it could. I can’t imagine what Schock has in store for the other six books in the series.

Though The Pyre Starter has a solid plot, the story is very much carried by the genuine and relatable characters.

Dakota sees nothing left to live for at the beginning, but through love, found family, and necessity, he transforms into a character with the fortitude and charisma to carry the series as a protagonist. I related to Dakota on a deeper level than I do most protagonists, and found many of his thoughts echoing my own. The dark places the author goes to is presented without melodrama, but with a tactical observance that allows the reader enough space not to go down that road themselves while reading.

Terrell starts as a character that exudes joy and curiosity, but his obsession with the talismans and revenge blind him to the possibilities of love and healthy companionship. All of the characters experience a transformation, but it’s up to their own personal proclivities as to whether it’s for better or worse.

Should You Read It?:

I’d like to give a forewarning to watch for the triggers if you are prone to having problems reading about certain issues.

That said, what I liked about The Pyre Starter is it’s a modern fantasy novel where diversity is a feature but not the main event. Diverse representation means along with having stories that deal heavily with those topics, we have stories where diversity exists but is not the plotline. While those stories absolutely need to be told, especially from Own Voices, there also a need for stories where diversity is normal and celebrated.

In this book, the issues of homophobia, racism, and ableism aren’t ignored, but it doesn’t become the impetus of the story. The diversity is just a backdrop to the main plot and themes. Diversity naturally exists around us if we let it, and Schock lets it. It’s refreshing.

If you are instead looking for a story where diversity becomes the crux of the conflict, this story may not be for you. There are many wonderful reads by Own Voices that do this, including The American Street by Ibi Zoboi, Dreadnought by April Daniels, and I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver.

Spark Level:

I rated The Pyre Starter, The Talisman War Book 1, as Wildfire. It’s a heavy-hitting coming of age story with a combination of action-packed scenes and heartwarming interludes that warmed my soul like a campfire.

Review by Necessary Whimsy

This is the debut novel of author Jaimie N. Schock, whose fast paced genre-bending story will keep you constantly on your toes. I paired this book with Romeo Y Julieta Romeo No 1 in honor of its LGBTQ love story and, on recommendation from the author, a shot of spicy Fireball.  I thought I was in for a light fantasy adventure dealing in magical talismans with a side of romance. What I got was an action packed, hard hitting fantasy world heavily doused in romance.

Jaimie N. Schock excels in creating believable main characters by providing detailed histories and honest flaws. You come to care about the main character and his partner, with many reasons to be concerned. Schock is ruthless with the trials she puts each character through. The variety of characters within the story, from disabled to LGBTQ, guarantees there will be someone you can personally identify with. The characters are carefully crafted so that you can’t help but feel their joy in moments of triumph, terror when they’re in danger, and sympathy when things go horribly wrong.

Schock does a little more telling than showing than I would have preferred to see, but she comfortably tells her story. The pacing of the plot is amazingly well executed. Schock courageously kicks you in the teeth with intense action in the first scene and maintains the pace for the entirety of the book (no small feat to accomplish when each scene’s tension must be stronger than the last). The bad guys are breathing down the neck of our hero and the wonderful romance between Dakota and Terrell fill in the space with tumultuous moments of wondering what comes next for them.

Schock builds a world hidden within the shadows of our own that is on the brink of being outed. She impressively balances the secrecy of the world of talismans with the slow exposure to the real world. However, it seems that Schock is determined to make us wait to find out just exactly what will happen when the two worlds collide. The Pyre Starter is only book one in a series and ends with many important questions unanswered. It left me curious (burning even) to find out what is in store for our main character and hoping desperately that he finds his happily ever after.

I found The Pyre Starter never seemed to pause in either its emotional or physical action. I would recommend this to anyone looking for realistic love stories nestled in high intensity action.

See also: Cigar and Liquor Pairing

Amazon Reviews of The Pyre Starter

Great Read

I was recommended this book some time ago (on Twitter) and although it took me a while to get round to it, I was so glad I did. I found myself drawn in within the first couple of chapters, which I think was mainly due to Dakota's (main character) voice. The way his thoughts and feelings are conveyed were expertly done, and helped to make the story more engaging as a result. There is something in here for fans of romance and urban fantasy, and the ending certainly makes you want to read more!

Great Idea.

I really enjoyed this book. I like the way it represents magic happening in our modern world and follows our hero who to me at first was an anti-hero who himself was saved. It pulls no punches when it comes to killing off characters (stand aside George R.R. Marin) and keeps the story moving along. If you're looking for a book that touches on the struggles we have as people, just trying to live, to be happy, in a crazy world of magic and a war you didn't know anything about, this book is it. I recommend it.

An Eventful Read!

A very unique story to say the least. The plot is engaging from page one with the main character, Dakota contemplating suicide.
The book does not get any less eventful for Dakota as his new companion, Terrell, who also becomes the source of his affections, reveals to Dakota mysterious talismans with unique abilities.

The story only continues to develop until the end. With well-written characters, back stories, dialogue, mystery, love and chaos - this books is a quality read, author Jaimie N Schock has done an excellent job with this one!

Magic talismans and plenty of angst.

This book is part thriller, part fantasy thanks to the magic theme, part love story, and part personal journey. The author skillfully combined these elements to create a unique story I very much enjoyed. Pyre Starter is appropriate for a YA audience, but I also think adults who like fantasy and LGBT-themed literature will enjoy the book, too, because the conflict transcends coming of age stories that would only interest teenagers. A very good read!

Wonderfully Imaginative

I enjoyed this even more than I expected, and that was a high bar. This is incredibly imaginative and tells a multifaceted human story in a world of magic. I am very excited to see where the rest of the series goes. This is a must read for anyone who even dabbles in the fantasy genre.

Great read!

Very enjoyable read! Interesting characters, interesting plot line. Very well done, particularly for the author’s first book. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

A Captivating Story

Wonderful prose and detailed character development in this vivid story.

Great Read!

I'm excited to read the rest of the series when it comes out!

Ordered books 2, 3, and 4 before finishing 1

A captivating read from start to finish, Schock writes compelling characters that you quickly grow attached to. Pyre Starter is a coming of age story wrapped around gritty fantasy and magic, with a unique and unpredictable story line. I especially loved the representation of lgbtq and people of color, and I’m excited to pass it on to my friends and family.

 Mentions