It Ends in Fire Blog Tour
Hi friends! Welcome to my It Ends in Fire Blog Tour stop! I’ll admit I’m a bit conflicted about this one. It Ends in Fire is on my Most Anticipated of 2021 List, but I found some aspects of the book to be a bit lacking. Let’s jump in!
Read my June Reading Wrap-Up here!
Title: It Ends in Fire
Author: Andrew Shvarts
Rating: 3 Stars
CAWPILE: 6,8/10
Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQ, Young Adult
Content Warnings: Murder, parental murder, violence
Format: eARC
Publisher: Little Brown/Patterson
Date Published: July 6th 2021
Goodreads Description: As a child, Alka witnessed her parents’ brutal murder at the hands of Wizards before she was taken in by an underground rebel group.
Now, Alka is deep undercover at the most prestigious school of magic in the Republic: Blackwater Academy, a place where status is everything, where decadent galas end in blood-splattered duels, where every student has their own agenda. To survive, Alka will have to lie, cheat, kill, and use every trick in her spy’s toolkit. And for the first time in her life, the fiercely independent Alka will have to make friends in order to recruit the misfits and the outcasts into her motley rebellion.
But even as she draws closer to victory — to vengeance — she sinks deeper into danger as suspicious professors and murderous rivals seek the traitor in their midst, and dark revelations unravel her resolve. Can Alka destroy the twisted game…without becoming a part of it?
I received a review copy from Netgalley and TBR and Beyond Tours. All opinions are my own.
Purchase Links
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound
It Ends in Fire Review
Characters – 6/10
This book has some strong points and some low points. I’m going to try to cover them all the best I can. One of the issues I had with the book was the characters. Alka is amazing, but she’s not really the brains behind the whole operation. She’s supposed to be smart and cunning, but I just didn’t see it.
I also couldn’t really connect with the other characters through her. I didn’t feel much for either of the love interests (no triangle thank goodness) or her friends. That’s maybe because Alka was pretending to be someone else and she couldn’t fully connect with those characters.
In the end, I found myself not caring about them for most of the book.
Atmosphere – 7/10
The worldbuilding in this book was amazing. It makes me wish it was a bit longer so we could explore the politics more. The entire world and hierarchy of the wizards were so well thought out. It just goes to show that there are so many levels in society and that nothing is ever just black or white.
Writing – 6/10
The writing was good overall, but I had some issues here and there. There were way too many flashback scenes that broke the flow of the story a bit. There was also a lot of telling and not enough showing. It’s not bad, but just not something I’m used to.
Plot – 7/10
It’s a pretty basic revenge plot but I was here for it. I was rooting for Alka, even though she wanted to kill everyone. I have a thing for the morally grey/bad guys.
Looking for more book reviews? Check out my review directory!
Intrigue – 7/10
The conflict in this book is mainly between Alka and the “system”. Wizards are truly horrible and they’d do anything to stay on top. Is it a bit convoluted that a game at a wizarding school could cause so much damage? Maybe. Do I wish this was new adult instead of YA? Maybe. But overall, I’m happy.
Logic – 9/10
The magic system is amazing. Like seriously. It’s so inventive and well thought out. It’s one of the most unique magic systems I’ve ever read. You should read this book, even if it’s just for the magic system. I wish we could have more of it.
Enjoyment – 6/10
Overall I did enjoy this book, and I recommend it to lovers of YA fantasy and evil wizards!
Favourite Quote
Author Information
Andrew Shvarts is the author of the Royal Bastards trilogy. He has a BA in English Literature and Russian from Vassar College. He works for Pixelberry Studios, making mobile games like High School Story, Choices, and more. Andrew lives in San Jose, California, with his wife, son, and two cats.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
It Ends in Fire Blog Tour Information
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It’s a shame when a most anticipated book ends up to be a bit lacking. Hope your next read is better.
i feel like most anticipated books can’t live up to the internal hype we put on them. i’m sorry this one was as great as you’d expected. still, sounds like it was a good read!
It’s got a pretty cool cover, but doesn’t sound like it really sparkled. But then, not every book can be a winner for everyone. Doesn’t sound like one to run away from either.
Good to see even with the lacking bits that some parts were great like the magic. Lovely review.
So sorry it did not live up to your expectations
The plot sounds so very interesting to me! I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t really connect too much with the characters. That’s a big issue for me too because then I stop caring about their issues.
When I added this to my July new releases blog post, I was definitely interested in it! It’s great to read your full thoughts on it and as always, I love how you utilize CAWPILE for your reviews. It really helps me understand what I’m getting into and what to expect when I read and I so appreciate that!
I hope you enjoy it!
Sorry to see this wasn’t a perfect read for you but glad that you got some enjoyment from it. Great review!
Color me intrigued. I’m always here for a solid magic system!