Marc Johnson (1)

This review was originally posted on Melissa's Midnight Musings on November 12, 2012.

I must admit that I don't often read a lot of fantasy novels so I was a little hesitant to give it a try.

The story starts out with Hellsfires' birth and the prophecy that he will do great things. There isn't a great deal of backstory given about his family or this prophecy, which I found to be disappointing. Then he comes into his powers, and his mother sends him on a journey to seek out the "angel" that prophecied his great skills. This angel is really a wizard named Stradus.

The good thing about this story is that there is a lot of action. Each chapter begins with a string of action and it's very consistent throughout. There are a few spots where the book drags on, but it usually picks up again within a few pages.

One thing I didn't care for was the main characters' name, Hellsfire. It felt very cliche to me, especially since his power and control laid in fire. I think it could have been something different. Or, if continuing down the unusual name route, the character shouldn't have named his love interest Krystal, since that isn't quite as unusual as the other characters like Sharald, King Furlong, and Stradus.

My favorite character was actually Cynder, the dragon. He kept the story light and filled with banter exchanges between himself and Hellsfire which I really enjoyed.


There are some inconsistencies and minor details that bothered me as I was reading. In one scene in the beginning of the story Hellsfire ends up burning a bully, Nathan, who has constantly teased him. Hellsfire then tells himself that he doesn't want to be around others for fear he might hurt them. And yet, right on the next page, he ends up traveling with a family. There are also several spots where Stradus, Hellsfire's teacher, says that there is much Hellsfire needs to know, but he can't tell him. These exchanges were infuriating because there were more than a few, and I felt that in leaving Hellsfire in the dark just seemed pointless. Stradus' job is to teach him, yet he's clearly keeping things from him? Doesn't quite make sense to me. Unfortunately there's not much light shed on his prophecy in this book, but maybe that will be fixed in the next book.


There is a lot of explanation of different kinds of mana and magic, so people who enjoy these themes will like that element. The addition of mana and the potions sort of made this book feel like an old adventure video game. There are also elves and dwarves with their own brands of magic as well.

Overall this is an enjoyable story, even with it's rough spots.

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
… (más)

Northern Shala is kept save from the monsters of the Wastelands by the Kingdom of Alexandria. But that kingdom may be in trouble. Hellsfire, a young lad in a small village, rescues Crystal, the princess of Alexandria, and earns a reward. However, he also gained the knowledge that he must now leave his sleepy little village and find a way to master his wild magic.

Hellsfire is the chosen one, but the details are all fuzzy to start with. Years ago, a mysterious man arrived in a winter storm just as Hellsfire’s mother was giving birth to him. This mysterious man is responsible for Hellsfire’s unusual name. Part of me likes the name but part of me wonders why his mom didn’t give him a nickname or even a common middle name that he could choose to go by. He’s teased and bullied constantly in the village and his odd name is just one more thing to draw unwanted attention to him.

One day, Hellsfire sees a young woman (which turns out to be Crystal) being chased by 3 armed men in the woods and he interferes. Fire launches from Hellsfire and takes out the men, which surprises everyone, especially Hellsfire. Crystal rewards him with a bag of coin. He tells his mom who takes it as a sign that he is ready to head out to the mountain where it is always winter. So, Hellsfire goes, facing down the lead bully one last time on the road out of town (hooray!). Eventually, he has to eat his horse, it’s so cold (so sad).

He finds a cave near the top of the mountain where there’s a dragon who takes great glee in chasing him about. Eventually Hellsfire runs into Stratis (an aged wizard), who is friends with the dragon. Stratis sees the potential in the lad and offers to train him. Of course, those with knowledge have to be all mystical and mysterious about it all, never telling Hellsfire why he shouldn’t do this or that and that leads to dangerous situations. Not my favorite plot device at all. On the other hand, this is where we start to get the scope of the land. Stratis gives Hellsfire a well-rounded education – potions, fire magic, hunt and seek with the dragon, book learning, languages, physical training, herbology, etc. While the info dump on how magic works is a bit tedious (Hellsfire is not a swift learner), we also get some history (which I quite enjoyed). There was a big epic wizard war perhaps a thousand years ago which did quite a bit of damage and that is why there are few wizards now and also why many people and cultures look on wizardry with suspicion.

After a significant amount of time has passed, Hellsfire must leave and he feels he must assist the Alexandrian princess. Elves and Dwarves get pulled into play, along with another wizard and at least 1 ogre. There’s some political maneuvering, daring rescues, and a worthy battle at the end.

There are few female characters until the last quarter of the book where the Dwarves come into play. Apparently the Dwarves are a bit ahead of the times and have female leaders and women guards and such. Hooray! Crystal is OK as the main female character/love interest. She does get to show off her sword skills a little in the final big battle, but she also gets knocked unconscious more than once and has to be rescued. Still, it’s mostly a boy’s tale about a boy saving the kingdom.

For a standard fantasy tale, it was still pretty entertaining. I enjoyed Hellsfire and all his anger management issues. He’s a good lad at heart and that wins over the audience no matter how many mistakes he makes. This story leaves the door open for a sequel and I expect the next book will up the epic level.

I received a copy of this audiobook at no cost from the author in exchange for an honest review (thanks!).

Narration: Bryan Zee was only OK. He didn’t have many distinct character voices; at first you can tell he’s trying but by the middle, it just all sounds like the same voice. Plus he has this nasal quality to several words in his native accent that bleeds through into every character voice. Towards the end, there were some mouth noises as well (not many) where there weren’t any for the majority of the book. Zee did do a great job of getting the character’s emotions across to the listener.… (más)

Review to come!
I really enjoyed this one; I thought it was an imaginative tale with magic, war, and monstrous creatures to be beaten. The biggest and the worst of the enemies faced is another human wizard, one who aims to take over the world, to have it all to himself, to rule over all: the humans, the monstrous creatures, the elves, the dwarves, and the wizards, too. I expect the worst evil to come from humans, actually, as opposed to some fairy tale creature! Humans always seem to have the most evil of intentions, always wanting to conquer something, rule over others, etc. Other creatures do, too, but don't you find that humans are always the ones dripping in evil? Perhaps it's because we are humans so we find it more repulsive.

The "Hellsfire" isn't as it sounds. In fact, it is the protagonist's name! Perhaps his unusual name is the catalyst to cause others to shun him, ostracize him, and to be beaten and teased by his peers. But because his mother explains to him how she'd come to name him that and the special meaning behind the name, Hellsfire doesn't begrudge his name, although at times he does wonder whether or not his world would be different if he had a "normal" name. This made him relatable, such a normal thing to wonder as you're going through life's crud.

Hellsfire discovers his "specialness", his innate ability when he runs into a girl and saves her from a bunch of thugs. His discovery leads him onto an adventure he could never have imagined. This strong-willed, determined young man makes the dangerous journey to the top of a frozen mountain, where no one dare venture, to learn of his identity and why he's in possession of such awesome power; he's a wizard. There he learns many things about his power and his magic.

The young woman he had saved turns out to be the princess of the neighboring kingdom, which is in trouble. This trouble will affect all of humanity, not just in their kingdom but in all neighboring kingdoms. Hellsfire feels compelled to act, to save this kingdom and therefore save all who would be affected. This compulsion stems from his love for Alexandria, the princess, although he is not aware of what lies in his heart. With every ounce of his being, Hellsfire throws himself at this challenge even knowing that it may take his life.

You cannot help but to rally for Hellsfire because of his honesty, loyalty, love, and extreme altruism for others, humans and animals. As a reader, you experience vicariously Hellsfire's challenges and triumphs as he goes through them. His character is one to admire, one that others should aspire to mimic and be. As with all great novels and stories, there is a wonderful happy ever after and victory that you can share in its triumph.

I look forward to reading more in this series and once again follow Hellsfire in his adventures and the magical worlds.

P.S. The wise-cracking, arrogant, conceited, dragon friend, Cynder, was my favorite. Too bad we can't all have such a friend to call our own!… (más)

A man battling to save the world with a twist. Hellsfire’s journey is incredibly interesting to read about in a world fully developed and awe inspiring. The writing style was nice with description interwoven throughout and not just ‘told’ to the reader.

I found the narration of the main character to be off. With as well as the author was able to adaptably description the world his character was just the opposite. There was too much of a step by step process for the reader to follow through inner thoughts. I was able to get in tune with the world but not the character which pulled me out of the story.

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.… (más)