Thursday, March 30, 2017

#Thursday Review - Pyromantic by Lish McBride #YAlit #Urban Fantasy @LishMcBride @HenryHolt ‏

Series: Firebug # 2
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: March 21, 2017
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: Publisher
Recommended By: 
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Ava is having a rough time. Getting rid of Venus didn’t set her free—she’s still part of the magical mafia called the Coterie. Her new boss seems like an improvement, but who knows if he’ll stay that way—the Coterie life changes people. And since Ava’s currently avoiding her friends after (disastrously) turning down a date with Lock, well, everything kind of sucks. And that’s not even taking into account the feelings she might have for him.
But when a mysterious illness starts to affect magical beings, it’s up to Ava and her team to stop its spread…or else one of them might be next.



Pyromantic is the second installment in author Lish McBride's Firebug series. Having been introduced to series protagonist Ava Halloway in Firebug, I've come to hope for a whole lot of great things from her. After all, how cool is it that she can start fires with her mind? Or, that Firebugs are creatures of flames & heat and are siblings to the Phoenix and the Dragon? How about the fact that she works for an organization called the Coterie, a magical mafia, where she is contracted by blood as an assassin of sorts? One could say that she is an indentured servant until she dies, or finds a way to break the blood bound contract. But, let's continue...

What made Pyromantic different from Firebug is that Venus is no longer around, but Ava's father Cade is. There are so many difference with just saying Cade is around. Ava no longer has to worry about Venus sending her off to kill her father, or friend. She can get used to calling him Dad, and working with him at the new Broken Spines. There's also a new sheriff in town by the name of Alistair. Alistair is an interesting character in that he doesn't treat his employees like dirt and then expect them to dump off the nearest bridge just because he says so. 

No. Alistair is rather progressive in his dealings with the Coterie which include Ezra (were-fox), Lock (dryad), & his second in command Bianca (caulbearer). Not unlike Firebug, Pyromantic is filled with snarky banter, romance, action, and some serious parasitic snails who make things all the more curious since Ava and crew are forced into dealing with creatures like Kelpies in order to save non-humans. There are some minor issues to wade through for Ava, especially when it comes to her relationship with Lock which really needed a sit down and shut up meeting. I loved that Ava's team is put back together again even with Ava & Lock's shenanigans. No worries! Thanks to Sylvie, & Katya, & Olive, Pyromantic doesn't suffer from a sophomoric jinx. Will there be another book? I dare hope so! 




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