Featured Official Review: Child of Fire by Ela Lourenco

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 01 Mar 2018, 11:54

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Child of Fire" by Ela Lourenco.]

4 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

Book two of the Dragon Born series, Child of Fire by Ela Lourenco, picks up right where the first book left off; teenage Lara has just found out she is a dragon-the last dragon. The planet of Azmantium occupies another universe and another time. It is a land of blue grasses, lilac skies, and green seas. It is a land of magic, vampires, oracles, shapeshifters, and dragons.

Like many teens, Lara has a posse of super close friends with whom she shares all of her deepest secrets. Only they and a select few know that Lara is actually a shape-shifting dragon prophesized to come at a time of need to save the world. Politically, the dragons were considered dangerous, and they were all hunted and killed long ago. Because of this, the awakening of Lara’s duality couldn’t have come at a worse time. She and her friends are engaged in a magical tournament to help their friend, the prince, win the throne to his kingdom. Not only is she now under extreme stress, but she is also being watched with intense scrutiny; watched by those waiting to see if she is the dragon.

There were many aspects to this fantasy that I enjoyed. The realistic youthful comradery, teasing, and puppy love seemed authentic, and the hesitance between Lara and her newly discovered dragon-self seemed believable. Lara is scared to let her dragon show lest she be persecuted or even killed, thus, she is unwilling to accept the dragon as one with her fully. She continually refers to it as a separate entity saying things like: “she just took over!” The friction within Lara to understand and accept her truth made for an exciting plot.

Lara also employs a myriad of magical objects sure to pique the interest of any fantasy lover. She had a shapeshifting staff she was able to wear secretly as a necklace and a magical orb able to transport her to other planes of existence for special dragon teachings. If there were something I did not like, it would be the lack of detail surrounding the training sessions with her mystical dragon guide. Readers would like to see and hear how she learns to shapeshift, fly, and breathe fire. Sadly, Lourenco only summarizes.

This book was beautifully edited, and the words flowed gracefully with the ease befitting a noble dragon. For all of my complaints about lack of detail, the book was not compromised because of it. There was still detail enough to complete thought-provoking scenes; I just longed for more. This book is perfect for any young adult. There is no unsightly violence or inappropriate sex. The plot is not intense, but it's still satisfying as a quick read for adults. The magical tournament will continue into the next book, so the plot is sure to continue at its current pace. I can find no flaws with Child of Fire, and for that reason, I am rating it 4 out of 4 stars.

******
Child of Fire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like NL Hartje's review? Post a comment saying so!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 03 Mar 2018, 15:20

A shape shifting dragon of prophecy? In a kind of coming of age story? You've got my attention. Love the cover. Thanks for the review. I'll have to pick up the first one before I read this.

prettysmart · Post by **prettysmart** » 03 Mar 2018, 15:41

This review reminds me of memoirs of my childhood...super active, wild imagination filled with fantasy of different realms, parallel universes and mystical creatures lol...great review!

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 03 Mar 2018, 19:19

kandscreeley wrote: ↑03 Mar 2018, 15:20 A shape shifting dragon of prophecy? In a kind of coming of age story? You've got my attention. Love the cover. Thanks for the review. I'll have to pick up the first one before I read this.

Super quick and fun read. I personally have not read the first, but read the official review listed here by an Onlinebookclub reviewer and a blurb on Goodreads and that was about all the filling in I needed

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 03 Mar 2018, 20:21

prettysmart wrote: ↑03 Mar 2018, 15:41 This review reminds me of memoirs of my childhood...super active, wild imagination filled with fantasy of different realms, parallel universes and mystical creatures lol...great review!

The author currently lives in Scotland so I don't know if that inspires her dragon whimsy or not but I loved it!

Sahani Nimandra · Post by **Sahani Nimandra** » 03 Mar 2018, 21:41

Seems a book for Dragon lovers. The coming of age and shape shifting sounds an interesting combination. Looking forward for a delightful fantasy read! Thank you NL Hartje!

Kat Berg · Post by **Kat Berg** » 03 Mar 2018, 23:38

This seems like it is right down my alley. It has all the right elements, and I am feeling particularly grumpy today, a good YA fantasy book is just what the Dr. ordered. Thanks for the review.

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 04 Mar 2018, 02:01

Kat and Sahani, you should both check this out for a fun and easy read!

Heidi M Simone · Post by **Heidi M Simone** » 04 Mar 2018, 05:34

Whoa - vampires, oracles, shapeshifters, and dragons? This sounds like an exciting tale! I don't think I've read a book with a shape-shifting dragon before, so kudos to the author for coming up with something unique! I love the idea of the bond and reluctance between Lara and her dragon. Also, a fantasy with many magical objects sounds fantantic! Too bad the author only summarizes how the dragon learns to shapeshift because I think you're right, it would be beneficial to read more about this process. I'm glad you enjoyed this and thank you for the lovely review!

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 04 Mar 2018, 21:08

hsimone wrote: ↑04 Mar 2018, 05:34 Whoa - vampires, oracles, shapeshifters, and dragons?

I definitely fanboy'd over it a bit. To be fair, there is no vampire character in this book-book 2. But the universe is described as one where vampires exist. Maybe they're to come?

literarycat · Post by **literarycat** » 05 Mar 2018, 10:31

You totally caught my attention with this one! I cannot wait to add it to my shelves.

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 05 Mar 2018, 10:48

literarycat wrote: ↑05 Mar 2018, 10:31 You totally caught my attention with this one! I cannot wait to add it to my shelves.

Woohoo for more dragon love!

Jkhorner · Post by **Jkhorner** » 07 Mar 2018, 11:18

YA dragon books are my guilty pleasure, and I'm so glad this one holds up the standard! Thank you for pointing out all the important aspects like the pacing, grammar, and character interactions. It sounds fascinating and may make it on my reading list!

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 07 Mar 2018, 12:53

Jkhorner wrote: ↑07 Mar 2018, 11:18 YA dragon books are my guilty pleasure

Guilty pleasures are the best! Try it out!

Chaitalir · Post by **Chaitalir** » 07 Mar 2018, 14:03

This is one that I read to my daughter as our bedtime story. We thoroughly enjoyed the series and my daughter has refused to read anything but Harry Potter until she has the newest book. We just can't wait to see what's in store for the characters and with the last one leaving at a cliffhanger my daughter has enjoyed guessing what will happen next.