Some Things I Liked:

-The various powers Fischer's created for the *alters* are unique and fun. It was fun learning about them, and I know that there's more that didn't make it into Calor.

-I liked the themes of love and hope.

-The fantasy, semi-post-apocolypic setting was neat.


Some Things I Struggled With:

-I struggled with Cass's character. I wanted to like him--I always appreciate a snarky character, and the hints of Cass's hard past made me sympathize with him. But I wasn't a fan of his womanizing habits and lovers. I can't approve of his actions. I appreciated that Fischer had the other characters disapprove of Cass's behavior, but there was never any sort of regret or repentance from Cass. And it also didn't add anything necessary to the plot. So I could have done without that aspect of Cass.

-The plot wasn't slow, but it didn't grip me. I can't say why though, so it might have been a me thing.


Overall:

Calor is a unique start to Fischer's new trilogy. It's made me want to read Anderson's Nightengale to find the retelling aspects in Calor. But I wasn't blown away by Calor. I'll probably read the rest of the series as they come out, but it won't be among my most anticipated releases.


Cautions: semi-graphic, brief heavy violence; one kiss; one of the main characters is a womanizer, and brief, non-detailed references are made to lovers

*I received an ARC from Enclave Publishing. All thoughts are entirely my own.*

A man’s sight is never so sharply focused as when he is gazing behind him; it is only when he turns to survey his future that everything grows myopic and dim. 

4 Stars ✨

Clean Fantasy

What if you could edit memories with a single touch?

Taking place 60 years after the apocalypse, the world is not what it once was. After different cataclysmic events, people would do anything for just a glimpse of the old. High valued memories are traded and nostalgia is worth dying and for some, killing for.

Sephone, orphaned and owned as a slave - has a gift, she’s a mem which means she can see and extract memories from other people’s minds. She’s highly sought after and keeps her master in business by the works she can preform. She’s tried to break free from him many times but has never succeeded.

Lord Adamo, after the brutal death of his wife and daughter, is looking for a way to break free from his memories to erase them all. He knows of a relic that can help, if only he could get his hands on a powerful Mem to journey with him on his quest. He comes across Sephone and does his best to convince her, but too afraid of her masters wrath and chains, she turns him down, without realizing she may have never even had a choice.

I really enjoyed this one! It was paced perfectly, clean and very character driven. I felt the writing was great. The only problem I personally had was with the world and its workings. I found it to have a couple holes where things were not explained fully which left me with quite a few questions. Even though that was a little annoying, the book and characters ran this ship. The more I read it didn’t matter that it didn’t feel at all like a dystopian or that I didn’t have all the answers to my questions. It was intriguing and interesting enough to keep me going. I’m looking forward to reading Lumen, which by the title - tells me it’s going to be about one of my favorite characters Cass from this installment. He brought such an edge to the plot and you really just can’t wait to know more about him. Would recommend!

Unique magic, winter atmosphere, wolves, pain, love, danger, +more.

I crawled into bed in the evenings shivering despite warm covers because this book really transports you.

The only cons were: a character releasing a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and one character is a womanizer with no apparent regrets.

Overall fantastic read❤️Thank you J.J. Fischer for writing this story.

Go get your hands on this book!