Weekend Reads: Burn by J.M. Hackman (Laurie)

I tried to think of a Christmas-themed fantasy story for this week's post, but I apparently haven't read any lately! (Last year I posted a review of Christmas Fiction off the Beaten Path, an anthology with a variety of genres - including my fantasy story, "Return to Callidora"- which you can find here!)

Instead, I'm excited to share my thoughts on Burn, the last book in J.M. Hackman's Firebrand Chronicles! Burn released earlier this year, and the full Firebrand Chronicles box set will be published on January 11, 2021! It's even going to include four new stories from the Firebrand Chronicles fantasy world - I can't wait! Since Burn is the third book in the series, a spoiler-free synopsis will be tough, but I'll do my best!

Brenna James is a teenage girl with ADHD whose ordinary life was disrupted when she discovered she has the power to create fire and that part of her heritage comes from Linneah, an alternity where she's the one destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy. After rescuing her mom, recovering a sacred relic, and saving her best friend from a disastrous marriage, Brenna has made a major enemy of Rune, a dangerous man determined to take control of the alternity by force no matter the cost.

Now Brenna and her family have been forced to evacuate their home, and Brenna's boyfriend, Baldwin, has been affected by Rune's dark power. Brenna should be training to improve her skills as a firebrand, but her talent won't respond to her. When a prophecy suggests she might be able to find a staff that has the ability to cut and mend space itself, she finds new purpose but also a new level of danger. And even if she finds the staff, how can she fight Rune and his growing army when her firebrand gift won't cooperate?

As you can probably tell, Burn was an action-packed, thought-provoking finale to the Firebrand Chronicles! I missed Brenna's spunk during the sections when she was feeling lost and discouraged, but her reactions to her circumstances were realistic and made for a stronger journey of growth by the end of the book. As the author discussed in this post, Burn definitely went a little darker than the earlier books in the series, but I appreciated that it was handled tastefully and integrated well into the story. While some of the emotions and themes went darker, there were also many moments of light and hope, especially leading up to the very satisfying conclusion! As always, I had a great time re-visiting this vivid, creative fantasy world and fun characters like Arvandus and Tiny. The conflict felt like it resolved a little quickly considering the enormity of the build-up, but it was interesting to see how everything came together in the end and the roles various characters got to play.

I couldn't wait to read this book after the suspenseful ending to Flare, and I'm so glad I completed this journey! Brenna was a great character to root for even in her hardest moments, and the ending put a smile on my face, making a strong case for the power of light to overcome any darkness. Start with Spark and Flare, then you'll definitely want to see this series to its inspiring conclusion!

Have you finished any series recently? Were you satisfied with the ending?

Thanks for reading!

Laurie

Going Dark by Special Guest J.M. Hackman (Burn Blog Tour)

We are so excited to welcome friend and former Lands Uncharted contributor J.M. Hackman to the blog today to celebrate the FINAL book in The Firebrand Chronicles!! Burn just released yesterday, and Jill stopped by to share an inside look at the conclusion of her trilogy!

Take it away, Jill!

Going Dark

The opening scene for Burn was something I’d thought and prayed about, and my mind kept conjuring a scene with the main character at her lowest point. It was a struggle to know whether readers would still pull for her when it was obvious she’d made a mistake. You know, the kind where you cover your eyes and yell at the book? No? Maybe that’s just me then.

Brenna James isn’t perfect. She struggles with ADHD, has no filter, and regularly makes impulsive decisions. But with this story I wanted to add another problem, a pretty big error in judgement. I’d done research to see how ADHD kids handled stressors and discovered kids with ADHD used alcohol more often and earlier than their neurotypical peers. With everything that had happened to Brenna in Flare, I knew there’d be a breaking point—she’d either handle the stress in a healthy way or make a mistake.

In Christian fiction, regardless of genre, there’s often a resistance to the characters going dark. Don’t show depression, the dirty messes, the ways people screw up. And be careful writing about the big mistakes like addiction, self-harm, or any of the other dozens of things people do to hurt themselves. Only recently have writers begun to bravely tackle these issues.

I understand that avoidance. As Christians, we shouldn’t glorify or dwell on the negative. And as a Christian parent, I don’t want my kids to read stuff with a moral compass pointing in a different direction from what we’ve taught them.

Despite this, I kept circling back around to how I thought she’d behave, especially without a lot of parental supervision. After more prayer and discussions with those smarter than me, Burn became a story where she battled herself, learned, and then made better choices.

The Firebrand Chronicles has always been about second chances, something all of us need. In Burn, I hope instead of darkness, the reader sees light emerging from the dark, beauty growing from ashes, a kind of redemption rising from past mistakes.

I so appreciate this open, honest approach to writing, and it makes me even more excited to read Burn! Here's a little more about the book:

Life: 1. Brenna James: 0.

An AWOL talent, an enemy-occupied hometown, and a Life Shade boyfriend—Brenna James just wants something to go right. Although her family has been given sanctuary in Syeira, Brenna will never be safe as long as Rune is hunting down and killing Firebrands. 

Can someone please wake her up already?

When a prophecy sends Brenna and Baldwin on a confusing quest, they aren’t sure where to begin. They must find the Caelestis Staff, a powerful object that both cuts and mends space itself. Rune wants it too, and he’ll use any lethal tactics necessary to obtain it.

Yeah, nightmare material right there.

A traveling oasis, plenty of man-eating mermaids, and one Skeleton King later, Brenna
seriously doubts she has the edge she needs to confront Rune. When Brenna’s faced with
the biggest test of her life, will she burn like the Firebrand she is? Or will she burn out?

Eeeek, I can't wait! You can find order links for Burn HERE. And here's a little more about the author:

J. M. Hackman loves thunderstorms, bookstores, and happy endings. She’s never met a reading nook she didn’t like and prefers soul talk to small talk. When she’s not writing, she spends time with her two munchkins and her handsome husband who supports her in this crazy profession. Her days are filled with writing stories, consuming massive quantities of dark chocolate, and looking for portals to other worlds. 

You can connect with her on her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Amazon. Thank you so much for stopping by to share with us today, Jill, and congratulations on your new release!

Book review: The Restorer by Sharon Hinck (Lizzie)

A friend and critique partner recommended The Restorer by Sharon Hinck, first book in The Sword of Lyric series, to me several years ago. I read the first few pages, thought it wasn't for me, and didn't touch it again for three years. Last week, I decided to give it another try--after all, Susan Donetti's other recommendations have all been hits. I picked up where I left off, and within five minutes I was hooked!

The Restorer is a bit different than most of the books we review here; it's about a tired, 40-ish, soccer mom, and there's no young couple romance, only romance rekindled within long-time marriages. But different can be good, and this was definitely a good book.

Susan Mitchell thinks she's an ordinary soccer mom, tired, and she wants God to use her in some way--possibly as a counselor at a drug rehab center. But then she's sucked into another world and finds herself possessed of a sword, remarkable hearing and sight, and miraculous self-healing abilities. And about that latter ability, certain people think there's no better way of proving that one than by slicing her with a knife and watching her heal. It'd be annoying to Susan if it weren't so frightening, for that ability marks her as the Restorer, the person (usually a warrior Guardian) the One sends to help his people when they're in trouble. That wasn't the way of being useful she had anticipated.

Not only must she adapt to a foreign culture (with a strange mix of technology and simplicity), deal with "guests" who poison minds, tackle corrupt rulers, and lead people back to the Verses, she has to learn how to fight. And find her way home. Because she ends up dead like the last Restorer.

Despite me not being a soccer mom, I related very well to Susan and loved many of the secondary characters as well, especially Mark (her husband, who was a shocking secret), Tristan, and Keiran. The settings and the different cultures within the collection of tribes making up the nation Susan is sent to save are very interesting and well-drawn. Susan's story is in some ways parallel to the story of Deborah in Judges, and I enjoyed that connection and the spiritual aspect of the story.

Have you read The Restorer? Do you like books about married couples or stick with books about young singles?

Top 3 Portal Fantasies (Laurie)

Happy Saturday, everyone! As I mentioned in a recent post, my short story "Threshold" was published in an anthology titled Mythical Doorways at the end of March. It was my first attempt at writing a portal fantasy, and I had so much fun with it! Since I've had portal fantasies on my mind, I thought today I'd share my top 3! Now I know there are some amazing, world-famous portal fantasies out there, such as C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, but I thought for this post I'd focus on books that aren't quite as well known :)


3. Spark by J.M. Hackman

You read that right, this book is by our very own Jill, and I LOVED it!! Brenna travels through a portal in a search for her missing mother and winds up in an alternate reality called Linneah. Brenna's voice was so genuine and humorous as she experienced joys and challenges on her adventures, which made exploring Linneah such a blast! And the descriptions of the scenery and creatures of Linneah were spot on - enough to give a stunning visual but not so much that it slowed the narrative down. Linneah was the perfect mix of familiarity and novelty, and I can't wait to visit again in future books! (The next of which, Flare, happens to be releasing later this year!)





2. Unblemished by Sara Ella

This book blew me away! Eliyana discovers that the world we know is only one of seven Reflections, and travels to another Reflection to try to save her mom (apparently a lot of moms need saving in portal fantasies!). I loved the way that each Reflection was distinct, yet had parallels to familiar landmarks. And the methods of travel between Reflections were so crazy! Combine all this cool world-building with gorgeous writing, an edge-of-your-seat love triangle, and a few major plot twists, and it's no wonder I was hooked!






1. Illusionary by Desiree Williams

*Happy sigh* This book, you guys - I read it over a year ago, and it still makes me giddy! When Kamryn falls down the stairs and wakes up in the Land of Ur, she needs to find a way back home. And help save Ur from destruction. Ur had so many fun parallels to other famous fantasy worlds, such as Neverland and Oz, but all with a unique twist. And the storyteller! Reese's abilities were so cool, and I loved how his well-being was so connected to Ur as a whole. The message and heart behind this story were just beautiful, which, combined with the adorable romance, totally made me grin :) One of my all-time favorite books!!




I look forward to reading (and maybe even writing!) many more portal fantasies in the future! Have you read any of these books? What are some of your favorite portal fantasies?


Thanks for reading!
Laurie