Blog Tour: PLAYING WITH FIRE by Devika Fernando

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Blog Tour: PLAYING WITH FIRE by Devika Fernando

Playing With Fire by Devika Fernando

My Review
This latest novel by Devika Fernando is Book 1 of the series, “4 Elements of Love” and is all about Felicia who represents Fire. But there’s one more person in the love story – Joshua, who represents Ice.
Felicia is unable to deal with herself as she has been fighting the strangeness – a fascination with fire to the point that she is able to create her own from thin air – within her since she was a child. Her parents never understood her and soon she is estranged from them. She shares an apartment with Cindy and works at the local library.
Into her life steps Joshua, a handsome stranger. He insists that he is a private investigator. But is he what he says he is? Then there is this oddity that makes him different from the people she meets at the library. Why would he try to teach her to control the fire element? What does it matter to him? What about the sparks the two strike off each other? You will need to read Playing With Fire by Devika Fernando to find out.
The story begins with a bang, making the reader sit up and take notice. That’s a great way to catch one’s attention for sure. I have to congratulate the author on that.
Nature has been described in a number of places in the novel. It has been done with great taste and has turned out in an excellent fashion. I especially loved reading those sections.
The scene when the baby dragon breathing fire unleashed by Felicia has been very well written. It’s cute as well as dangerous which is exactly how it should be.
All that said, I have a few holes to pick in the story.
Felicia and Joshua come across as too young and immature despite having super powers. What disappointed me was – I don’t know what right I have to expect something from this but then I do have an opinion – that the two of them decide to just take off by themselves instead of doing something useful with their power to help people or at least make it work for themselves. As regular human beings, there is nothing wrong with their decision. But they are the protagonists of a story. I wish they had done something more impactful.
Once the hero becomes a member of the library, Felicia should start thinking of him by his name instead of “the man” or “mysterious saviour”. He must have given his name on the form. She goes on calling him “the man” for a little longer than one more chapter.
The story gets nowhere even in Chapter Three. Whenever Joshua and Felicia meet – the dialogue is only about lessons, teacher and student OR they are kissing. It kind of gets repetitive.
For a fiction, there’s more of narration than scenes and dialogues. A story should want one to rush to the next page. That happens when scenes unfold in front of one’s eyes. That’s not happening here. The author has narrated what’s happening and there’s no opportunity for visualisation.
When Joshua talks about his life as a kid, it would have been way better to let the scene unfold in flashback instead of his explaining it in so many words. It kind of takes away the charm of the story.
After the running race, the dialogue turns preachy. It reads like the author is lecturing the public. Why is it that Joshua always tells Felicia what to do? As if he’s way too intelligent and she’s completely dumb. The equation between hero and heroine could have been more stylish in this 21st century, especially considering that they both are extraordinary beings with magical powers, is what I feel.
This is a fiction – an imaginary story about Felicia and Joshua. I think a strong editor would have set the story right. And I could not help but notice a number of proofing errors that definitely need to be corrected.
Devika Fernando has the ability to spin a good story. But only an excellent editor can polish the gem and give it the perfect setting that will make it glow.

The Blurb If you’re playing with fire, prepare to get burned – or to fall in love.

Sparks fly when Felicia and Joshua meet. Discovering her inner fire and unleashing unimaginable powers makes her realize that all her life, she has been hiding her true self. When buildings burn and people are in danger, the tempting game of playing with fire becomes serious. Will their love and desperate struggle for control save her life, or will the fire magic turn itself against its mistress?

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Meet the Author

Almost as soon as Devika Fernando could write, she imagined stories and poems. After finishing her education in Germany and returning to her roots in Sri Lanka, she got a chance to turn her passion into her profession. Having lived in Germany and in Sri Lanka with her husband has made her experience the best (and the worst) of two totally different worlds – something that influences her writing. Her trademark are sweet, yet deeply emotional romance stories where the characters actually fall in love instead of merely falling in lust. She draws inspiration from everyone and everything in life. Besides being a romance novel author, she works as a self-employed German web content writer, as a translator, and as a faithful servant to all the cats, dogs, fish and birds in her home. What she loves most about being an author is the chance to create new worlds and send her protagonists on a journey full of ups and downs that will leave them changed. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or thinking about writing.

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