Complex world-building and luminous storytelling. Mira will sear a mark on your heart long after the final page is consumed.
A fully realized fantasy world complete with dragons, treachery, and flawed characters discovering their courage. I couldn’t put it down!
Do not walk, run to get this book, so you can devour it like I did! Mira is a fascinating and flawed heroine who tilts the world on its side. I loved her and this fiercely imagined world. Jodi Meadows is a genius.
If you were looking for a new YA fantasy book to read with incredibly diverse characters, fantastical world-building, and a riveting plot, then Before She Ignites is the book for you. This book is what the future of the YA genre should be.
The complex political system is compellingly built, and Mira’s characterization is admirable. Hand to fans of rich world building—and, of course, fans of dragons.”
07/03/2017
In this first book in the Fallen Isles trilogy, a young woman who is looked upon as the heart of her seven-island nation must stand up for what she believes after being bitterly betrayed. When 17-year-old Mira Minkoba discovers governmental treachery, she speaks out and is sent to the Pit, the most notorious prison in the Fallen Isles. At the mercy of Altan, a vicious guard with an agenda, Mira works to survive in order to save the dragons she loves and trains, see her family and friends again, and protect new allies she makes in prison. The narrative shifts between Mira’s harrowing time in the Pit and her pampered former life; Meadows (the Orphan Queen series) doesn’t instantly transform her into a ready-to-fight warrior, and she portrays acutely Mira’s insecurities about not living up to the demands of her station or to her mother’s expectations. Meadows leaves room to flesh out Mira’s island world in future books while exploring issues of inclusivity and discrimination. Fans of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series or Julie Kagawa’s Talon books will be delighted. Ages 13–up. Agent: Lauren Macleod, Strothman Agency. (Sept.)
A fully realized fantasy world complete with dragons, treachery, and flawed characters discovering their courage. I couldn’t put it down!
09/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Mira Minkoba, nicknamed the Hope-Bearer, is seen as the living representation of the Mira Treaty. The treaty united and brought equality to the six island-nations of the Fallen Isles; each island (populated by people of color) is connected to a different god who bestows gifts to its people. Mira, used to being the mouthpiece of The Luminary Council, is thrown into prison, known as the Pit, when she discovers dragons have gone missing and makes the mistake of bringing it to the council's attention. Away from her best friends, wingsister Ilina and protector Hristo, who disregards his islands' peaceful ways, Mira must rely on herself for the first time. Living with anxiety, the protagonist has learned to cope with breathing exercises and panic pills. A secret obsession with counting everything turns shame to skill when learning to communicate with prison mate Aaru in code. Relying on her belief in the treaty, and the ways of her island gods Damyan and Darina, the lovers, Mira works to survive and make allies. Interspersed with flashback chapters, the novel is fairly fast-paced with surprising twists and turns. This richly written fantasy—the first in a trilogy—will keep readers asking whom to trust and wondering what's true. For fans of Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas, and Graceling by Kristin Cashore. VERDICT A must-have for YA collections, especially where the author and fantasy is popular.—Rebecca Greer, Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, FL
2017-07-02
In this series debut, a young girl uncovers information that threatens to shake the foundation of her world.Mira Minkoba is known as the Hope-bearer. On the day she was born, a treaty uniting the six island-nations of the Fallen Isles was named after her. As the face and voice of the Luminary Council, her island's governing body, Mira lives life in a gilded cage. The only time she feels free is when she's with the dragons in the sanctuary. When Mira and her friends uncover a sinister plot involving the dragons, Mira takes it to the Luminary Council, but instead of addressing it, they banish her to the Pit, a tightly guarded underground prison. Faced with crippling anxiety, strange cellmates, and a cruel guard who will stop at nothing to uncover her secrets, Mira must keep her wits about her to survive, especially as it becomes clear that the dragon plot goes deeper than she ever imagined. In this first of the Fallen Isles Trilogy, Meadows sows the seeds for an exciting follow-up and creates a rich, vivid world with characters who blossom on the page. All of the novel's characters are brown, but so far this detail—punctuated with numerous mentions of hair and braids—feels surface deep; however, there is variance in culture from island to island, and as the novel progresses, discrimination becomes a topic of concern in the Fallen Isles. Meadows also hints at other clans and kingdoms beyond the six island nations. A page-turner that promises future intrigue, special powers, and dragon adventures. (Fantasy. 12-16)
