I’m not one to judge a book by its cover, but as soon as I saw the cover of this month’s book, I simply had to read it; it’s simply stunning! Fire Becomes Her is the newest young adult novel from Oregon author Rosiee Thor.
It’s the story of Ingrid, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, whose intelligence and cunning hand landed her safely within the glitz and glam of the wealthy side of town. Engaged to a Senator’s son and well on her way to her dream of becoming a member of the rich and powerful, Ingrid finds that she’s questioning whether this is truly the life she wants. The story is full of intrigue, magic, and just the right touch of romance, making it an awesome choice for teens and adult lovers of young adult fiction alike.
What I Liked
The storyline of Fire Becomes Her is at once lovely and compelling. It kept me guessing and I wasn’t able to predict where we would end up. I enjoyed the use of flames as magic and was captivated by the way the author was able to pull so many different ideas and concepts into this book without it being overwhelming.
Speaking of concepts and ideas, I adored the inclusivity of this book. Today’s young readers are faced with more opportunity than ever to understand their peers and the way humans express and comprehend love. This book addresses these concepts easily by making the conversations between characters simple and obvious, as they should be in real life. The book meets the identities and sexualities of each character with acceptance and grace. It’s exactly what we need from young adult fiction going forward.
What Was Missing
Obviously, this book is a young adult fiction, so the complexity of plot is limited by the audience. While I enjoyed the storyline overall, there were times when I could have used more detail and description, or even more dialogue between characters to help me better understand. The magic in the world the author created was very interesting, but I’m still not sure how exactly it worked. Throughout the novel I craved more information about the way the magic was handled and how it was used.
Despite my delight at the way that inclusive language was used so casually throughout this book, I also found some of the conversations about these topics to feel a bit forced. I would have liked to see a bit more finesse from the characters in the way they used the language that we want to encourage in our own dialogue. However, I don’t feel that this distracts from the overall message of inclusivity.
Recommendation
I highly recommend this book for young readers. I will be purchasing it for several of the young readers in my life, and I look forward to hearing their take on the story. It’s also a great book to take on a weekend trip as it’s an easy yet compelling read that will leave you satisfied. I would happily recommend this book to any readers of young adult fiction.
About the Author
According to her bio on her website, Rosiee Thor has been telling stories since childhood, when she insisted on telling her mother stories at bedtime instead of listening to stories being read, as is more common. She spent her childhood reading, after which she came out as queer. She currently lives in Oregon with her pets and plants, and is the author of another Young Adult Novel, Tarnished Are The Stars. She also authored The Meaning of Pride, a celebratory picture book on the culture and history of the LGBTQ+ community.
Published by Scholastic Inc., Fire Becomes Her is available at Grass Roots Books.
By Kyra Young
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