ARC Review: Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Title: Wildefire
Author: Karsten Knight
Release Date: July 26th 2011
Source: ARC
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Kindle Lendable: No

Goodreads Description:

Every flame begins with a spark.


Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.
 
My Thoughts:
 
I have been eagerly anticipating Wildefire for awhile now and when I was given the chance to read the ARC, I greedily grabbed at the chance.  I came into Wildefire with high expectations, not only because of the synopsis, but because the author, Karsten Knight, and his personality.  I was hoping that his personality would reflect into his story telling ability.
 
I was drawn in from the first page of Ash's story and am still left wanting more, even though I'm finished.
 
The story is original and well written.  Karsten was able to write the scenes so descriptively that I was able to picture the scenes in my mind as if I was actually there.  His personality really shines through to his characters' personalities.  Ash and her friends had me laughing, cringing, and even tearing up and covering my mouth as it was open in an "Oh no! How could that happen?" kind of moment. 
 
My favorite part was the ending.  I never saw it coming and it blew me away after I went back to the pages to see who that character was again.  I don't want to give anything away, but just make sure that you pay attention to all the characters named that way you don't have to go searching at the end saying "Wait, who was that again?" just like I did. 
 
At first, I just thought that Eve, Ash's sister, was a character who was just misunderstood and was only trying to be there for Ash when she was needed.  That just maybe things got a bit out of hand in the beginning, but while continuing their story, I realized she is just a cruel, psychotic girl who obviously needs to be dealt with properly before anyone else gets hurt.
 
The whole idea of Polynesian Gods and Goddesses is what drew me to continue reading.  It's a topic that I've never encountered before when choosing a book, so I wasn't positive whether I would enjoy it as much as I hoped to and if I would start reading and get lost in the adventures the characters were being put through.  Wildefire surpassed my expectations and now I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel, along with everyone else, I'm sure.  How can we not, with a cliffhanger like that?
 
I love when a story also contains romance.  Ash and Colt's romance isn't the "love at first sight" type of romance.  It feels a bit more real since they take their time getting to know each other and becoming friends first, then continue into a light romance.
 
So overall, I really enjoyed Wildefire.  It did have a bit of cussing and violence that might be inappropriate for the younger generation of teens, but as a whole, it's an adventure suitable for anyone mid teens and older.  I would have appreciated a  little more romance throughout the book since there wasn't as much as I like, but was still fulfilled with the remainder of the story and wasn't really even considering the lack of romance due to the other events that were going on.  The humorous banter between Ash and her friends had me laughing out loud.  The creatures that Karsten created had me cringing in fear for Ash and her friends, especially when we are first introduced to the Cloak.
 
Wildefire was a breath of fresh air  and was pure awesomeness that will leave you begging for more.  So if you are ready for a refreshing change instead of the paranormal that you usually read, pick this up because it is a fantastic read full of twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat till the end.  With Karsten's unique storyline and cast of characters,  I guarantee that you'll love it too! Karsten is a hot new author to watch out for and I will definitely be reading more of his work as it becomes available.
 
4.75 Stars