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The Simple Summary:
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 4 (realistically a 7/4)
What I liked: Theme, worldbuilding. style
What I didn't like: Only a precious character being hurt
Content: mental/physical abuse and manipulation (both revealed later in the book)
Being honest: I don't read that much. Particularly when it comes to fiction. After struggling through some non-fiction these past few weeks (of when I wrote this post), I mustered up the courage to dare read a fantasy tale. I thought my struggle with reading non-fiction late at night was proof that I needed something imaginative to get back into a reading rhythm.
If my sleep habits aren't proof enough that reading fiction and logic books is a dangerous game for me, I don't know what is.
But you didn't come here to hear about my life problems. You came to hear my thoughts on this book. So enough delaying.
The Explanation (With Spoilers)
I was a little hesitant to pick up Ignite based on what I had heard about Ms. Swanson's previous books (Dust and Shadow), as well as Young Adult in general. But despite all the people I had seen promoting Ignite, as well as the odd book review, I had never found anyone who gave a heads up about any content I might face.
I figured I might as well lend a hand and do that myself.
Like The Darkest War series by Isabella Ruiz, Swanson handles the topics she tackles well. I have this concern anytime I hear of a YA book that I'll be squirming in my seat--
Not with Ignite. Not once.
And it was entertaining diving into such a unique style. Such artful use of sentence fragments--my inner wordsmith is dancing with joy right now. And when every chapter ends with such a powerful one-liner? And when every sentence is utterly essential to the whole story? My sleep habits have never been so threatened before.
(Need I mention the seren? I was totally picking up Island of the Blue Dolphins survival genre vibes. And I was definitely rooting for the seren and Mara to become friends. And definitely thrilled when they did.)
You could call Mara a strong female character. But not in the bossy stereotype these days. She's resilient and tries to make sense of what's the world she lives in and what she's been lied to about. Not only that, but she also gains independence and ownership of herself.
She finally spreads her wings.
Which brings me to the next point: The theme. Oh my goodness the theme. It is my personal belief that a story should be stellar within and without the theme; that the theme should make the story even better rather than detract (there are some particular books I'm looking at right now...).
But Ignite was so well done. The worldbuilding and the symbolism woven in were so artistically crafted I'm still in awe. The theme was so tightly tied in I can't imagine an Ignite without it. The dying tundra? The scars? Her wings? Her flame?
And Eli. Let's not forget Eli. The fact that he's half-phoenix was well foreshadowed in advance but still had an impact when revealed. And those two chapters from his point-of-view were lovely. I ship them even more now.
And Jude was a wonderfully honest older brother. In a he-should-be-quiet-but-I-love-it-when-he's-not way.
And. We can't forget that ending. (This is me over here excited for summer of 2026, when the sequel comes out, when I still think that the new year means it's 2024. And it's March already for goodness sake.)
Overview
Highly recommended.