Friday, November 14, 2014

Firebug by Lish McBride - ADVISABLE

McBride, Lish Firebug, 326 p. Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2014.  $18.  Language: R (65 swears, 1 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (lots of deaths – some bloody).  

Ava’s mother tried to hide her from the Coterie, but after mom died, Ava was captured and forced by Venus, the Coterie’s twisted leader, to become her servant.  Ava is a Firebug, and is frequently called upon to eliminate Venus’s enemies or discipline wayward magical creatures.  Ava finally has a normal boyfriend and is trying to keep him away from the magic, but as a surprise one night, he takes her directly to Venus’s lair – a hot underground nightclub, where, of course, everyone knows Ava. 

I am not going to give away too much more of this plot – and there are many, many juicy details I am keeping to myself.  I read it as fast as I can.  If you have fans of darker side of fantasy, Ava and her story are very compelling.  It is actually less bloody than McBride’s Necromancer books and while it is dark, it is not a book that means to glorify evil and cruelty – exactly the opposite.  I am so tempted to keep this for my middle school, but the language is quite strong.  

MS – OPTIONAL, HS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher

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