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Faustine (Bonfire Chronicles #1)
by
Imogen Rose (Goodreads Author)
Who is Faustine? When Faustine Spencer was five years old, she discovered a secret that changed her life forever. At twelve, her parents sent her to Bonfire Academy in Switzerland to ensure that she received the training needed to control her increasing powers.
Three years later, Faustine returns to Manhattan. All she wants is to be a typical teenager, at least, one that’s...more
Three years later, Faustine returns to Manhattan. All she wants is to be a typical teenager, at least, one that’s...more
Paperback
Published
2011
by Imogen Rose
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For someone that reads as much as I do, it’s nice (every once and a while) to settle in for the night with a nice familiar author; an author I KNOW can write an entertaining and captivating story; so when the opportunity presented itself to read “Faustine” the first book in the “Bonfire Chronicles” by the lovely Imogen Rose, I jumped at the chance to get my grubby little paws on it. I have never been shy with my adoration of Rose’s ability to connect with her readers through her work, so my cont...more
I think this is a good book for teen audiences. The main character is named Faustine, but I won't reveal who or what she is. That's not revealed in the synopsis, so I don't feel as though I should say. The important thing is that Faustine is a paranormal, and she is very different from other girls her age. At the beginning of the book, I will admit that I just felt like I had nothing in common with Faustine. She was too interested in her status in society and expensive possessions. Fortunately,...more
Unlike the middle-class Arizona Darley (or Stevens), the main character in Rose’s "Portal Chronicles" series, Faustine comes from a much more upper-crust background. Yet, like Arizona, she is very likeable. I sympathized with her when things went poorly and pulled for her when she attempted to overcome challenges.
In keeping with the spirit of “Who is Faustine” (the tagline to Rose's pre-launch publicity campaign) I’m hesitant to say too much specific. I will say the book has paranormal character...more
In keeping with the spirit of “Who is Faustine” (the tagline to Rose's pre-launch publicity campaign) I’m hesitant to say too much specific. I will say the book has paranormal character...more
I really like Imogen Rose's Portal Chronicles so I was excited to read the first book in her new Bonfire Chronicles series, Faustine. Faustine is your average (kinda) fifteen year old girl. She's spent the last few years away from her family at a boarding school to receive special training. As with anyone starting high school, she wants everything to be perfect. The right clothes, the right friends, the right boyfriend. However, Faustine's world is turned upside down when her father disappears a...more
I'm really going to try to write this without spoilers because fans of The Portal Chronicles will undoubtedly read this next series - The Bonfire Chronicles. Imogen Rose does not disappoint with the first book of this series. Her smooth and easy-flow writing continue with this book. I couldn't decide if I wanted to curl up with a glass of wine (err, orange juice, is it is YA afterall) or if I wanted to sit up in bed and read it quickly before I fell asleep. I did a bit of both, in the end :)
Her...more
Her...more
Faustine Spencer may seem like every other Upper East Side socialite. She grew up with all the privileges that wealth affords – a nanny, doormen, car service, access to all the latest fashions and the opportunity to attend an exclusive boarding school.
But Bonfire Academy isn’t just your typical Swiss preparatory school where the well-to-do leave their children to a life of study, skiing and partying. And Faustine’s attendance isn’t optional.
At the age of fifteen, after three years apart from her...more
But Bonfire Academy isn’t just your typical Swiss preparatory school where the well-to-do leave their children to a life of study, skiing and partying. And Faustine’s attendance isn’t optional.
At the age of fifteen, after three years apart from her...more
Feb 10, 2012
Lisa
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
12-13 year old girls
This was obviously written for a VERY young audience. And when I say young, I mean 12-13 year old girls. 24+ hours after finishing this book, I am still suffering from my brain cells slowly being squeezed of their intelligence. It is so important to me for books to be believable, particularly so when dealing with paranormal/fantasy settings. I could not find anything believable in Faustine. Not. One. Thing. Grrr. And even more annoying is that this had promise. Real promise.
Faustine, our 15-yea...more
Faustine, our 15-yea...more
I really wanted to like this book. Her other series (Portal Chronicles) was amazing and I was quite prepared to be wowed with this new series. But really, it fell quite flat. There was hardly any depth to the characters. Yeah, Faustine went to a special school--which we know absolutely nothing about. Can't even describe classes, friends, or what the heck she did there. She had a crush there who, just happens to like her back, and now they're dating? She knows nothing about him! And quite frankly...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Faustine is the first book in a new young adult paranormal series by Imogen Rose. You may recognize her name from the Portal Chronicles series, a young adult paranormal/science fiction/romance series. I very much enjoyed the Portal Chronicles, so was naturally curious about this new paranormal series.
What I liked:
* This plot is intriguing
* There is an array of paranormal abilities used and mixed together by the characters
* There is young romance involved
What I didn’t like:
* The pacing was rushed...more
What I liked:
* This plot is intriguing
* There is an array of paranormal abilities used and mixed together by the characters
* There is young romance involved
What I didn’t like:
* The pacing was rushed...more
My Rating: 3.75/5 stars!
I’m definitely not one for spoilers and since the synopsis leaves so much of the story out I’m afraid I won’t be able to really go into detail about Faustine. I can say that the story is absolutely packed with paranormal creatures and they are used in ways I have yet to come across. I am really amazed at the creative story Imogen Rose has created. Faustine is fifteen years old and has just returned from Bonfire Academy. She’s been there for three years learning how to har...more
I’m definitely not one for spoilers and since the synopsis leaves so much of the story out I’m afraid I won’t be able to really go into detail about Faustine. I can say that the story is absolutely packed with paranormal creatures and they are used in ways I have yet to come across. I am really amazed at the creative story Imogen Rose has created. Faustine is fifteen years old and has just returned from Bonfire Academy. She’s been there for three years learning how to har...more
So I was slightly disappointed with this book. To me it felt slightly rushed and there were a few things that we far to convenient. I won't say much, I don't want to spoil it, but things just seemed slightly predictable or forced. I had half the plot figured out as things went. I felt like she was far to young, and rather niave, even though most fifteen year olds are. I will continue to read, the series, but out of sheer curiosity without true interest. Does that make sense? I hope Imogen raises...more
Faustine Spencer was only five years old when she realized that she wasn’t like everyone else. At twelve, she was sent to Bonfire Academy in Switzerland to learn how to control and use her powers. Now she’s back in Manhattan and all she wants is to blend in and live the normal life of a teenager. Her dreams of normality are thrown completely out the window when her father, a prominent sovereign disappears. Now she finds herself thrown into a world she herself doesn’t understand with political po...more
My review of Faustine by Imogen Rose is based on an e-book copy that was loaned to me through a Kindle lending site. What follows is my honest review of the story.
I chose Faustine as my first official read of the summer because I enjoyed the premise to this novel, with a young demonic princess suddenly having to take her father's role in paranormal society. It turned out to be a good choice. Light and fun it proved to be a quick read, exactly what I needed as I lounged about the house.
One aspect...more
I chose Faustine as my first official read of the summer because I enjoyed the premise to this novel, with a young demonic princess suddenly having to take her father's role in paranormal society. It turned out to be a good choice. Light and fun it proved to be a quick read, exactly what I needed as I lounged about the house.
One aspect...more
May 25, 2011
Jackie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2011,
e-book-read
Faustine is the first book that I have read by author Imogen Rose and the first in her Bonfire Chronicles series...
This particular YA read is also one that can be enjoyed by the older generation of readers like myself... It is very fast paced, has many complex twists and turns to keep the plot flowing and the reader guessing...
There are quite a few characters in the story to keep track of and their individual relationships with Faustine can at times be a bit confusing or overwhelming but each a...more
This particular YA read is also one that can be enjoyed by the older generation of readers like myself... It is very fast paced, has many complex twists and turns to keep the plot flowing and the reader guessing...
There are quite a few characters in the story to keep track of and their individual relationships with Faustine can at times be a bit confusing or overwhelming but each a...more
I absolutely love this author's other series - The Portal Chronicles - so I had very high hopes for this book, perhaps too high. I did enjoy it, and I do want to see where the series goes from here. However, I just didn't enjoy it as much as Portal/Equilibrium/Quantum.
I almost feel guilty for saying that. I really enjoy this author, and this is still a fun read. I think where this one fell just a little short was in two areas. First, Portal has a very unique premise. It isn't your usual werewolf...more
I almost feel guilty for saying that. I really enjoy this author, and this is still a fun read. I think where this one fell just a little short was in two areas. First, Portal has a very unique premise. It isn't your usual werewolf...more
3.5 stars: Faustine returns home to Manhattan after a few years at the Bonfire Academy to find that living life as a normal teenager is not going to be an option... But who is she? The secret is revealed early on in the story, but I promise you it isn't what you were expecting. Imogen Rose took the world of paranormal and made it uniquely her own. There is layer upon layer of vibrant characters, each holding their own mystery inside the overall premise, which contributes to the page-turning stor...more
***Actually 3.5 stars.
Faustine is half demon and half human. Returning back to New York after a couple years at a special academy for paranormals (vampires, witches, shape shifters, the like), a whole bunch of things start going wrong: starting with the Demon King of London disappearing. Then the king's children are being killed off or disappearing. To top it all off, mysterious murders are being committed by what seems like demon-possessed vampires. While this may not seem to have anything to d...more
Faustine is half demon and half human. Returning back to New York after a couple years at a special academy for paranormals (vampires, witches, shape shifters, the like), a whole bunch of things start going wrong: starting with the Demon King of London disappearing. Then the king's children are being killed off or disappearing. To top it all off, mysterious murders are being committed by what seems like demon-possessed vampires. While this may not seem to have anything to d...more
Couldn't finish it.
I hated the plot. It was completely unjustifiable and weak. I was not able to enjoy it or get into it because nothing about it was plausible. The dialogue was terrible. A lot of it didn't match the character's ages. It would come across much too grown up, then drop back down to incredibly immature. There wasn't a good blending of the two extremes. There were also far too many exclamation marks. It was very, very annoying.
The romance was just awkward. It was sudden and there wa...more
I hated the plot. It was completely unjustifiable and weak. I was not able to enjoy it or get into it because nothing about it was plausible. The dialogue was terrible. A lot of it didn't match the character's ages. It would come across much too grown up, then drop back down to incredibly immature. There wasn't a good blending of the two extremes. There were also far too many exclamation marks. It was very, very annoying.
The romance was just awkward. It was sudden and there wa...more
I have to say that I was a little wary of reading faustine because I absolutely hated Portal! But I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I loved it!!!!! Faustine was a fantastic ride! Lots of action a little romance and a big mystery all rolled in to one fantastic book! I will say I am a fan of imogen rose now and I can't wait for the second book in this series!!!
Currently reading and loving it!!! I love Imogen Rose. I love her characters and style of writing. Very different from my own, but lovely all the same. In this story we find Faustine has to figure out so many things as well as who to trust. With kidnapping, mistrust, and adventure there is something for everyone who loves the paranormal. She has shifters, wanderers, vampires, witches, demons and more! Yet I never felt overwhelmed by all the paranormals. Can't wait to read Initiation and integrat...more
This book could easily become a new cult classic much like The Wizard of Oz did in its heyday. Like any other teen, Faustine and her friends just want to attend high school and 'fit in'. But they've got a big job on their hands...saving the world from evil forces bent of snatching control of everything.
Author Imogen Rose has filled this book with interesting twists and turns that keep the story moving. I'll be watching for the next book in the Bonfire Chronicles.
Author Imogen Rose has filled this book with interesting twists and turns that keep the story moving. I'll be watching for the next book in the Bonfire Chronicles.
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Imogen Rose is the author of the bestselling series, Portal Chronicles, which has attained cult status within indie literature and become a favorite among teens and adults alike. An immunologist by profession, Dr. Rose published her first work of fiction in 2010. She now writes full time and is currently working on her second teen series, the Bonfire Chronicles. Imogen was born in Sweden and has l...more
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irene
Mar 18, 2011 06:17pm