Trial By Fire by Chris Cannon Pages: 287
Published by Entangled Teen on April 4, 2016
Series: Going Down in Flames #3
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, Romance
Source: eARC from Publisher
Bryn’s hopes for a peaceful new semester at school go up in smoke when someone tries to kill her—again. She’s not sure which is scarier, facing the radicals who want to sacrifice her for their cause, or her impending nightmare-of-a-Directorate-arranged marriage to her nemesis, Jaxon.
The one bright spot in her life is Valmont, her smoking-hot knight who is assigned to watch over her twenty-four hours a day. Is what she feels for him real, or just a side effect of the dragon-knight bond? At this point, stopping the impending civil war might be easier than figuring out her love life.
Please Note: this review may contain spoilers for the first two books in the series. If you have not read those books yet, you can check out my reviews of them here:
Book 1- Going Down in Flames
Book 2- Bridges Burned
Trial by Fire is the third book in the young adult paranormal series, Going Down in Flames. Like the previous two books in the series, this one picks up right where book 2, Bridges Burned leaves off, so be sure to read the previous books before starting this one. I liked Trial by Fire, but I think it is my least favorite installment of all the books so far. It is a close call, and to put this in perspective, I love this series so much, that even though this book is my least favorite so far, I still loved it!
Bryn is back at school and dealing with a lot. In fact, all of the characters are. I felt for her, for Rhiannon, Garett and Valmont. (who, by the way, I just adore so much.) There is a lot going on from the directorate, from the mystery they are uncovering, and from the threats flying around. Not to mention the emotional volleyball game that I was watching. Romance wise, this series has my head spinning. I am so freakin’ confused! I spent a good bit of time flip flopping with romantic interests in the first and second book. (if you don’t know what I mean, I did a good job mapping out everything I was feeling about the guys in this post HERE) And for the most part, my opinions have not really changed. I still really like Valmont, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have my reservations. I also really like Jaxon. Don’t ask me why, I know he is a jerk most of the time. But there is just something about him that makes me want to see what him and Bryn would look like. And therein lies my confusion. I like Valmont more. I think Valmont is nicer and his intentions towards Bryn are easier to see. he should be the clear team for me to ship. But alas, I am still held up on Jaxon. And I DON’T KNOW WHY! (Am I the only one that feels this way? I would really love to discuss this with someone else who has read the series. Let me know in the comments below, or drop me an email.) I was super happy to see one thing. Spoiler alert!–> View Spoiler »
Trial By Fire does give us some much needed answers at the end of the book on the mystery front. So much of the book was centered around Bryn and her knight/bond with him, that it was nice to see the mystery develop in the middle of the book. I found myself gravitating to that plot line the most. It was less emotionally confusing for me than the romance.
Bottom line: if you are a fan of this series, Trial by Fire will read a lot like the second book. While I didn’t love it as much as I loved the first one, this is still a solid young adult fantasy series. One of my favorite dragon series ever, in fact. I would recommend the Going Down in Flames series to young adult fantasy lovers everywhere. Just be warned, be prepared to be romantically confused in all of the books.
Other Books in the Going Down in Flames Series:
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I think I would pick red colored dragon ??, its a nice color.
I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this book. So it better be good!