Heather’s Bookshelf: A Single Spark
Author: Mandy Burkhead
Released: 04/25/23
Genre: Adult Fantasy
“‘I wanted to see what happens," he said. “When you go all… dragony. Didn’t think it would be so scary though. You had me afraid for my life for a second.” While he tried to sound nonchalant, she didn’t miss the slight tremor in his voice. His fear had been real.’
“A Single Spark” introduces Mackenna, a nineteen-year-old young woman whose father is murdered in front of her, releasing her magic. The resultant uncontrolled fire ends up killing two soldiers, so she leaves her unsupportive village and goes on the run.
Witch hunters quickly track her down and Mackenna thinks she’s done for. Luckily, she’s rescued by Foulan and his animal companion wolf, Myst.
Foulan brings Mackenna to his people, the Wanderers, where they welcome her to join them, but Foulan is not sure about the girl. When Mackenna is tasked with finding the Fae to relieve her of her fire magic “curse” Foulan accompanies her and soon realizes she’s in need of protection from witch hunters and bounty hunters, especially one very determined and skilled shapeshifting Kazumi who’s seeking the infamy certain to accompany Mackenna’s capture.
Though their relationship starts off rocky, Mackenna and Foulan learn to trust each other through the dangers of their journey and a promising friendship blossoms into a new romance. Will they be able to find the Fae or will Kazumi get their way and end their mission before they have a chance to complete it?
Trigger Warning: violence, adult language, reference to attempted rape, murder, assault, animal violence, sexual situations
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is more in the action realm of fantasy and I appreciated the pacing as a result. The author did a great job in world building without spending exorbitant pages describing surroundings or every minute detail of a pub. I especially appreciated the descriptions around Foulan’s people and on the Fae Island. I felt like I could see the environments and the characters moving through the scenes. The story itself was told through different POVs including Foulan, Mackenna, and Kazumi. Each has a distinctive voice, motivations, and desires which are clearly represented with each of their portions of the story. I especially found the dichotomy between Mackenna and Kazumi interesting in that they shared some of the same characteristics like insecurities, but ended up in very different places in life. I almost wish Foulan’s POV wasn’t included as it may have added some to the development of the friendship to romance between him and Mackenna. As it was, each POV was clear in their desire for the other, so there was a lack of wondering whether they would or wouldn’t get together. It took a little of the wonder out of it for me. I did like the romance aspect of the story, the portion that talked about Mackenna’s powers, and the quest aspect of the story. And while there were flashes of novel ideas, I wish there was something that stood out as more unique from other tales I’ve read before. The ending was a cliffhanger and I wish there would have been much more closure for this tale, even if it is a part 1.
As a side note, I usually don’t comment on covers, but I found this cover to be especially pretty and genre fitting.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
An adult fantasy novel told through three main POVs and set in a quest style exploring different areas of clear world building.
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Check out my interview with Mandy Burkhead
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