A girl in England
A boy in Paris
Two destinies entwined by an ancient curse
And eight weeks to find each other
Writing is akin to alchemy – taking the magic of ideas and by pinning them down on paper with ink making them real.
CJ is a fantastic author – I have read and loved her Night School series, Carina is a new author to me but has had over a dozen books published in France – none of which are currently available in English!
After having read The Secret Fire I have seriously started thinking about learning French just so I could read her earlier works!
The initial review I wrote made use of so many hackneyed phrases that I deleted it and started again.
Then I thought, just because the words get used so often does not make them untrue!
So yes…
The Secret Fire has no holds barred
and indeed is a thrill a minute
My heart did leap into my throat (that one scene with Sacha and Antoine on the top of the building in chapter 2 did it)
It also include ancient organisations dedicated to fighting evil, at least one evil organisation dedicated to revenge at all costs.
The Secret Fire is brilliant! It is a pure old-school thriller with paranormal aspects woven in so subtly that they are accepted almost without notice. At no times does the sense of danger and mystery seem forced!
I have seen a number of YA thrillers coming out this year and by all means you should read those – but if you listen to one bit of advice I give (and really you should listen to most of my advice – especially about libraries) then read this book!
Go to your library either the one at school* or your public library and request it if it is not already on the shelves or you can even buy a copy yourself. It is not just a thrilling book it is also a beautiful work of art that will complement your shelves wonderfully.
*if your school does not have a library or librarian then organise a protest about that and do the same if your local library is under threat of closure – this advice you should take!
