Fire Wave

Thank you to Ana Stanojevic for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

Aiyana knows something odd is going on in the city. When Ihode Labs is attacked she comes face to face with the villain behind it. Despite being warned off, Aiyana can’t help but investigate why labs are being targeted. But to do so, she will have to come up with a clever disguise and make some risky moves. And in the end, she will uncover a lot more than she bargained for.

Fire Wave may be a novel, but Ana Stanojevic added a comic book flair to her writing. I loved the onomatopoeia for each sound. I could picture how the words would be styled if I were reading a comic book. I also enjoyed when Fire Wave fully committed to developing her disguise and gadgets. The energy surrounding her in the moment made her determination all the more entertaining. I couldn't wait to see her test it all out and push against her limits.

The plot was quick to develop and while each shift in scene and direction made sense, I wish there was a bit more build-up in characters. The motivations of certain characters weren’t clear, and some choices they made didn’t quite line up with the information presented to the reader. And while I felt like a working relationship between Fire Wave and the police commissioner was a great move, I wanted to see more work put into developing that relationship and the reasons behind it.

The main antagonist was a delight to read. Obsidia’s powers were unusual, but the sheer destruction and havoc she caused to get what she wanted were undeniably evil. Any time Fire Wave and Obsidia were on the page together, the action ramped up. And given the ability for these scenes to be intense, I wish there had been pieces of foreshadowing dropped in before the big reveal. Just a little something to make the reader think something else was going on.

Fire Wave is a fast-paced and easy read. A blend of fantasy and sci-fi elements creates an action-packed superhero/supervillain origin story. If you enjoy stories about crime-fighting vigilantes give this one a try.