Firewalker by Josephine Angelini

Firewalker by Josephine Angelini
Release Date - September 1, 2015
Publisher Website - Macmillan / Raincoast Books
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 352 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received for honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Worlds divide, magic slays, and love lies in the second book of Josephine Angelini’s The Worldwalker Trilogy.

"You think I’m a monster, but my choices, as ruthless as they seem, are justified."

Lily is back in her own universe, and she's ready to start a new life with Rowan by her side. True, she almost died in the Pyre that fueled their escape from New Salem, and must hide her magic for the safety of everyone she cares about, but compared to fighting the Woven, the monstrous creatures inhabiting the alternate Salem, life is looking pretty good.

Unfortunately, Lillian, ruthless ruler of the 13 Cities, is not willing to let Lily go that easily. If she can’t persuade Lily to return to her world, she will force her to come back by doing away with the ones she loves.

Picking up right where Trial By Fire left off, Firewalker is another sexy, fast-paced, heartbreaking thrill ride from internationally bestselling author Josephine Angelini!

Having witches in your novel is an easy way to grab my attention. Particularly with some sort of unique hook to the premise. I immediately was interested in a series that promised a different take on the classic mythology and Trial by Fire more than delivered on that promise. In Firewalker, Josephine Angelini continues to weave a delightfully twisted take on witches and the Salem witch trials. She blends witch mythology with parallel universes to stunning impact, and thrills with this second installment of her trilogy.

In this second installment, Josephine Angelini makes you view the characters very differently than you did in the first. She widens your point of view, and makes you question what you thought you knew. Who is good and who is evil isn't quite so clear, and it embraces that sometimes people become a monster for the right reasons. The murkiness, and complexity of what is happening is my favourite part of this series. There isn't a clear answer, and like most things, it comes down to whose point of view you're seeing it from.

Lily continues to be one of my favourite characters in this series. She thinks rationally about things, and scientifically while everyone else is purely reacting on instinct. Her desire, particularly where it comes to the threats around them, to understand is incredibly intelligent. She questions things instead of blinding following. She's powerful, and that matched with her intelligence makes her formidable. There is always that tantalizing tease that she could become Lillian under the right circumstances, and this novel shows how true that statement really is.

With Lily's disappearance being the focus in the first novel, her subsequent return to home added a layer of realism to this otherwise magic ridden novel. There is an investigation, police are involved, there are consequences for a teenager going missing. This was a stark contrast to a lot of novels of this genre that gloss over the more practical realities of this actually happening. It added another layer of tension to a story already fraught with high stakes. There is a brutality to Josephine's writing. She promises nothing, and nobody is safe. This series already packs a pretty high death count, and as the stakes (and flames) grow steadily higher so do the casualties.

A series filled with steamy romance, dark magic, and the delicious tingle of possibility. Josephine Angelini has crafted a breathtaking, complex world, and even more complex characters. The second novel outshone the first, and I am breathlessly awaiting the conclusion to this incredible series.