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desiree_mcl's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars.
I rarely read books in the same series back to back anymore. Usually I need to take a breather between the books but I needed to jump straight into this one.
Lily is back in her world and Rowan jumped with her. Now her family has to try to explain why she's been missing and where she's been. Oh yea, and Rowan needs to make sure Lily doesn't die because she was severely injured after burning in the pyre.
Una and Breakfast are probably my favorite characters. They both have some issues and family problems but they fit together and I love them.
Tristan (from Lily's world) redeemed himself. I didn't hate him in the first book at all, I thought he was totally insensitive but he wasn't purposefully trying to hurt Lily. But here he really stepped up as Lily's friend and while he wanted more he respected that that might not happen.
There were a couple deaths
One of the big pluses in Firewalker (and the previous book) was that both of these stories take place over months. In book 1 Lily was gone for 3 months and in Firewalker a few more months have passed. So I liked that all this stuff wasn't happening within a two week period.
I had a big problem with Rowan in this book. In Trail by Fire I understood his skepticism and non-trust of Lily because he'd been burned (no pun intended) by Lillian in the past. I didn't love him but I liked him and I was curious to see where the relationship would go. In book 2, I no longer want Rowan with Lily.
Rowan never really listened to her, he kept pushing what he wanted and what he believed on her but didn't take her wishes or desires into account. She didn't want to bring magic into her world but he pushed her too tell her small group of friends because of Carrick, yes it pushes the plot along but it completely ignores her wishes and what she knows/believes.
There was a moment when they are back in Rowan's world and the people or family of the people she's claimed come to her and start surrounding her thanking her. She's clearly uncomfortable and wants to get away and she almost begs Rowan to come help her out and he just says you have to deal, smile and wave. And he's having fun with her discomfort.
Then when Lily confronts Alaric about having bombs and not telling anyone (except for a few people) about them and what he plans to do with them and Rowan tries to says that Lillian must be manipulating her or controlling her. He wants her to tell him everything but he doesn't tell her anything. And when she doesn't tell him why but just asks him to trust her and his answer is to rip off her willstones I wanted to kick him in the stones.
So Rowan is not a swoon worthy hero for me. I hope Lily falls for someone else.
Once again though one of the problems in this book, as with the first, was that we were told a lot of things second hand. Especially in the first half of the book. It got better in the second half but there were a lot of moments we didn't experience we were just told about it through other sources.
Despite my clear rants up above and some of the problems I mention, I did enjoy the book. It was a quick read and I can't wait to read the final installment and see how it ends.
I rarely read books in the same series back to back anymore. Usually I need to take a breather between the books but I needed to jump straight into this one.
Lily is back in her world and Rowan jumped with her. Now her family has to try to explain why she's been missing and where she's been. Oh yea, and Rowan needs to make sure Lily doesn't die because she was severely injured after burning in the pyre.
Una and Breakfast are probably my favorite characters. They both have some issues and family problems but they fit together and I love them.
Tristan (from Lily's world) redeemed himself. I didn't hate him in the first book at all, I thought he was totally insensitive but he wasn't purposefully trying to hurt Lily. But here he really stepped up as Lily's friend and while he wanted more he respected that that might not happen.
There were a couple deaths
Spoiler
both Lily's father died and the guy, Scot, who spiked Lily's drink and tried to assault her. Neither one of these deaths moved me. I didn't care. However it looks like Tristan (from Lily's world) might be dead, which just breaks my heart. I hope we find him somewhere in the Hive and alive.One of the big pluses in Firewalker (and the previous book) was that both of these stories take place over months. In book 1 Lily was gone for 3 months and in Firewalker a few more months have passed. So I liked that all this stuff wasn't happening within a two week period.
I had a big problem with Rowan in this book. In Trail by Fire I understood his skepticism and non-trust of Lily because he'd been burned (no pun intended) by Lillian in the past. I didn't love him but I liked him and I was curious to see where the relationship would go. In book 2, I no longer want Rowan with Lily.
Rowan never really listened to her, he kept pushing what he wanted and what he believed on her but didn't take her wishes or desires into account. She didn't want to bring magic into her world but he pushed her too tell her small group of friends because of Carrick, yes it pushes the plot along but it completely ignores her wishes and what she knows/believes.
Spoiler
Rowan also suggests, after knowing what Scot did to Lily, that Lily claim him. WTF?! And the impression was that was the only way to get him to stop because then Lily could make him do whatever she wanted...WHAT? No, not only would claiming him just to keep him away be a bad idea, because that's forcing her will on someone else, something she doesn't want to do by the way, she'd also be connected to him and get his memories, why would she want to or why should she have to be that close to someone who attacked her? Besides, not the only option available. FBI is poking their nose around, call the agent and tell her the guy who attacked and drink spiked her drink is stalking her now. Or call the local PD, come on.There was a moment when they are back in Rowan's world and the people or family of the people she's claimed come to her and start surrounding her thanking her. She's clearly uncomfortable and wants to get away and she almost begs Rowan to come help her out and he just says you have to deal, smile and wave. And he's having fun with her discomfort.
Then when Lily confronts Alaric about having bombs and not telling anyone (except for a few people) about them and what he plans to do with them and Rowan tries to says that Lillian must be manipulating her or controlling her. He wants her to tell him everything but he doesn't tell her anything. And when she doesn't tell him why but just asks him to trust her and his answer is to rip off her willstones I wanted to kick him in the stones.
So Rowan is not a swoon worthy hero for me. I hope Lily falls for someone else.
Once again though one of the problems in this book, as with the first, was that we were told a lot of things second hand. Especially in the first half of the book. It got better in the second half but there were a lot of moments we didn't experience we were just told about it through other sources.
Despite my clear rants up above and some of the problems I mention, I did enjoy the book. It was a quick read and I can't wait to read the final installment and see how it ends.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
5.0
"Pain is lonely isn't it?"
"It is, Lily. It really is. But fear is even lonelier."
This was a great 2nd book. Full of adventure and twists and turns, a lot of secrets are finally revealed. We also get more information on Rowan's world and some of the things that have happened.
Lily is back in her world and Rowan is, this time, the one that knows witch things but does not know this world. Lily is also horribly hurt and Roman needs to work on that first and THEN try to figure out this new world.
Things are tough at first, as they realize the FBI and her family have all been searching frantically for Lily, wondering where she had disappeared to. They try to fit into a life there in Lily's world, but Lillian will never let her go.
Plagued by Lillian's telepathic connection, Lily is trying to protect everyone from what she is going through. The whole plan to protect them all derails when Carrick is seen in Lily's world, and starts to hurt those around her.
I can't wait for book 3. I hope it's just like this book and picks up the same moment where this one dropped off.
"It is, Lily. It really is. But fear is even lonelier."
This was a great 2nd book. Full of adventure and twists and turns, a lot of secrets are finally revealed. We also get more information on Rowan's world and some of the things that have happened.
Lily is back in her world and Rowan is, this time, the one that knows witch things but does not know this world. Lily is also horribly hurt and Roman needs to work on that first and THEN try to figure out this new world.
Things are tough at first, as they realize the FBI and her family have all been searching frantically for Lily, wondering where she had disappeared to. They try to fit into a life there in Lily's world, but Lillian will never let her go.
Plagued by Lillian's telepathic connection, Lily is trying to protect everyone from what she is going through. The whole plan to protect them all derails when Carrick is seen in Lily's world, and starts to hurt those around her.
I can't wait for book 3. I hope it's just like this book and picks up the same moment where this one dropped off.
rainbowbookthief's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really enjoying this series. I devoured this book in under 24 hours. There's not a dull moment in the story, and all of the characters are super like able. There is no lack of character development or motivation in this series so far. I noted in the last book that the writing in the action sequences wasn't very good, but it definitely improved with this one. I still absolutely love Rowan.
Really, I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because sometimes the writing style seems sort of childlike or immature, which is not an overpowering problem. Occasionally I would cringe when I read a sentence or two, but I could easily look past it as the rest of the story was great.
Really, I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because sometimes the writing style seems sort of childlike or immature, which is not an overpowering problem. Occasionally I would cringe when I read a sentence or two, but I could easily look past it as the rest of the story was great.
juliet123's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
fictionalkate's review against another edition
3.0
Firewalker is an interesting follow up to the first book in the Worldwalker trilogy, Trial By Fire. Picking up where Trial By Fire left off, Lily is back in her own world again but she's not alone. As Lily recovers from the events of the first book, she has to come to terms with who she is - a powerful witch in a world without magic. Rowan may have followed her back to her world but he can't forget all he left behind in his own. Secrets threaten to tear them apart as Lily has to decide just what she is willing to sacrifice in order to save the world.
Lily is one of those characters I love to read. She's not the same girl who started the series. With her trusted mechanic Rowan by her side, there is the feeling that Lily could accomplish anything - even saving the world from mysterious beasts and power-hungry witches. But nothing is ever just as simple as stopping imminent world destruction! Especially not when pesky real world problems interfere.
One of the things I liked most about this book was how there are consequences to Lily's trip to Lillian's world. There is no just dropping off the face of the planet for three months with no consequences. The way Lily's before life in this world wasn't forgotten added to the sense of realism in this book.
That's not to say there isn't a lot of magic, witchcraft and world-hopping involved too. Lily is stronger than ever and has only just began to realise how powerful and addictive her magic can be. I think the magic in this series is very interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing Lily as more than just a cauldron for her coven to power up from. She still has room to grow in her power by the time the series is over.
Combining characters from multiple worlds and having more than one version of a person could be confusing but that is not the case in Firewalker. Angelini manages to have scenes with multiple versions of a character without any confusion. There is a sense that these characters are both a product of their environments but at the same time the same soul runs throughout every version of a person.
Plot wise, for much of this book I felt like it was just bridging the gap between brilliant beginning novel and what I hope is an epic ending. Lots of information was exchanged and the foundations of what should be a great plot was laid out. I thought certain parts just felt a little too easy and didn't believe others considering other things in the novel we knew to be true. Whilst I liked the contemporary world consequences, I felt like that part of the story was weaker than the parts from Lillian's world.
Firewalker was a nice return to Lily's magical tale but it doesn't quite measure up to the first book in the trilogy. The world building is nice and I loved getting to see more of Lillian and Rowan's world whilst witnessing the drama and plot working up to what should be an interesting climax. There is romance mixed in with some nice interactions between Lily and Rowan but ultimately I didn't feel as invested in their relationship as I had in the past.
Having read Firewalker - I'm more excited than ever to read the third and final book in the Worldwalker trilogy, Witch's Pyre. This is shaping up to be an entertaining series but Firewalker fell a little short of my expectations.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia for the review copy.
Lily is one of those characters I love to read. She's not the same girl who started the series. With her trusted mechanic Rowan by her side, there is the feeling that Lily could accomplish anything - even saving the world from mysterious beasts and power-hungry witches. But nothing is ever just as simple as stopping imminent world destruction! Especially not when pesky real world problems interfere.
One of the things I liked most about this book was how there are consequences to Lily's trip to Lillian's world. There is no just dropping off the face of the planet for three months with no consequences. The way Lily's before life in this world wasn't forgotten added to the sense of realism in this book.
That's not to say there isn't a lot of magic, witchcraft and world-hopping involved too. Lily is stronger than ever and has only just began to realise how powerful and addictive her magic can be. I think the magic in this series is very interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing Lily as more than just a cauldron for her coven to power up from. She still has room to grow in her power by the time the series is over.
Combining characters from multiple worlds and having more than one version of a person could be confusing but that is not the case in Firewalker. Angelini manages to have scenes with multiple versions of a character without any confusion. There is a sense that these characters are both a product of their environments but at the same time the same soul runs throughout every version of a person.
Plot wise, for much of this book I felt like it was just bridging the gap between brilliant beginning novel and what I hope is an epic ending. Lots of information was exchanged and the foundations of what should be a great plot was laid out. I thought certain parts just felt a little too easy and didn't believe others considering other things in the novel we knew to be true. Whilst I liked the contemporary world consequences, I felt like that part of the story was weaker than the parts from Lillian's world.
Firewalker was a nice return to Lily's magical tale but it doesn't quite measure up to the first book in the trilogy. The world building is nice and I loved getting to see more of Lillian and Rowan's world whilst witnessing the drama and plot working up to what should be an interesting climax. There is romance mixed in with some nice interactions between Lily and Rowan but ultimately I didn't feel as invested in their relationship as I had in the past.
Having read Firewalker - I'm more excited than ever to read the third and final book in the Worldwalker trilogy, Witch's Pyre. This is shaping up to be an entertaining series but Firewalker fell a little short of my expectations.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia for the review copy.
thereaderdragon's review against another edition
3.0
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Please Note: I received a free copy of [b:Firewalker|25394030|Firewalker (Worldwalker, #2)|Josephine Angelini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436181870s/25394030.jpg|41909343] from it’s publisher Pan Macmillan Australia in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my review in any way, and all thoughts expressed are solely my own.
Actual Rating: 3.5
So you might already know that I was pretty severely disappointed by [b:Trial by Fire|26064760|Trial by Fire (Worldwalker, #1)|Josephine Angelini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439074703s/26064760.jpg|26240928]. The story itself lacked that oomph that makes a great story , and the characters never clicked with me. Whilst I knew that the rest of the story held great potential, I didn’t have very high hopes for [b:Firewalker|25394030|Firewalker (Worldwalker, #2)|Josephine Angelini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436181870s/25394030.jpg|41909343]. So imagine my surprise when I found myself actually enjoying it.
Directly following the epic battle between Lily and the evil version of herself – Lillian – Lily finds herself back in her own world, and she’s brought Rowan with her. But being home again doesn’t bring an end to her problems. Before she can deal with the repercussions of her three-month-long disappearance, she must first heal from the burns she sustained on the pyre that almost cost her her life.
Whilst Lily is in an unconscious state as she recovers, her other self shares memories with her to try to explain and justify the decisions that she has made, and why she doesn’t want to use technology stolen from other worlds to destroy the Woven that plague her own world. As Lily slowly discovers the truth, she must decide whether or not to leave the safety of her own world, and return to Lillian’s Salem to prevent it’s imminent destruction.
One of my biggest problems with [b:Firewalker|25394030|Firewalker (Worldwalker, #2)|Josephine Angelini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436181870s/25394030.jpg|41909343] was that Lily was accepted as a witch with no questions asked. As Lily begins to settle back into her normal life, she finds herself making new friends with some old acquaintances from school. It’s not long after that we discover that all of these friends possess their own magic, and have the potential to become a Mechanic. When she explains to them that she’s a witch, they just accept it as easily as if she’d stated tomorrow’s weather forecast. I just found this to be rather lazy, tbh. It was almost as though the author didn’t want to waste any time on these problems, and would rather hurry up and get on with the rest of the story.
I’m glad though that Lily became a much more likable character this time round. The biggest issue I had when reading [b:Trial by Fire|26064760|Trial by Fire (Worldwalker, #1)|Josephine Angelini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439074703s/26064760.jpg|26240928] was that I was unable to connect with her in any way because she was just so dull. But it seems that the events and experiences she went through in the other Salem has helped her grow, and shaped her into a much stronger character. I actually found myself beginning to care for her in this novel, which is a vast improvement, let me tell you.
I even began to find myself sympathising with Lillian. As you start to understand her actions, it becomes hard not to feel sorry for her about everything that she's been through. Whilst I wouldn't say that I 100% condone her actions, I still can understand why she's done the things that she's done.
I am loving that we're learning more about the Woven. It starts to become apparent in this novel that the Woven play a bigger part in everything than we previously assumed, and I love that we get to explore them more! They're such a fascinating creation, and it turns out that they might possibly be more than just blood-thirsty creatures.
Oh, don't forget the love triangle! I will quickly mention that the love triangle isn't completely unbearable. More.. unnecessary. Whilst I don't love love triangles in books, I can totally understand when they play a big part in the story. This one didn't. There was so much angst and pining, and I honestly just could not see where it was meant to be going, nor could I see any other reasoning behind it other than to just throw in a little extra drama. As if the whole end-of-the-world thing wasn't enough. Amirite?
I never thought that I would have found myself so drawn into this story after my rough start to the series with [b:Trial by Fire|26064760|Trial by Fire (Worldwalker, #1)|Josephine Angelini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439074703s/26064760.jpg|26240928]. But despite my mixed feelings towards it, [b:Firewalker|25394030|Firewalker (Worldwalker, #2)|Josephine Angelini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436181870s/25394030.jpg|41909343] has really made up for what the first book was lacking, and is a really great setup for the final installment to the series. The cliffhanger at the end has left me really excited to see how it's all going to end in [b:Witch's Pyre|29605078|Witch's Pyre (Worldwalker, #3)|Josephine Angelini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472553235s/29605078.jpg|42575331], and I'm eager to dive in as soon as I have the chance!
I would like to thank Pan Macmillan Australia for kindly providing me with a copy of Josephine Angelini's [b:Firewalker|25394030|Firewalker (Worldwalker, #2)|Josephine Angelini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436181870s/25394030.jpg|41909343].
mariethelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Well this was full of twists and turns and what a ride. SO MUCH HAPPENED. IM IN AWE. Wow this was such a ride and so much character developement and I AM JUST IN AWE. Words cant be formed. *dives into book 3*
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Firewalker is the second book of Josephine Angelini’s Worldwalker trilogy and if you haven’t read book one yet, stop here because I don’t want to ruin any of the story for you. I loved Trial by Fire and was anxiously waiting for this one so I could dive back into the world of witches and magic. I am going to apologize in advance if things sound vague in this review but it is mostly because I don’t want to spoil anything. A lot happens in this book and where book one focused a lot on building out the world and developing the characters, this one is more focused on tying everything together and advancing the story.
This book picks up immediately after Trial by Fire ends and now Lily is back in her world with Rowan. Having been severely burned in the pyre, she isn’t one hundred percent when they turn up in her world and are greeted by Lily’s mom and sister. As Lily begins to see the issues her leaving left behind, she also starts to think that there could be a future for her and Rowan.
Now that we are in Lily’s world, we get to see her connections with her family and her friends and I loved seeing this part of her. Since she spent the majority of her time in another world in the last book, we didn’t get too much of this. When she finally reconnected with her Tristan and Breakfast and Una as well, we learned more about them as well as how critical they would be to the remainder of the story. I also loved the relationship between Lily and her sister, Juliet.
As the story moves forward, Lily’s friends are drawn to her and as Rowan explains, they are natural mechanics. When Rowan begins to show the group what it means to be a mechanic, they all opt to have Lily claim them and their real training begins. This is definitely important because Lillian hasn’t given up on getting Lily back to her world and she is willing to do whatever it takes to get Lily to do what she wants which means the entire group is in danger.
As the group ultimately ends up back in Rowan’s world, they are faced with a number of challenges. The tribes are caught between the Coven and the Woven (both dangerous in their minds) and the ultimate reason why all the scientists were being killed by Lillian becomes clear… at least to Lily. Because of this, things between Rowan and Lily take a turn. I won’t say much about this but I have to say this was one of those moments in the book that change how I thought things would go – not just for them, but overall.
This is where I mention, there are a bunch of secrets floating between Lily and Rowan in this book. One of the secrets is directly linked to the reason Rowan encourages Lily to claim her friends as her mechanics. One of the other secrets is that Lily is still connected to Lillian and she is continuing to let Lillian show her all the justifications she has for doing what she has. All of them take a toll on the relationship between Lily and Rowan and in the end, even though they still very much care about each other, they are the things that make everything more complicated.
This book dives more into the Woven and as the group heads west, they finally encounter the Hive. As story comes to a close, it is clear that things will be very different for everyone going forward. I know this review is somewhat vague but I can’t apologize. If you are looking for a story with magic and lots of action, definitely check this one out and if you haven’t started book one, now is a great time to read it and dive right into Firewalker when it comes out.
Firewalker is the second book of Josephine Angelini’s Worldwalker trilogy and if you haven’t read book one yet, stop here because I don’t want to ruin any of the story for you. I loved Trial by Fire and was anxiously waiting for this one so I could dive back into the world of witches and magic. I am going to apologize in advance if things sound vague in this review but it is mostly because I don’t want to spoil anything. A lot happens in this book and where book one focused a lot on building out the world and developing the characters, this one is more focused on tying everything together and advancing the story.
This book picks up immediately after Trial by Fire ends and now Lily is back in her world with Rowan. Having been severely burned in the pyre, she isn’t one hundred percent when they turn up in her world and are greeted by Lily’s mom and sister. As Lily begins to see the issues her leaving left behind, she also starts to think that there could be a future for her and Rowan.
Now that we are in Lily’s world, we get to see her connections with her family and her friends and I loved seeing this part of her. Since she spent the majority of her time in another world in the last book, we didn’t get too much of this. When she finally reconnected with her Tristan and Breakfast and Una as well, we learned more about them as well as how critical they would be to the remainder of the story. I also loved the relationship between Lily and her sister, Juliet.
As the story moves forward, Lily’s friends are drawn to her and as Rowan explains, they are natural mechanics. When Rowan begins to show the group what it means to be a mechanic, they all opt to have Lily claim them and their real training begins. This is definitely important because Lillian hasn’t given up on getting Lily back to her world and she is willing to do whatever it takes to get Lily to do what she wants which means the entire group is in danger.
As the group ultimately ends up back in Rowan’s world, they are faced with a number of challenges. The tribes are caught between the Coven and the Woven (both dangerous in their minds) and the ultimate reason why all the scientists were being killed by Lillian becomes clear… at least to Lily. Because of this, things between Rowan and Lily take a turn. I won’t say much about this but I have to say this was one of those moments in the book that change how I thought things would go – not just for them, but overall.
This is where I mention, there are a bunch of secrets floating between Lily and Rowan in this book. One of the secrets is directly linked to the reason Rowan encourages Lily to claim her friends as her mechanics. One of the other secrets is that Lily is still connected to Lillian and she is continuing to let Lillian show her all the justifications she has for doing what she has. All of them take a toll on the relationship between Lily and Rowan and in the end, even though they still very much care about each other, they are the things that make everything more complicated.
This book dives more into the Woven and as the group heads west, they finally encounter the Hive. As story comes to a close, it is clear that things will be very different for everyone going forward. I know this review is somewhat vague but I can’t apologize. If you are looking for a story with magic and lots of action, definitely check this one out and if you haven’t started book one, now is a great time to read it and dive right into Firewalker when it comes out.
nathaliad25's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This second book was more dense for me, but I loved it nonetheless. There are a lot of explanations about Lillian and how she became what she is. I love the complexity of her character and I also love the understanding that there is between Lily and Lillian.