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A review by thea
The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens
5.0
[ finished on 7:21 pm ]
I REREAD THIS BOOK OF THE SERIES BECAUSE IT IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE
EVERYTHING IS PERFECTION
phew, to calm down a bit, i just want to point out that kate and rafe deserve to be together forever and michael and wilamena are the cutest ever
dang this book was the best — i'm so sorry, i can't get my thoughts together right now i'm so high on emotion brb
——————
okay, to start off, kate is such a strong, kind character who will do whatever it takes to find her brother and sister again. she's, as dr. pym says, incredibly remarkable.
“Your sister is one of the most remarkable individuals I have ever met—which, considering how long I have been alive, is saying quite a bit. No matter the obstacles, if there is a way for her to return to you, she will find it.”
she's one of my favorite characters in this series because she's so motherly and kind, yet she's incredibly determined and strong-minded and ruthless and wants justice.
now that i've reread this book, i can see why her and rafe would get along so well.
they both want to protect the people they care about most, and they will hurt others to achieve their goal.
speaking of which, rafe should just marry kate and live their happy lives together because they just both deserve that.
i've already read the third and final book and [SCREAMS] the INJUSTICE. my shipper heart! this ship will always be a thorn in my heart. because their relationship just huRTS SO MUCH.
i cannot even put their adorable quotes in this book because it'll make me cry!!!!
anyways. on to the children.
the first time i've read this book, i didn't really focus on michael. he was just another smart boy. but, rereading this as i'm older and, hopefully, a bit wiser now, he has become one of the most endearing characters for me. he has grown so much.
“They stood like that for several seconds, and Michael, who’d just barely succeeded in stitching himself together, thought he might break apart all over again. Be strong, he told himself, you have to be strong.”
and the way how he feared life before? it connects with me because life can be so overwhelming at times that you just want to shut it out. but when michael crushed that crystal orb near the end and his father made that inspirational speech about how life is pain — my god, that's going in one of my favorite quotes of all time.
“But the point of life isn’t to avoid pain. The point of life is to be alive! To feel things. That means the good and the bad. There’ll be pain. But also joy, and friendship and love! And it’s worth it, believe me. Your mother and I lost ten years of our lives, but every minute of every day we had our love for you and your sisters, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Don’t let the fear control you. Choose life, son.”
and [SQUEALING] let's talk about wilamena and michael! but before we do, let's go through their hall of love, shall we?
“The dragon laughed. “You’re very cute when you’re angry.”
-
“Michael gasped, for the creature was, despite all its fearsomeness, stunningly beautiful. Then the dragon dove and disappeared, seal-like, into the bubbling lake.”
-
“Rabbit, you really are making things very difficult! If you weren’t so cute, I’d almost be angry [...]"
-
“So you were born with that nose? I suppose after we’re married I’ll just make a point of not looking at your face too often so that it doesn’t frighten me.”
-
“To the rest of the world, you may be terrifying to behold, but to me you will always be the most handsome man alive. Provided, of course, I periodically look away from your face.” She curtsied. “Princess Wilamena, at your service.”
“You’re … a princess?”
-
“Her hair, he decided, was the color of morning sunlight. Her eyes were bluer than a cloudless summer sky. Her nose—
Bluer than a cloudless summer sky? Michael thought. What’s wrong with me? She’s got blond hair and blue eyes; that’s it.
But even then, Michael heard himself comparing her voice to birdsong, the whiteness of her skin to new snowfall—
Stop it, he told himself. You’re being duped by some elf magic, is all.
“Oh, wonderful.” The elf girl clapped her hands. “You’ve already fallen in love with me!”
“I have not—”
“Don’t be silly! You should see the ridiculous look upon your face! By the way, have you noticed the way my hair moves?”
-
“She gazed up at him with tearful, adoring eyes.
And Michael thought, Poor thing, she’s had a rough time of it.
Then he thought, Her hair really does move all by itself.…
The elf princess clapped her hands in delight.
“Oh, you are in love with me!”
“What—no, I just—”
“Yes, you are! My own rabbit!”
“Please, don’t call me Rabbit.”
“Bunny!”
And she leapt forward and kissed him on the cheek, causing Michael to stumble back.
“Don’t do that either! I’m serious.”
He could feel his cheeks burning and a tingling where she’d kissed him.
“True,” she said. “There’ll be plenty of time for kissing later. Oh yes indeed!”
Enough of this elf nonsense, Michael thought.”
-
“Princess Wilamena was standing behind him; and even with his back to her, Michael was frustratingly aware of her presence, and of the fact that her hair smelled of springtime and honey and—
Focus, he told himself.”
-
“Yes,” Michael said. “Actually, it is. Thank you.”
“Is it worth a kiss perhaps?”
Michael ignored that.”
-
“And then Michael heard her whisper to Gabriel, “He doesn’t like me to call him Rabbit, but I do it anyway because he’s such an adorable rabbit. Don’t you agree?”
Gabriel gave a noncommittal grunt.”
(I LAUGHED SO HARD AT GABRIEL'S RESPONSE)
-
“Michael was about to ask what she was doing—even as he marveled at the rose-petal softness of her skin—when she jabbed the sharp point of the stylus into his thumb.
“Oww!”
“Don’t be a baby bunny.”
-
"[...] “Now wake up your poor sister, we’ll all go outside, and I’ll let you braid my hair!”
Michael said nothing about this last suggestion (though a small voice in his head thought it sounded wonderful) [...]"
-
“It’s nothing. We’re family, after all. Or we soon will be.”
“Huh?” [Emma]
“Skip it,” Michael said.”
-
“Then Michael saw a familiar, mischievous sparkle in Emma’s eyes and he braced himself for what was coming:
“Is Princess What’s-Her-Name your girlfriend now?”
“No,” Michael said firmly. “Absolutely not.”
Emma grinned. “You sure about that? ’Cause—”
“Of course I’m not his girlfriend!”
They both turned and saw the elf princess standing beside the corner of the keep, hands on her hips, glaring imperiously at Emma.
“Oh la! We are much more serious than that!”
“Gotcha,” Emma said, smiling broadly at her brother.”
-
AND I LOVE HOW MICHAEL JUST SLOWLY EASES INTO IT — LIKE AT THE START, HE WAS JUST LIKE, "THIS IS ABSOLUTE NONSENSE" BUT OVER TIME HE'S JUST LIKE "HMM"
“Michael felt Wilamena slip her hand into his, and he thought about protesting, then let the matter go.”
-
“Her smile, Michael had to admit, was radiant, and for once he did not try to smother his thoughts.”
ASDFGHJKL OKAY MICHAEL OKAY
phew anyways wilamena and michael are HILARIOUS. wilamena's like "awh! you're already in love with me!" and michael's like "[gazes adoringly at her] no i'm- psh no i- no i'm not"
on a more serious note, i love how michael lets go of his stereotypes of elves. he really understands them better and gives them more respect, which is a good thing.
and then! gosh, before i go on to emma, let me just:
“You must be quick, Michael.”
“That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name.”
Wilamena smiled. “I think you are not a rabbit anymore.”
Michael looked at her, and the memory of that brief time when he had shared her life came back to him. He remembered the darkness and despair she’d suffered during her long years as a prisoner, but he also recalled the deep, unquenchable joy she took from the world around her; and he knew that given the choice, Wilamena would suffer through all she had and more rather than sacrifice one day of being alive.
It was just as his father had said. She chose life, all of it.
Then Michael did something that surprised even him. He leaned in and kissed the elf princess. Her lips were soft, and he couldn’t tell if it was magic or not, but he felt a warmth spreading over his cheeks and ears, down his neck, and across his chest. He said, “Thank you,” and turned and walked past the gathered elves and into the cave, taking the warmth of the kiss with him.”
emma is endearingly unapologetic. and i love her so much for that.
I REREAD THIS BOOK OF THE SERIES BECAUSE IT IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE
EVERYTHING IS PERFECTION
phew, to calm down a bit, i just want to point out that kate and rafe deserve to be together forever and michael and wilamena are the cutest ever
dang this book was the best — i'm so sorry, i can't get my thoughts together right now i'm so high on emotion brb
——————
okay, to start off, kate is such a strong, kind character who will do whatever it takes to find her brother and sister again. she's, as dr. pym says, incredibly remarkable.
“Your sister is one of the most remarkable individuals I have ever met—which, considering how long I have been alive, is saying quite a bit. No matter the obstacles, if there is a way for her to return to you, she will find it.”
she's one of my favorite characters in this series because she's so motherly and kind, yet she's incredibly determined and strong-minded and ruthless and wants justice.
now that i've reread this book, i can see why her and rafe would get along so well.
they both want to protect the people they care about most, and they will hurt others to achieve their goal.
speaking of which, rafe should just marry kate and live their happy lives together because they just both deserve that.
i've already read the third and final book and [SCREAMS] the INJUSTICE. my shipper heart! this ship will always be a thorn in my heart. because their relationship just huRTS SO MUCH.
i cannot even put their adorable quotes in this book because it'll make me cry!!!!
anyways. on to the children.
the first time i've read this book, i didn't really focus on michael. he was just another smart boy. but, rereading this as i'm older and, hopefully, a bit wiser now, he has become one of the most endearing characters for me. he has grown so much.
“They stood like that for several seconds, and Michael, who’d just barely succeeded in stitching himself together, thought he might break apart all over again. Be strong, he told himself, you have to be strong.”
and the way how he feared life before? it connects with me because life can be so overwhelming at times that you just want to shut it out. but when michael crushed that crystal orb near the end and his father made that inspirational speech about how life is pain — my god, that's going in one of my favorite quotes of all time.
“But the point of life isn’t to avoid pain. The point of life is to be alive! To feel things. That means the good and the bad. There’ll be pain. But also joy, and friendship and love! And it’s worth it, believe me. Your mother and I lost ten years of our lives, but every minute of every day we had our love for you and your sisters, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Don’t let the fear control you. Choose life, son.”
and [SQUEALING] let's talk about wilamena and michael! but before we do, let's go through their hall of love, shall we?
“The dragon laughed. “You’re very cute when you’re angry.”
-
“Michael gasped, for the creature was, despite all its fearsomeness, stunningly beautiful. Then the dragon dove and disappeared, seal-like, into the bubbling lake.”
-
“Rabbit, you really are making things very difficult! If you weren’t so cute, I’d almost be angry [...]"
-
“So you were born with that nose? I suppose after we’re married I’ll just make a point of not looking at your face too often so that it doesn’t frighten me.”
-
“To the rest of the world, you may be terrifying to behold, but to me you will always be the most handsome man alive. Provided, of course, I periodically look away from your face.” She curtsied. “Princess Wilamena, at your service.”
“You’re … a princess?”
-
“Her hair, he decided, was the color of morning sunlight. Her eyes were bluer than a cloudless summer sky. Her nose—
Bluer than a cloudless summer sky? Michael thought. What’s wrong with me? She’s got blond hair and blue eyes; that’s it.
But even then, Michael heard himself comparing her voice to birdsong, the whiteness of her skin to new snowfall—
Stop it, he told himself. You’re being duped by some elf magic, is all.
“Oh, wonderful.” The elf girl clapped her hands. “You’ve already fallen in love with me!”
“I have not—”
“Don’t be silly! You should see the ridiculous look upon your face! By the way, have you noticed the way my hair moves?”
-
“She gazed up at him with tearful, adoring eyes.
And Michael thought, Poor thing, she’s had a rough time of it.
Then he thought, Her hair really does move all by itself.…
The elf princess clapped her hands in delight.
“Oh, you are in love with me!”
“What—no, I just—”
“Yes, you are! My own rabbit!”
“Please, don’t call me Rabbit.”
“Bunny!”
And she leapt forward and kissed him on the cheek, causing Michael to stumble back.
“Don’t do that either! I’m serious.”
He could feel his cheeks burning and a tingling where she’d kissed him.
“True,” she said. “There’ll be plenty of time for kissing later. Oh yes indeed!”
Enough of this elf nonsense, Michael thought.”
-
“Princess Wilamena was standing behind him; and even with his back to her, Michael was frustratingly aware of her presence, and of the fact that her hair smelled of springtime and honey and—
Focus, he told himself.”
-
“Yes,” Michael said. “Actually, it is. Thank you.”
“Is it worth a kiss perhaps?”
Michael ignored that.”
-
“And then Michael heard her whisper to Gabriel, “He doesn’t like me to call him Rabbit, but I do it anyway because he’s such an adorable rabbit. Don’t you agree?”
Gabriel gave a noncommittal grunt.”
(I LAUGHED SO HARD AT GABRIEL'S RESPONSE)
-
“Michael was about to ask what she was doing—even as he marveled at the rose-petal softness of her skin—when she jabbed the sharp point of the stylus into his thumb.
“Oww!”
“Don’t be a baby bunny.”
-
"[...] “Now wake up your poor sister, we’ll all go outside, and I’ll let you braid my hair!”
Michael said nothing about this last suggestion (though a small voice in his head thought it sounded wonderful) [...]"
-
“It’s nothing. We’re family, after all. Or we soon will be.”
“Huh?” [Emma]
“Skip it,” Michael said.”
-
“Then Michael saw a familiar, mischievous sparkle in Emma’s eyes and he braced himself for what was coming:
“Is Princess What’s-Her-Name your girlfriend now?”
“No,” Michael said firmly. “Absolutely not.”
Emma grinned. “You sure about that? ’Cause—”
“Of course I’m not his girlfriend!”
They both turned and saw the elf princess standing beside the corner of the keep, hands on her hips, glaring imperiously at Emma.
“Oh la! We are much more serious than that!”
“Gotcha,” Emma said, smiling broadly at her brother.”
-
AND I LOVE HOW MICHAEL JUST SLOWLY EASES INTO IT — LIKE AT THE START, HE WAS JUST LIKE, "THIS IS ABSOLUTE NONSENSE" BUT OVER TIME HE'S JUST LIKE "HMM"
“Michael felt Wilamena slip her hand into his, and he thought about protesting, then let the matter go.”
-
“Her smile, Michael had to admit, was radiant, and for once he did not try to smother his thoughts.”
ASDFGHJKL OKAY MICHAEL OKAY
phew anyways wilamena and michael are HILARIOUS. wilamena's like "awh! you're already in love with me!" and michael's like "[gazes adoringly at her] no i'm- psh no i- no i'm not"
on a more serious note, i love how michael lets go of his stereotypes of elves. he really understands them better and gives them more respect, which is a good thing.
and then! gosh, before i go on to emma, let me just:
“You must be quick, Michael.”
“That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name.”
Wilamena smiled. “I think you are not a rabbit anymore.”
Michael looked at her, and the memory of that brief time when he had shared her life came back to him. He remembered the darkness and despair she’d suffered during her long years as a prisoner, but he also recalled the deep, unquenchable joy she took from the world around her; and he knew that given the choice, Wilamena would suffer through all she had and more rather than sacrifice one day of being alive.
It was just as his father had said. She chose life, all of it.
Then Michael did something that surprised even him. He leaned in and kissed the elf princess. Her lips were soft, and he couldn’t tell if it was magic or not, but he felt a warmth spreading over his cheeks and ears, down his neck, and across his chest. He said, “Thank you,” and turned and walked past the gathered elves and into the cave, taking the warmth of the kiss with him.”
emma is endearingly unapologetic. and i love her so much for that.