I received a complimentary copy of A Violet Fire from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What an original take on the vampire genre! I loved the tragedy of the human condition and the 'Violet Heir' who may be able to avenge some of what has been lost. Angry and powerful, Wavorly is a character to envy. (Sounds like there will be a great sequel as well!)
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A Violet Fire by Kelsey Quick. First, I must say I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book! I could not put it down! I started it and kept finding excuses to stop everything that I was doing to read! I was intrigued at the very beginning and I SO did not expect the first book to leave me wanting to find the sequel and buy it! I will probably buy a hard cover to keep in my classroom for the dystopian section of the common core unit.

Wavorly is not the typical teenage girl in most dystopian books. Her character is strong and very cynical to the point of getting her in trouble. Zein IS the typical vampire character—but just when you think you have he plot and ending figured out, you are wrong. This is am adventure that I was thrilled to go along for the ride with. Can’t say again how much I loved this book.

I looove this book. I'm so happy that vampires are officially back in the YA genre. The plot was engaging and had some twists I didn’t see coming but thoroughly enjoyed, the writing was easy to follow and the characters were relatable and full of life. I had so many emotions while reading this, and for me, that’s the element that makes a book a good one.

A Violet Fire is a dystopian novel in which vampires rule the world and use humans as their blood supplies. Men and women born in the territory of Cain are learning from an early age that their only purpose in life is offering their blood to their masters and serving them as best as they can. Wavorly Sterling is tossed into this life at the age of eight, and ten years later hates everything that has to do with vampires and her enslavement. Anton Zein is an enigmatic vampire who saved her life when she was little and is now responsible for her fate. What will happen when their paths collide?

Wavorly is the type of character that either you love or hate. I liked her a lot! I think she is strong, opinionated and just, but she is equally immature, impulsive and has a big mouth on her. She is a very realistic character as all the other cast members. Zein is mysterious and magnetic. He won me over from the second time we get to meet him. He has his scary moments but, most of the time, he is kind and understanding. Their interactions are addicting and their chemistry is tangible. Also, the relationships and the dynamics between the supply units are very interesting to read due to their hard competition with each other.

The only issue I have to point out is the pacing. I think there are many unnecessary descriptions that slow the story down and makes you want to skip them and get to the juicy parts. Still, I don’t think it’s something that will spoil your reading experience.

The ending is absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to read the next one! If you like YA paranormal stories, I’d say to give this one a try.

I received this e-arc from NetGalley for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Anyone who's enjoyed Holly Black's The Cruel Prince needs to read Kelsey Quick's A Violet Fire. It takes the same basic concept of being a rare human in world of magical, powerful creatures, and turns it into a kind of psychological drama with a fantasy backdrop. It's beautifully crafted, and the character development is top-notch. This book exemplifies what an active protagonist should look like--not jumping from one big, exciting event to another but pushing the plot forward with her decisions.

When the book begins, Wavorly (or Wave, as her few friends call her), has every reason not to have agency. She's enslaved as a young child, raised in a world where her only purpose is feeding a vampire master, and pretty much spends all her time locked in one cage or another. Yet her fierce goal to escape and find freedom permeates her every action. She gives herself agency. Her choices matter, and she reflects back on them and adjusts future actions accordingly. Wave never just walks anywhere. She surveys her surroundings, looking for openings she can use later.

The core of the book is the war going on in Wave's head. She has always hated vampires, but when her master Zein starts showing her small moments of kindness, it throws her off, and she finds her resolve weakening. The reader is left constantly trying to figure Zein out as much as Wave is. I could still see readers having mixed feelings about him even after the book is over.

Throughout the book, Wave gets visions of a sort by stepping into a room of violet flames that only she seems to be able to see. These build up to an excellent twist at the end that I don't believe any reader is going to see coming, simply because the hints Wave gets from her moments past the wall are too disjointed. But I don't believe this is one of those books where the aim is to figure the twist out. The big question becomes, once all is revealed, what does Wave ultimately do with this final piece of information? Does she give Zein her full trust or not? There are surprisingly stiff consequences if her assessment about him is wrong.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I hope I get to read more of the author's work in the future.

Rating: 5 out of 5

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

DNF 21%

I really tried to like this book as I was interested by the synopsis given, but the writing confused me, and the protagonist seemed all over the place. She was easily trusting of men (even though they were usually cruel), and more critical of women (when it would seem the women should have teamed together to overtake their captors).

I am seeing a resurgence in vampire books again, and I'm looking forward to seeing what new series pops up, but unfortunately I do not think I'm going to continue "A Violet Fire" at this time - maybe down the road.


*Recommended if you enjoy vampires, insta-love, villains-to-lovers or hate-to-love-to-hate tropes.

I was in a constant state of confusion while reading this. Where was the plot headed? What is going on with the world building? Is this supposed to be a sub-plot of the plot I can't yet define? Great premise, it just didn't come together.

Thank you Netgalley and D&B Management for sending me a digital copy of A Violet Fire.

This book is quite different from typical vampire stories. In a world ruled by vampires, Wavorly is a mere human, trained to become a supply unit - humans who provides blood to the vampires - for the dark brooding Lord Anton Zein, one of the five rulers of the vampire nation, who rescued her years ago from an attack of rogue vampires. But just because Wavorly owes her life to him does not mean she is willing to serve as his slave and live to feed his blood lust. She loathes him and chooses to defy him in every way she can but as she spends more time with him, she starts to question whether he really is the monster she thought him to be. But in this ruthless world ruled by bloodsucking monsters, things are not the way they seem. Soon her life takes an unexpected and dangerous turn as she learns about sinister plots and hidden prophecies.

* SPOILERS AHEAD *
I was quite torn on whether to give it a 4 star or 5 star, so i guess I am settling for 4.5 stars. This book gave me everything I needed - dark and forbidden romance, chosen one, cool prophecies - everything. It is perfect for all the Darkling and Alina (from Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo) shippers including me. I loved the main character - but while she starts off as a badass heroine, her character kind of becomes more of a lovesick damsel in distress in the middle of the book until she regains her awesome stature in the end. The love interest/ villain is extremely well written - he is manipulative and evil but he also has this soft vulnerable side, especially, in the end of the book you see his conflicts and realize that no matter what his original intentions were, to his own dismay, he IS in love with Wavorly. I still hate him for all the heinous things he has done, but I also ship him with Wavorly so hard and hope to see him redeem himself eventually (though I don't know if anyone can ever excuse this level of atrocity). This book is set in a dark and semi dystopian vampire world which I haven't seen in books before and enjoyed very much. The starting of this book, however, was very slow. I was almost 20% in when I was seriously considering not finishing - but once you get past it, the plot (atleast romance wise) starts getting interesting. I also felt like the author was unnecessarily too descriptive. The book would have worked just fine without those details and I skimmed through most of them.

Overall, it was a really good book - a bit slow paced but swoon worthy. I can't wait to see more of Wavorly and Zein. Prophecies and chosen ones are my favorite fantasy tropes and I am very excited to see how this one plays out. I look forward to reading the next installment of this series.

I was given an eARC of this book by Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

So, this book was a really pleasant surprise and a great take on the usual vampire stories which I am not a huge fan of. I started it this book with little to no expectations and found myself little by little drawning in the world that was presented to me. I thought the world-building was done very well and I was very interested in the rules and the system.

Overall, I did like like this book but I found it boring at times.

I'm really excited to read the next book in the series to see how things will pick up.

3.5/5

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Title A Violet Fire

Author Kelsey Quick

Release Date December 9, 2019

Description from Amazon

In the Vampire Stratocracy of Cain, human blood is scarce. For centuries, councils have sought to assuage the blood shortage by enslaving and breeding humans, turning them into profitable supply units for the rich and the abled.

Today, eighteen-year-old Wavorly Sterling is officially a supply unit, bound to serve her blood willingly to her master for the rest of her life. One of only few humans that was not bred in Cain, Wavorly knows freedom better than anyone, and she is determined to escape the clutches of her oppressors, even if by the hands of death.

But surprises lay beyond every certainty, and within every doubt. Where Wavorly’s hatred for both vampires and her enslavement once flowed free as blood, it merely trickles as she grows to admire her reserved, yet receptive master and savior, Anton Zein.

Although warmed by comforts never felt before, danger still lurks in the castle, and a prophecy calls from beyond the walls of a lavender gate–concealing the horrific secrets lodged between handsome smirks and cinereous eyes. It will take everything within Wavorly to face her fears and her doubts; to harness the truth of her past despite what that means for her future. The only question is, will she?

Initial Thoughts

Please see my hype post for my official initial thoughts but, overall, I was excited to start this book. It was different from anything else I was working on and I wanted a change of pace.

Favorite Character

Gemini — I want more of Gemini. I love that he called Wavorly “Dimwit” and I thought there was so much more to him than we got to see. I love his story with Savvy and I hope to see more of them in future books in this series.

Series Value

I didn’t realize this book was the first in a potential series when I started reading it. That being said, I was initially very critical of the fact that I made it through almost 80% of the book and didn’t understand what the central plot was. At just 50% I was starting to worry but by the time I was in the 80s, I was like what is going on here? After finishing the book and seeing that there is at least one more book planned, I can understand why it took so long.

I think this book sets up the series well and is rich with background information and world building. However, I think some hints about the overarching plot are needed earlier on in the story.

Some Things I Liked

The setting — I liked the mysterious, semi-dystopian setting. I’m not totally clear on what year this book takes place in but I like the mystery of it all. It works and I think it gives Kelsey Quick a lot of room for interesting elements to work with in future books.
Wavorly’s attitude — I thought her no-nonsense sass was a welcome change for a main character. She did what she wanted the had almost no regard for consequences. I liked that.
A likeable villain — It’s been a while since I read a book with a truly likeable villain and I loved the twist and the big reveal of the villain in this story.
One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

I felt the story was lacking a plot for a huge portion. I understood the setting and the characters but I didn’t have that sense of caring. What I mean is that things were happening, but there was no pressure or driving force. I missed that sense of urgency and connection to the story. I think the larger plot needed to be revealed a bit sooner.
Final Thoughts

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the world building in this book. I thought the concepts and setting were fascinating and left me hooked on this as a series. I didn’t like that I was unaware of its status as a series until the end of the book and I think that played into my final judgement. I could have been more open-minded about the lack of plot if I knew there was definitely more to the story.

I would definitely read the next book in this series.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo — talk about likeable villains! I practically rooted for the Darkling in this series. Definitely give it a try if you liked the villain and the hero/villain relationship in A Violet Fire.
The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer — not to be cliché, but this is probably one of the most popular YA vampire series out there. If you liked the vampire element, and you haven’t read this series, give it a try.
Before the Broken Star by Emily R. King — while this book is not dystopian or about vampires, the main characters are quite similar. Both Everley and Wavorly (see, similar already), are headstrong, revenge-bent, and fearless. They both have little regard for their own safety when it comes to getting what they want. If you enjoyed Wavorly’s attitude and overall personality, give this series by Emily R. King a try.

Interesting take on the typical vampire story line. Wavorly is a human whose family is killed and she is taken by a vampire to be raised as a blood source for the leaders. However, she is everything a good blood source is not. Despite her attitude and disrespect to the leaders, she becomes the favorite of her Zein. As she learn more about him she begins to accept her new life and begins to care for Zein. However, once Wavorly finds out who she really is her whole life changes. Everything she thought she new is now uncertain.

The beginning of A VIOLET FIRE was promising. Unlike other arcs typically found here on NetGalley, it was fast-paced with an exciting plot and excellent world-building. It was straight and to the point and there was never a dull moment. Somewhere along the 50% mark, however, Wavorly's selfish and reckless personality got the better of me and I began to hate every word she uttered. The way she treated other female characters like crap while always seeing the kindness in the males drove me insane. The repetitiveness of Zein and Wavorly's meetings as a way to advance the romance subplot became overbearing and took over other aspects of the book I had enjoyed at the start of the novel. The plot twists toward the end were unsurprising but set up a nice segue toward a possible sequel.

I actually really liked this book. I honestly didn't see that coming! The story hooked me immediately and I feel like the author knew exactly what they wanted their readers to feel as each scene played out. I'm excited for the next book to see how it plays out. That being said I do think it could have been more detailed.

Overall I did like like this book .
Waverly is a young woman who knows what it’s like to be free. To have choice . Unfortunately Waverly lives in a near future where vampires rule. Humans are kept in compounds . They learn vampire etiquette. When to speak , what tone to speak with . History of the vampire wars. There is 5 aristocratic vampire houses. Waverly is owned by Zein . A vampire who has proved himself in battle and can be ruthless.
Waverly has tried to escape and has been caught,. To keep a eye on her Zein bring her to his castle to compete for his attention with all the other women aka blood supply units. There is a undercurrent of dark attraction there.
I liked it and was happy overall.
This review will be posted to amazon when published.
Thank you so much

E-ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion

This was not a good read for me. I did find hard to connect to the story and characters and left me a bit disappointed.
Probably one of the worse reads so far I'm afraid.

I wanted to like this book. I really did.

The story was interesting, and different from the usual vampire novel. The h was kind of annoying and made some stupid decisions, but I'm used to that in these types of books.

I think the problem was that I couldn't relate to any of the characters. I didn't actually like them. I was even a little bored reading this.

The last part of the book was actually interesting, but everything felt crammed in. It was like 75% of the book was background and then the action started at the end.

It wasn't bad. It was somewhat entertaining. But I won't be reading the sequel.

I do thank net galley for the chance to read an advance copy. Obviously that didn't effect my review.