GIRL ON FIRE by Gemma Amor
WOWWWWWW!!! If you have not picked this one up yet, you need to RUN and grab it....now, not later. Go ahead, you can open a new tab right now and order this one. I'll be here when you get back.....
Okay, you done? Is your copy on it's way to you? You'll thank me later. Trust me! While you're waiting for yours to get here, I'll let you in on some of my thoughts...and I have a lot of thoughts about this one....
Ruby is finally free! She's free of her crappy past and her even crappier family. She's getting far, far away, and then...BAM! She crashes her car, and everything she was running from and running towards goes up in flames...literal flames. As Ruby burns alive, she also begins to transform into something bigger than herself. She becomes someone who will no longer be held down by her life circumstances. Like the phoenix of mythology, she rises from the flames stronger than ever and ready...ready to take on the world.
I could not get enough of Ruby's story. It is steeped in anger and rage, but it also has a passionate beauty to it. I found myself in Ruby's corner throughout all of her deeds (some worse than others). She's the type of character you can get behind and root for. Your heart goes out to her, and you're happy to see her sometimes misdirected wrath (even though that may sound slightly nefarious). She's vengeful and does some rather evil things, but once you understand her story, you understand anger, and you understand Ruby.
5/5 - I was immediately sucked into this book from page one, and the varying viewpoints from which the story is told is so impeccably done. Sometimes shifting viewpoints can make a story feel disjointed or hard to follow, but not here. I don't know that I've seen this technique utilized so well. If you don't already love Gemma Amor, this book will make you fall hard. If you're already crushing on her writing, you are just going to fall deeper after reading this beautiful novella.
Okay, you done? Is your copy on it's way to you? You'll thank me later. Trust me! While you're waiting for yours to get here, I'll let you in on some of my thoughts...and I have a lot of thoughts about this one....
Ruby is finally free! She's free of her crappy past and her even crappier family. She's getting far, far away, and then...BAM! She crashes her car, and everything she was running from and running towards goes up in flames...literal flames. As Ruby burns alive, she also begins to transform into something bigger than herself. She becomes someone who will no longer be held down by her life circumstances. Like the phoenix of mythology, she rises from the flames stronger than ever and ready...ready to take on the world.
I could not get enough of Ruby's story. It is steeped in anger and rage, but it also has a passionate beauty to it. I found myself in Ruby's corner throughout all of her deeds (some worse than others). She's the type of character you can get behind and root for. Your heart goes out to her, and you're happy to see her sometimes misdirected wrath (even though that may sound slightly nefarious). She's vengeful and does some rather evil things, but once you understand her story, you understand anger, and you understand Ruby.
5/5 - I was immediately sucked into this book from page one, and the varying viewpoints from which the story is told is so impeccably done. Sometimes shifting viewpoints can make a story feel disjointed or hard to follow, but not here. I don't know that I've seen this technique utilized so well. If you don't already love Gemma Amor, this book will make you fall hard. If you're already crushing on her writing, you are just going to fall deeper after reading this beautiful novella.
Hi, I'm Amanda. You can find me at:
Review of “Girl on Fire by Gemma Amor”
Gemma strikes again with another amazing book!!! Ruby is over thrilled with her lease on life. Exhilarated to be free of her past and shitty family. That is until she crashes her beautiful old car off the road and everything goes up in flames.
“𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻.”
I love how this book doesn’t muddle around with the long laborious details and just gives you the meat and potatoes! What you are given is just what you need. This novella is full a white hot furry and you can’t help but be on the main characters side through most of it. I genuinely felt for her the whole time. Well until one part, damn you Gemma! Why you gotta make me feel these feelings. This story is told through multiple points of view. I don’t mean the same event over and over again. That is definitely one of my pet peeves. No, this story continues to progress even if you're not seeing it through Ruby’s eyes. As always the character connection is on point! 5 ⭐️.
I am a huge horror advocate who loves to walk the line of fear by chasing ghosts and touching spiders. I am also chasing the dream of being a full-time horror reviewer.
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Editor's Note:
I read Gemma Amor's first short story collection, CRUEL WORKS OF NATURE in February of 2019-damn near 2 years ago. It's been a joy to watch her career blow up. In my SCREAM Magazine review of this collection, I mentioned the short story GIRL ON FIRE
"GIRL ON FIRE is probably my favorite in the whole collection. It was one of those stories that has the ability to make your heart race--even though you’re just sitting quietly in the comfort of your own home. The main character was someone I instantly fell in love with. I could have read a whole novel about her. I don’t want to spoil anything about it, but it’s a must read for fans who get excited about strong, female protagonists."
I'm excited to read literally everything Gemma publishes.
Sadie Hartmann