Reviews with content warning for Grief - Hold Fast Through the Fire

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Hold Fast Through the Fire by K.B. Wagers

5 reviews

caseythereader's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

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lettuce_read's review against another edition

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5.0

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bcbirrer's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

This one is all about the characters for me. By the end of the first novel you love them. Through this book you root for and adore them. It’s a solid sci-fi that won’t surprise you with the plot, but the characters are worth every word.

I think the most amazing part of this book was the way the author captured the grief of characters. Each character experienced grief in their own way that was true to their personality. What was especially heartrending was the author showed the true nature of grief that just keeps coming back to haunt you. Many books gloss over grief or there is one moment of purging grief. This one is just wave after wave pulling you under. While reading, it very much felt like grief does in life.

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jennikreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

5.0

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e_flah's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Hold Fast Through the Fire was a really satisfying addition to the NeoG series. Many of the characters I loved from A Pale Light in the Black were back along with the addition of a new spacer, Chae. Chae was a lovable addition to the crew and watching them find their place on Zuma's Ghost was a touching parallel to Max's journey in book 1. I had initially been a little nervous about the fact that the crew of Zuma's Ghost changed between book 1 and book 2 but ended up thinking it was for the best. This change gives characters I already knew and liked reasons to keep growing as characters while also laying the groundwork for compelling interpersonal conflict.

Hold Fast Through the Fire is a character-driven story that had a bit more of a significant external conflict than its predecessor. I found the smuggling plot line interesting though was frustrated with the fact that

the conclusion felt really rushed at the end. A Pale Light in the Black did a similar thing but since that story focused a bit more on the Boarding Games -- this one doesn't to the same degree -- I was willing to let it go. Here it just felt unsatisfying, particularly as the smuggling conflict was the root of some serious interpersonal conflict.

Despite having a more prominent external conflict, I was also sad to see that Hold Fast Through the Fire largely omitted the fight scenes that had been such a treat to read in book 1. Even the combat elements of the Boarding Games received a lot less attention.

That said, I love the crew of Zuma's Ghost, especially Max and Jenks, so I would happily read about them doing anything for 400 pages. Hold Fast Through the Fire was a satisfying sequel and I hope we get more NeoG novels.

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