review ~ fire in the blood by dale ibitz

Title: Fire in the Blood (Last Moon Rising #1)
Author: Dale Ibitz
# of Pages: 256
Published May 1, 2011
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Copy: PDF provided by the author for review
Average Rating: 3.95 / 5.00
My Rating: 3.50 / 5.00

Add to Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis

Global warming is playing havoc on Earth, and when 17 year-old Haley tumbles to a parallel world, she discovers that Earth’s issues stem from a war between the Eyids, the gods of nature. Because her necklace is a stone that holds the power of the Air Eyid, Haley is called upon to stop the war

But Haley has a problem. Actually, two problems. One named Tuggin, and one named Ian.

Both lie to her. Both have secrets. And neither are who they say they are. With her stone of power, Haley’s forced to make a choice that will decide the fate of all the worlds. But who should she trust, who should she fight, and who is the one with fire in his blood bent on betraying them all?

My Thoughts

Haley is a typical junior in high school who finds out on her seventeenth birthday that she actually isn't so typical after all--there's more to who she is than she could have ever imagined. Falling through a portal, she ends up in another world.

I thought the idea behind the story was really creative--gods of the elements begin fighting, and this is what begins the global climate change on Earth, while the people on Earth are making it worse. This idea was what drew me to read this book in the first place, and I thought it was an original and interesting idea. The synopsis definitely made me want to find out more.

In the first half of the book, not a lot happens--mostly there's set up of the story, introduction of the characters, many mentions of events in the past before the book begins, but it was a slow buildup for me. From halfway through the book to the end, however, I was riveted. There was plenty of action and suspense to keep me hooked. If the first half of the book had been as exciting as the second half and not been so slow, I would have rated it higher.

Haley is spunky and tough, and I really liked her. She was the only character I felt I really got to know. There weren't many characters that I connected with--there isn't much background given for any of them, and I would have liked to know more about each of them, especially Tuggin, the other main character. I want to know more about him and what makes him tick.  I did like how I was kept in suspense along with Haley--who should she trust? Who is lying to her? Who is telling the truth? This could be why the characters weren't more fleshed out--if they had been, it might have killed the suspense.

So much information was introduced in this book that it was difficult for me to keep up with all of the names for the different places and characters and had to keep looking back for reference. There are a few things I'm still confused about, for instance, why the gods began fighting and what happened to the stones. I'm hoping for some answers in the next book. I was happy with the way this book ends and suprised by the way it ends. It sets up perfectly for the next book in the series.

Buy the Book:  Amazon   Smashwords   Barnes & Noble  

About the Author:

Dale Ibitz was born in Oxford, Connecticut, grew up in the state of Washington, and then re-located back to Connecticut as an adult. Always a lover of books, she spent much of her childhood reading, visiting the library (her best friend’s mother was a librarian…how convenient), and writing. She majored in English at Central Connecticut State University, and while Dale holds a full-time day job where she’s immersed in the dry life of writing contracts, she’s been writing young adult fantasy and mid-grade contemporary for seventeen years (on the side, of course).

Dale’s a fan of hiking and the outdoors, seriously good writing, and she never, ever starts the day without chocolate and coffee (preferably together). Music inspires her, and she likes to listen to alternative metal. When she listens to lyrics, she finds herself imagining stories behind the words…it’s a great writing exercise.

Dale is, by nature, a klutz and has years of funny tidbits of real-life comical events which she (ahem) constantly seems to stumble in to. These tidbits have a habit of finding their way on to the pages of the books she writes, injecting a little humor to her writing.

If you were to visit Dale’s house, you'd meet her husband, 2 kids, their dog Lea (most people simply refer to her as The Beast...and for good reason), their kitten Luna (affectionately known as Loony Luna), a gaggle of ducks, and a flock of hens ruled by a tyrannical rooster they call The Stump, or Stumpy. How he got his name is a long story...maybe she’ll tell you sometime.

Find the Author:  Goodreads   Website