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Trial by Fire

(Worldwalker #1)

Josephine Angelini (Goodreads Author)

3.94 · Rating details · 16,028 ratings · 2,183 reviews

The exhilaratingly seductive new series from the author of the bestselling Starcrossed series

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted... which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-schoo ...more

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Hardcover, 375 pages

Published September 2nd 2014 by Feiwel & Friends (first published August 28th 2014)

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· 16,028 ratings · 2,183 reviews

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Sep 27, 2013 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it it was ok

Lily’s body ran hot—about 102 degrees on a normal day. On a bad day, her fever could shoot up as high as 111 degrees.

Well, it didn't make me want to kill myself.

In the interest of transparency, I'm going to tell you guys up front. I'm seriously fucking drunk right now.

It's 1:30 AM on Sunday morning, I've spent the entire evening out. I've drank half a bottle of Riesling and I'm just making inroads into a bottle of gin. This isn't going to be one of my better reviews, because, hello, I'm typi ...more

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Sep 23, 2014 Emily May rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2014, paranormal-uf, young-adult

“There comes a day when every girl loses the stars in her eyes. And then she can see clearly.
This is Lily’s day.”

Believe me when I say: This is not Lily’s day. Lily is not losing any bloody stars from her eyes anytime soon. In fact, I would say the stars breed, multiply and become a damn constellation by the time this book is finished. There's a love triangle, insta-angst and a whole lot of general stupidity to look forward to along the way.

Please could someone tell me how a girl lik ...more

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Sep 06, 2014 Cristina Monica rated it really liked it

Shelves: death, fantasy, witches, siblings, friendship, romance, magic

*3.5 stars*

Let’s talk about originality—this book has it!

Nowadays, in my opinion, finding gems in new YA series featuring witches is pretty hard since they are sometimes so predictable as in a lot has already been done and we've pretty much seen it all. They rarely contain new secrets for you us discover.

Yet, Josephine Angelini nailed the paranormal aspects. Creativity, this story is filled with it. And imagination? The author was probably born with it as a middle name.

One interesting element wa ...more

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Jul 23, 2014 Wendy Darling rated it really liked it

Shelves: macmillan, own-dtb-tbr, young-adult, pn-witches, 2014-publication, read-2014, september, hilarious, action-packed, crush-worthy-boys

4.5 stars I enjoyed this so so so so much. Read in one sitting, with barely any time to breathe.

Review to come.

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Mar 13, 2014 Giselle rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, own, signed

Whoa! Having had no luck with witch books lately this was a nice surprise. It's unique and well written, with a quick pacing that turned it into an unputdownable read.

Trial by Fire starts with the introduction of Lily, a sickly girl who has had a rough life of weakness and fevers. I knew right then that this was going to be a great read. This girl was funny, awkward, easy to connect to, and with a compelling narrative voice. Plus you just knew this constant sickness was something witchy and had Whoa! Having had no luck with witch books lately this was a nice surprise. It's unique and well written, with a quick pacing that turned it into an unputdownable read.

Trial by Fire starts with the introduction of Lily, a sickly girl who has had a rough life of weakness and fevers. I knew right then that this was going to be a great read. This girl was funny, awkward, easy to connect to, and with a compelling narrative voice. Plus you just knew this constant sickness was something witchy and had you craving to know more. Wanting to get away from all of it, Lily finally gives in to the voice inside her head that, unbeknownst to her, is from another world completely. When she suddenly finds herself in an alien world ruled by witches and full of flesh-eating monsters, naturally, she thinks she's gone insane. And this is when the real plot starts. We start learning of the witch lore, and how it all fits in with the alternate universes. I was wary at first of a plot with such thick scientific aspects mixed in with the paranormal, but it ended up being fascinating, and not at all overwhelming. This new world we're propelled to is much darker than ours. Flesh eating monsters and vengeful survivors makes this not for the faint of heart. It gets pretty gruesome at parts, though horror fans like myself will love it.

While Lily learns how to become a witch, a war is brewing in the background, giving the book an ominous vibe that persists throughout. There's a lot to learn, including tons of secrets and the history of her other self - the seemingly evil Lillian who may not be so evil after all. I was anxious to learn what she was hiding, as we're hinted throughout of some pretty huge secret she's harbouring that has been a factor in all her evildoing and decisions. Unfortunately, we merely scratch the surface of her intentions in this book. We're not even sure, yet, why she brought Lily over to this world. There are some easy speculations, but we're mostly kept in the dark, still. While I know this is only book one in its series, I was hoping for a bit more to hang on to for the sequel. But, even though it keeps us hanging on some aspects, it does delve deeper than a mere introduction (as some first-books can be).

The world, character, and relationship building in this book are extensive. The witch lore is incredibly well thought-out and original. The use of willstones and head mechanics is truly creative. The cultural differences are apparent as well, giving more points to the world-building. Their comfort with nudity and sex, for instance. As well as their drive for scientific innovation and survival. I also loved the complicated relationship with Rowan who is a wonderfully crafted side character. Though he's the most important, he's one of the many well-written side characters we meet. Each one falls easily into the story as if you knew them all along. Their quirks and flaws, their strength and charisma, makes them memorable. My one complaint is pinned on Lily herself. Not her characterization itself which comes without complaint. Once you get to know her, you'll love her, and her growth by the end of the novel is impressive. I just found she fell into being a witch too easily. She's a very powerful witch and this was always within her, I know, but everything she tries is much easier than I would have expected it to be. Things that Rowan fears because she "isn't ready" all go without a hitch. The spirit walking, too, which is thought to be impossible unless you're one of the very rare shamans. But the way Lily did it so effortlessly, some witches could have done this by mistake, really.

The ending is a tad abrupt and leaves us with tons of questions and anxiety, but as a first book in the series, Trial by Fire has done a fantastic job. The complex world building and perilous plot alone are enough to keep you glued to the pages. I feel like my thoughts - and in turn, this review - are pretty jumbled as the book was one hell of a thrill ride, so I'm hoping I at least made sense. If not, just know that this is one book you should not miss if you consider yourself a fan of witches!

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

...more

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Mar 01, 2014 Steysha Kravits rated it it was amazing

The flames rise, and I twist and scream, trying to get away, but the iron shackles on my wrist keep me bound to this stake.
I’m a witch. And witches burn.

I was looking for a book about good old witches for a long time, and this one rocked my world!
This is the story about Lily. At the beginning we see her as a normal girl who has a hard life, being allergic and having a bit crazy mom. She’s in love with her best friend who finally started to notice her in a romantic way. Soon she won’t be abl ...more

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Nov 05, 2017 Ashley Daviau rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I adore books that involve witches but I'm always hesitant when I pick up a new one because it's either a hit or a miss. Well holy cow, this was most definitely a hit. I absolutely freaking loved everything about this book!

The concept was so original and unlike any book I've read about witches before. I was drawn in right from the beginning and although I did find it a tad slow to start with, I loved the world building and the characters and the detail that went into this book.

I couldn't turn ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Kai rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: overrated, 2015

“I'm a witch and witches burn.”

Ugh. Honestly, I'm a big fan of Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed series; these books are awesome. But this? To be honest, it is a huge disappointment.
The first few pages are alright. You get introduced to the characters and learn a lot about the main character's life. It looked promising.
But then Lily, the protagonist, gets absorbed into this parallel universe and the storyline slowly grows dull and duller. I just wasn't interested in this fantasy world at all. The ...more

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May 15, 2014 Angela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Recommended to Angela by: My good sense

Shelves: ya, net-galley, paranormal, favorites, kindle, 2014-read, witches-wizards-warlocks, buddy-read

29 June 2015: $2.99 on Kindle

I requested this book because: WITCHES. SALEM WITCHES. It beckons to me like a siren in the sea. I can't resist. I can't fight. So, I didn't even bother. I'd never read Josephine Angelini before and I had no idea what to expect. I hoped the book would be good, but I wasn't about to let my expectations get too high. I've been burned before.

And then I met Lily. Lily of the horrible allergies, unpopular at school yet comfortable (mostly) in her own skin. She's confident ...more

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Sep 20, 2014 Anne rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2014, mature-ya, witchy-woman

3.5 stars

So what's this one about?
Witches, alternate realities, and allergies.
So. It 's got an interesting premise, no?
It starts out in our world, with Lily struggling to find some amount of normalcy in her life. Absentee father, schizophrenic mother, and she's got something seriously wrong with her immune system.
The only bright spots in her life are her sister, Juliet, and her one friend, Tristan. Her longtime secret love for Tristan has finally been reciprocated, and he's taking her to a party ...more

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Sep 13, 2014 Tomoe Hotaru rated it it was ok

Shelves: coulda-been-worse, young-adult, fantasy, alternate-universe, contemporary-fantasy

blog | goodreads

20 Sep. '14
*pssst* for a better, more tidy version of this review, read it on my blog.

I've been in a blogging rut recently, so to try and rekindle my blogging spirit I've decided to combine two of my most favourite passtimes: reviewing and simming[*]! I tried to get all the (main) characters right based on descriptions in the book -- but it's quite possible I may have missed or got some things wrong. If you do notice any mistakes on my part, do let me know.

------------------- ...more

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Mar 13, 2014 Sue (Hollywood News Source) rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult

Review also posted at Young Adult Hollywood.

I think my life would be a much better place if books could just stay as their enticing, shinny, gorgeous prose.

Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed Trilogy is one of my favorite Young Adult series. It was relatively easy to get lost into that world despite it's flaws.

I was so ready to liked Trial by Fire. I have quite a few reasons why to like it.

A.) I'm a huge fan of witches. I love witches, especially anything that got to do with Salem.

B.) ALTERNATE U ...more

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Aug 26, 2014 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it really liked it

Shelves: just-another-book-crush, magic, open-ending, creepy-love-triangle, fantasy, young-adult, netgalley, favorites, reviewed-in-2014, all-the-right-choices

Although it has a firm connection to our world, Trial by Fire could very well be considered a fantasy novel. The worldbuilding isn’t particularly elaborate, but it serves the story very well, and it will probably expand in the next two installments, although I don’t really feel that there’s too much to add. While simple, Lillian’s world (as opposed to Lily’s world, which is also ours) is perfectly functional and developed just enough to carry the story easily.

Lily is exactly the type of heroine Although it has a firm connection to our world, Trial by Fire could very well be considered a fantasy novel. The worldbuilding isn’t particularly elaborate, but it serves the story very well, and it will probably expand in the next two installments, although I don’t really feel that there’s too much to add. While simple, Lillian’s world (as opposed to Lily’s world, which is also ours) is perfectly functional and developed just enough to carry the story easily.

Lily is exactly the type of heroine that’s easy to admire and even love. Her own world was never kind to her, not only because of her allergies to just about everything, but because of the difficulties she had to endure socially. Her friendship with Tristan was often the only thing holding her together, so when even that was taken from her rather cruelly, the episode was almost too difficult to bear.

Tristan’s unforgivable actions at the beginning of this story caused me to fear that Lily would somehow end up back in their unequal, dysfunctional dynamic, but she was spared from it both by her crossing into Lillian’s world, and by her own strength which wouldn’t allow her to be anyone’s inferior for long. On the other side, she met Lillian’s Tristan which was once again cause for some concern, but while he shared many similarities with Lily’s, his existence was heavily marked by Rowan’s, who was inexplicably absent from Lily’s world. Tristan’s affection for Lillian/Lily was quite evident, but so was his peace with the fact that he’d always come second to Rowan. The romantic feelings that threatened to develop between them never even so much as sparked as Rowan’s strong presence overtook both the story and the possibility of gaining Lily’s affection.

I must confess that Lily and Rowan’s relationship of trust and attraction made me a bit uneasy at times. On the surface, it was pure perfection, slowly built from dislike and mistrust to strong friendship and perhaps even something more. But I couldn’t force myself to forget the fact that Rowan was once intimate with a different version of Lily, and that he loved Lillian strongly, even though she wronged him, and every time I thought about it, I found it infinitely creepy.

Despite my focus on the romance in this review, I should mention that the book’s focus is primarily on Lily herself and her long journey. The path from childish infatuation with Tristan to mature, genuine feelings she developed for Rowan is just one of the things that show her tremendous growth in this book. Wherever she goes and whatever she does next, I’ll be her ally until the very end.

...more

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Aug 27, 2014 Aly (In Wonderland) rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

To read the full review, CLICK ME!

"Funny how quickly the mind moves, but how slowly time does when you're in pain."

Whilst the fantasy and magical elements were incredibly well executed, I found myself confounded by Lily. I couldn't buy into her innocent goody-two-shoes personality and then her quick, immediate switch to badass witch wielding powerful magic like a baton. It was too sudden and very hard to get used to. I wanted Lily to grow into her magic and feel the power before turning into ...more

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Oct 06, 2020 booksnpenguins rated it it was amazing

“There comes a day when every girl loses the stars in her eyes. And then she can see clearly.”

The next time I decide to underestimate Josephine Angelini and forget how deliciously good and painful her books are, I give you all permission to punch me in the face to remind me why I shouldn't.

Stupid book made me fall in love and then left me in pieces 😤
I'm so mad rn I had to get the rest of the series🤷🏼‍♀️

RTC (probably. maybe. almost certainly)

ACTUAL RATINGS 500/5

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Apr 27, 2016 Donita Luz rated it liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, 2016-read, young-adult, ya, romance, paranormal, science-fiction, fantasy

Trial by Fire has the potential to be not just a good read but one of the best urban fantasy read for me given its unique premise and unpredictable plot, if only it has a better execution.

"Heat builds around me, and the fire begins to eat into my flesh. Yes, fire has teeth, and it chews at you like a living, breathing animal. It even roars like an animal. When you are in its mouth, you have to fight for air. Fire, like a lion, likes to suffocate its prey."

When I started this book, I was ha Trial by Fire has the potential to be not just a good read but one of the best urban fantasy read for me given its unique premise and unpredictable plot, if only it has a better execution.

"Heat builds around me, and the fire begins to eat into my flesh. Yes, fire has teeth, and it chews at you like a living, breathing animal. It even roars like an animal. When you are in its mouth, you have to fight for air. Fire, like a lion, likes to suffocate its prey."

When I started this book, I was having a hard time putting it down. I have a lot of hypothesis on how this story would eventually turn out but none of them happened in this book. Either I'm really bad at thinking of a good plot(which I doubt) or this book is really unpredictable. I'm betting it's the latter.

Lily, has been sick and in love with her best friend all her life. So when she thought their relationship is actually turning into something more than just friendship, she grabbed it and embraced it, even if it means doing something really stupid and dangerous by going to a party where smoke and alcohol can get into her system and trigger her allergies and can kill her on the spot. If she could just be very careful and Tristan's there, it shouldn't be any problem... Right?

Of course there was a problem! The night which was supposed to be one of the best night in lily's high school life turned out to be a nightmare. So first chance she get on leaving and disappearing on her world, she took it, without even realizing that escaping her world meaning going to a fantasy or alternate world.

Now isn't that interesting enough for you to want to read this? Trial by Fire contains alternate fantasy world and witches that burn for power! I mean, isn't it a customary that people burn witches to kill them off? That was one of the few things that I find really interesting in the premise of this book. It has the combination of magic, alternate universe and (i thought would be) interesting and believable romance. However, where the premise and story was really good, it fell short on character and romance development. It's too bad that characters are what usually can make or break a YA book for me.

Lily, the main character, was supposed to be strong and powerful, however I have never seen her grew strong in the whole duration of the book, and it frustrates me! I mean, I could understand how she came out as weak and sickly on the first part of the book but I was expecting a warrior lady witch in this new fantasy world she was in. Oh but no, because she was busy sorting out her feelings for Tristan in this world, who also is her best friend in her contemporary world and the new boy she hasn't met before, Rowan.

Then there's the romance where I didn't swoon one bit.

description

The romance fell flat on me. I don't know if it has something to do with Rowan who never warms up to me. I can't feel anything for him. He seems like a strong and wonderful person sure, but I can't seem to connect with him. If I were Lily, I don't know what to feel about Rowan's affection. I mean, as a reader, I can't even tell if Rowan's feelings for Lily is really for her or was it because she has the same as Lillian's? Good thing there wasn't any love triangle here, and I hope it stays the same for the sequel.

Anyway, regardless of the issue I encounter reading Trial by Fire, I would still recommend this to people who want to read something new in their YA Urban Fantasy read. ...more

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Mar 14, 2014 Brittany S. rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, currently-own-arc, netgalley-edelweiss, signed, fantasy, currently-own-fc, sci-fi, from-pub-macmillan, time-travel-alt-universe, fanta-sci

Initial Impressions 10/2/15: Wow, what an interesting book! I struggled with it at the beginning because "fanta-sci" is hard for me sometimes. It all depends on how it's put together and some fanta-sci flows seamlessly to where I don't even know it's bending and I've read other books where the fantasy and sci-fi elements end up battling each other instead of working together. Once I got into the groove and the feel, I really ended up enjoying it!
I loved how the characters grew throughout the bo Initial Impressions 10/2/15: Wow, what an interesting book! I struggled with it at the beginning because "fanta-sci" is hard for me sometimes. It all depends on how it's put together and some fanta-sci flows seamlessly to where I don't even know it's bending and I've read other books where the fantasy and sci-fi elements end up battling each other instead of working together. Once I got into the groove and the feel, I really ended up enjoying it!
I loved how the characters grew throughout the book, specifically Lily (of course) since she has the most growing to do. It was interesting to see her strength grow as well as her friendships, familial relationships, and romantic relationships.
I didn't quite fall fully in love with it but I did enjoy and appreciate so much of it! I especially enjoyed getting to know Rowan and his backstory and I'm still dying to know more about Lillian and what in the world is up with her. The pieces are starting to fall into place but I can't wait to learn more! I kind of want to just start the next book right away...

Full review originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 12/2/15: TRIAL BY FIRE was a really interesting book! I admit that I was a bit hesitant about the mash-up of science-fiction and fantasy with the alternate universe and magical powers merging into one story line but the further I got into the world building, the more I really enjoyed it! It was one of my first adventures into “fanta-sci” (the very first one didn’t go so well) and although it took a bit of adjusting, I really got into Lily’s world in TRIAL BY FIRE!

The beginning of the book was a bit slow for me. There were a lot of mixed messages regarding characters in terms of who was good to Lily and who was not so I was on a bit of roller coaster for the first portion of the book trying to get a hold on who I should like and who went on the naughty list… Once all of that sorted itself out and the focus started to turn more to Lily, I rather ended up enjoying things! All of the friendship/relationship drama in her “actual world” (or the world as she knows it) grew a bit tiresome but I also think it was supposed to. Clearly from the synopsis of the book and general concept, the reader knows that Lily is destined for bigger and better things… just in another universe. I was happy and totally hooked to see Lily’s place in the alternate world and what exactly she could do there.

The world building and magic system were really interesting for me! It took me a while to really wrap my brain around the fact that we were dealing with an alternate world but then throwing magic in there, but I rather enjoyed that the magic was grounded more in science and that the differences in the world were because of scientific reasons. Once I got to that point, I think I was able to see it more as an alternate universe instead of a fantasy world — even though it was a little bit of both! My brain really just has a hard time merging the two because sci-fi is obviously based on reality, a what-could-have-been, or speculation about the future and a fantasy world is something totally unrelated to our world as we know it. (I supposed there are exceptions to that like urban fantasy, paranormal aspects, and where other mash-ups but since I’m mainly a high fantasy reader, it was a bit harder for me to reconcile).

The relationships in the alternate world totally pulled me in too. I loved seeing Lily’s relationship with Rowan develop, as well as how complicated things are for Lily in general given that there’s already a Lily (known as Lillian) in this alternate world. Things really started to get complicated for everyone with a Lily and a Lillian and I got even more curious how Lily was pulled into New Salem to begin with! I loved the growth of each of the characters throughout the book and I was so happy to see Lily really come into her own.

TRIAL BY FIRE was definitely enjoyable and by the end of the book, I was sucked into this new fanta-sci world. I wanted to essentially binge read the series but I didn’t end up reading the second book right away so I think I’ll save it for when book three comes out! I’ll need to keep myself up to speed for this exciting series! ...more

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Dec 27, 2015 Norah Una Sumner rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: boooooring, series, romance, pull-a-barney-stinson, fantasy, great-male-characters, young-adult, 3-star-read, magic

What a mess of a book.

The premise is definitely interesting but I had a lot of problems with the story and the writing. First of all,I'm not a fan of writing from the third-person point of view because I can't completely connect with the characters and that's exactly what happened here - it's not that I just couldn't connect with Lilly and Lillian,it's that I literally didn't care about them. They could've both died and I wouldn't even flinch. Same goes for the supporting characters except for J ...more

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May 17, 2018 Bee rated it liked it · review of another edition

Although the magic system was super unique - it being science based and all - I felt like exposition was very much lacking in this first book. It's not often I wish there was more expo, but honestly, I felt so confused about the world that Lily stepped into! I couldn't tell you what time period it was based one, or what the government or economic systems were like, and I have no idea what the characters that aren't magical even do in this world. I kept hoping that things would be explained event ...more

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Aug 21, 2014 C.G. Drews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult, magical-fantasy, read-2014

I literally have only good things to tell you about this book!How's that?! It's absolutely crazy, right?! There's a few things I may or may not whinge about, but they're all so microscopic and variable...pfft. Don't even listen to me. Just drop everything and go read this now. (Unless, of course, you're carrying something precious like a small child or chocolate cake. Then don't drop everything right away.)

It's basically a evilly delicious tale about magic, jumping-through-multiple-worlds, scien ...more

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Jul 21, 2014 Kassidy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: for-review, books-i-own, 2014-release

*4.5*

One of the things I love most about this book is how intricate this world is. It mixes together magic and science, but yet it almost appears medieval. I also love how in depth the explanations go with how the world works. I found it extremely fascinating and unique. Also very interesting were the parallels to our world. There are some things we have in our world that this world has never heard of, and a lot of our 'science' discoveries are explained through magic in this new Salem.
As someon *4.5*

One of the things I love most about this book is how intricate this world is. It mixes together magic and science, but yet it almost appears medieval. I also love how in depth the explanations go with how the world works. I found it extremely fascinating and unique. Also very interesting were the parallels to our world. There are some things we have in our world that this world has never heard of, and a lot of our 'science' discoveries are explained through magic in this new Salem.
As someone who is extremely interested in science, I found this book to be very intriguing and thought-provoking.

I also enjoyed Lily's character. She's very head-strong and stubborn, but she always sticks to her character. She has her beliefs and never wavers. Sure, she makes some risky decisions, but she is put in many life-threatening situations. I definitely admired a lot of her choices. Even though she is stubborn, she is intelligent and generally thinks things through. She does make mistakes and has faults, but keeping in mind the insane situation she is put in, I think she dealt with it all very well.

I also like how the story is written. It can be confusing because we are thrown into this new world along with Lily, so she isn't much help in explaining things. However, Angelini includes some alternate POVs to help build the world and explain the workings, along with exploring some political drama. I found these very helpful and also entertaining. These different POVs also allow some character development with the characters in this new world. I love how each character has a distinct personality, even the ones who cross over from Lily's home Salem.

The romance was good for me, I like that it didn't take center stage, but it was there. I can imagine that it will definitely cause drama in the next books!

With all of that said, this book was a little overwhelming for me to read at times. There is a lot of information to take in, and some times I had to put it down so I could process everything. I think this also made it drag slightly and I couldn't completely immerse myself in it. Therefore, I could not give it a full five stars.

This book explores an alternate world that is on the brink of war and a girl who has to save it from her other self.

I was fascinated by the odd mix of medieval and modern, magic and science, and loved learning about this world and characters. I can honestly say that I need the next book right now! The ending was the perfect kind of cliff-hanger.

*Thank you to Macmillan for sending me a review copy of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Originally posted at: http://travelingthroughpages.booklike... ...more

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May 31, 2014 Taylor Knight rated it liked it

I don't know what I was expecting from this book but I was left a little underwhelmed. That might because I went in to this book knowing nothing, confident that I was going to be reading fantasy, but the first 40 pages were contemporary. I was confused and weirded out. I think it would have worked out better if I knew from that start that this book had alternate universe plot.
I didn't like the characters at all in the beginning. Lily was willing to risk her life (I'm not even kidding) just so sh ...more

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Jun 08, 2014 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own-kindle, read-in-2014, netgalley, favorites, buddy-read, books-i-own-print, for-review-read

Buddy read with Ange

I have to confess that I wasn't really too sure what to expect from Trial by Fire, I hadn't heard a great deal about it before I started reading but the shiny foil cover caught my eye and when I realised it was about witches and alternate realities I couldn't resist. I'm so glad I took a chance because this turned out to be one of my favourite YA reads of the year. There is just so much to love about this book and once I'd started reading I didn't want to stop.

Lily is such a Buddy read with Ange

I have to confess that I wasn't really too sure what to expect from Trial by Fire, I hadn't heard a great deal about it before I started reading but the shiny foil cover caught my eye and when I realised it was about witches and alternate realities I couldn't resist. I'm so glad I took a chance because this turned out to be one of my favourite YA reads of the year. There is just so much to love about this book and once I'd started reading I didn't want to stop.

Lily is such a fantastic main character. She isn't one of the popular crowd at school, in fact her allergies to pretty much everything have made her a bit of an outcast but no matter how tough things are she just gets on with it. She knows that it won't be long before her increasing allergies leave her housebound and she's determined to make the most of attending school while she still can. I loved her automatically for having so much courage but what tipped me over the edge into complete girl crush mode was the way she reacted when a potential love interest broke her heart. Lily isn't a simpering fool who will forgive a guy any asshat behaviour just because he is hot, no Lily is the kind of heroine who knows exactly how she deserves to be treated and who would rather be alone than let a boy walk all over her. Do you know how rare a heroine like that is in YA these days? It's so hard to find positive female role models and I could have jumped for job at Lily's response to the boy in question!

All that was before we'd made it beyond the first couple of chapters and I could already tell I was going to love this book. Now take this fabulous heroine and drop her unexpectedly into an alternate reality, one where magic is real and where witches rule. Lily suddenly has an explanation for her allergies and finds herself in a place where she isn't an outcast, in fact she is incredibly powerful. She is completely out of her depth and has no idea who she can trust so it's understandable that she quickly bonds with the people she recognises from her own reality but even then she doesn't blindly trust them or expect them to act the way they would in her world. Lily is sensible, she thinks things through and trusts her instincts rather than go along with what other people want her to do, even in an alternate universe Lily is my kind of heroine!

There are two other characters who I really want to talk about and the first is Lillian, Lily's alternate self, who happens to be the witch in charge of the whole of Salem and all of the other covens around the new world. Lillian is a fascinating character, she does some horrific things and you can't help but hate her for them but the more you learn about her the more you start to wonder about her motives. I'm not saying her actions are justifiable but she does have reasons and I think we've only started to uncover them. There is so much more to Lillian than a cardboard cut-out villain and the choices she makes raise some really interesting questions. Can you ever justify doing terrible things? Is it worth losing the life of a few people if you can potentially save thousands? What if the cost is more than a few - how much life are you willing to sacrifice?

The other character who deserves an honourable mention and a round of applause is love interest Rowan. He really is the kind of guy that we all wish we could meet, he's strong, protective, caring, intelligent and brave but best of all he can admit when he's made a mistake and he can actually apologise for it! Imagine that - a guy who will say sorry! It's a rare and beautiful thing indeed, especially in YA. There is no alpha asshat behaviour here, yes he's wary of Lily in the beginning but considering he thinks she is is mortal enemy Lillian (because they do look identical after all!) that was completely understandable. To be fair, considering the things that Lillian has done to him I actually thought he reacted quite reasonably to Lily's arrival. I absolutely loved seeing their relationship develop over time, there is no insta-love here and the couple spend time getting to know each other and learning to trust. Lily isn't afraid to call Rowan out when he is unreasonable and he is equally willing to push her when she needs it which makes them very well matched.

I don't want to say too much about the alternate world that Lily ends up in because I think it is somewhere that you should have fun exploring for yourself by reading the book. What I will say is that I loved the way magic works, the way it is based on scientific principles and has been so cleverly set up that it comes across as completely believable. I don't have much difficulty thinking there is an alternate universe out there somewhere where magic is real! I think it's quite obvious that I loved this book, I could spend hours writing this review trying to give you more reasons to read it but to be honest if I haven't already sold it to you then probably nothing else I could say will either. If you're only going to take one young adult recommendation from me this year then make it Trial by Fire, this book is such a refreshing change, it breaks so many of the current YA trends and is well worth the money it costs. ...more

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Sep 23, 2013 Luke rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'm first to click "Want To Read" it!!!

I loved the Starcrossed trilogy. The premise for Trial By Fire sounds equally intriguing: Witches, like Greek Mythology, has always fascinated me. I know Josephine Angelini will grip me for another exhilarating, intricate journey!

And she did!

And I am so wanting Lily and Rowan together!

And I really, really need to the next one immediately!

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Mar 15, 2014 Rashika (is tired) rated it really liked it

Shelves: cute-romance, sci-fic, paranormal, ya, totally-worth-it, arc, good-female-leads, loved, read-2014, good-characters

Trial by Fire was exactly as I had hoped it would be but more. That sounds a little contradictory, doesn't it? I suppose the best way to explain it is that I knew I would love this book but I had no idea how much. Angelini never fails to surprise me.

I remember when I first read Starcrossed and now, reading the first book in her new trilogy, I feel the same way as I felt then. I feel that excitement. I feel the thrill. I feel everything. Yet at the same time, it's obvious how much she has grown a Trial by Fire was exactly as I had hoped it would be but more. That sounds a little contradictory, doesn't it? I suppose the best way to explain it is that I knew I would love this book but I had no idea how much. Angelini never fails to surprise me.

I remember when I first read Starcrossed and now, reading the first book in her new trilogy, I feel the same way as I felt then. I feel that excitement. I feel the thrill. I feel everything. Yet at the same time, it's obvious how much she has grown as a writer. Angelini knows what she is doing.

This book does not start off lightly and if you're like me and don't deal well with anticipation, the first chapter and a half is going to be HARD to read through but once you're past those hard bits, it gets a lot better, I promise.

Lily is a fantastic character. She is strong and her strength never fails to amaze me. When 'her' Tristan is a jerk to her, she doesn't just curl up into a ball. She's heartbroken but also realizes that what he did to her, the way he treated her, was wrong and she doesn't just let that go away, she tells him that he was a jerk. That's just one showcase of the strength she possesses. She has to adapt to a whole new world yet she does it realistically. Even though she is quick to understand the mechanics of the new world, she continues to hold the ideologies of her own. She isn't just going to change who she is to adapt to this new world, instead she tries to understand these differences and the reasons behind them. That's what makes her such a likeable character.

The secondary characters are just as well developed. I want to start off by mentioning the brilliance that is Lillian. I have NO CLUE how Angelini does it. Lillian isn’t your typical villain and I have to say, I find it incredibly hard to hate her. Her actions are inexcusable yet Angelini still develops her character in a way where it’s possible for us as readers to empathize with her. Okay, so I know many won’t be enthusiastic about empathizing with a villain but just trust me. It’s important to the story. Juliet is a wonderful addition although to be honest, throughout the entirety of the book, I found myself missing Lily’s Juliet. That does speak volumes about Angelini’s character development skills, especially if you find yourself missing a character you knew for 1.5 chapters.

Let’s not forget Caleb and Tristan though. I think we get to know more about Tristan (the other version who is a lot nicer) more but I kind of connected to Caleb after a certain event. That said, they are both wonderfully developed as well and I cannot wait to see more of them in the sequels.

Speaking of, I still haven’t mentioned Rowan, the love interest. I am all about the romance and while I genuinely enjoyed the romance in this book, I also felt really uncomfortable at times. Knowing that Rowan had loved Lillian in the past and was hurt so badly by her made me uncomfortable. It makes me wonder if Rowan actually has genuine feelings for Lily as an individual or if he sees her as a nicer version of Lillian? Those kinds of questions kept on bothering me as I read the book so it made it harder to enjoy their romance, no matter how sweet it was.

What takes the cake is the world building and I am not the least bit surprised by that. If you’ve read Angelini’s Starcrossed trilogy, you’ll know what I am talking about. If you have not, you should go get started on that. Moving back to the world building, I have always loved the idea of parallel universes and this book explores the idea in an interesting way. It’s not a brand new idea but at the same time, Angelini manages to make it original. Angelini does an original take on magic but she also creates an interesting power hierarchy. There isn’t much in-depth world building and we learn more about the differences between this world and our own than we do about the history of this new world, but I think we’ll find out a lot more in the sequels.

The plot was so well paced although that’s to be expected in this kind of book. The pages flew by and before I knew it, I only had 30 pages left in the book and had to take a quick break so I wouldn’t die of thirst.

The way this book ends has me dying to read the sequel and all I can say is that anyone looking for an interesting book featuring magic, you need to check this out. ...more

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Oct 18, 2013 Varsha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-authors, laugh-out-loud, best-secondary-characters, gorgeous-covers, best-villains-ever, book-husband, kick-ass-heroine, memorable-reads, i-own, amazing-cliffhangers

Actual rating: 4.5

It's been awhile since I wrote a proper review so this might be unorganized and rusty, just bear with me. :)

Lilly Proctor is allergic to a lot of things and is always sick which makes it nearly impossible for her to live a normal life. So when she gets an opportunity to go to her first and possibly her last high-school party with her best friend and crush Tristan, she take it. But things don't go the way she expected and after a humiliating experience, Lily wishes to disappear ...more

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Dec 10, 2014 Giselle rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014, age-young-adult, arc-electronic, from-netgalley, requested-for-review, 2-star, genre-witches, genre-fantasy, genre-paranormal, genre-supernatural

Lily is allergic to a lot of things, weak and constantly sickened by her allergies, her bright spot in life is her best friend Tristan. Taking her to her first house party, he abandons her for some other girl and she ends up having a seizure from a drink filled with alcohol. As the alcohol threatens her weak body, she finds herself transported into another world. Except this world, there's another Lily who is the most powerful witch in the universe. She finds herself allying with another version Lily is allergic to a lot of things, weak and constantly sickened by her allergies, her bright spot in life is her best friend Tristan. Taking her to her first house party, he abandons her for some other girl and she ends up having a seizure from a drink filled with alcohol. As the alcohol threatens her weak body, she finds herself transported into another world. Except this world, there's another Lily who is the most powerful witch in the universe. She finds herself allying with another version of Tristan and Rowan, to help them against the monsters that hunt their very land.

So there were a lot of bad bits about this book that I have to say. Racist remarks of Native American Indians deemed as "savages" made me feel uncomfortable. If Lily is such a good person, why didn't she question this at all? Every time she transmutes energy into power for her claimed, she always wants to take them over. And it's the same statement over and over again. Then they all turn into Supermen and start to pull apart limbs. I was kind of horrified about that. I found it vaguely interesting that there the ruling classes were divided between the poor and wealthy. And that the poor were people of colour or mixed races. What I also didn't like was that it was one long info dumping session. It just kept going on and on and I was trying to remember everything, but there was a lot to go through.

There was a scene where they were teaching her to harness her power by painting runes on her naked body. And I couldn't understand why it was part of her magic? I also can't help but laugh every time she wanted to touch their willstone. Because to me, claiming sounds just like having one-night stands and all these witches were vying for poor Rowan's attention. I couldn't understand the romance at all. I rolled my eyes when there were always stuck together. One sentence described as his "skin whispering to her." I could barely stomach it. And even though there is a slight love triangle, I still want to know about Rowan and the other universe.

The wonderful bits? Even though this world is different than ours, it still had its creative elements. My favourite is bio-luminescent trees that glow only at night. The parallel universe, how different their lives are, the magic and even the world that wasn't quite like ours. There is also something about her writing that made me devour the book in two sittings.

Love triangle, parallel universes, automatic witchy powers and oh yes the world is going to end. Pick this one up for the lovely universe, but I do have to warn you there are a lot of cheesy romance bits that I couldn't accept. ...more

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Aug 02, 2016 Kelly (Diva Booknerd) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: panmacmillan

Trial By Fire was a wonderful blend of fantasy with the element of atmospheric interdimensional travel, driven by an intense romance and the plight of one girl to save a world that is not her own. Lily was a sickly child, often hospitalised with severe allergies and a constant fever in which she was ostracised by her peers. All except Tristan. For Lily, their friendship consists of watching Tristan's female conquests while seeing her peers enjoy the life Lily so desperately covets. Until the par Trial By Fire was a wonderful blend of fantasy with the element of atmospheric interdimensional travel, driven by an intense romance and the plight of one girl to save a world that is not her own. Lily was a sickly child, often hospitalised with severe allergies and a constant fever in which she was ostracised by her peers. All except Tristan. For Lily, their friendship consists of watching Tristan's female conquests while seeing her peers enjoy the life Lily so desperately covets. Until the parameters of their friendship begin to change and will leave Lily grief stricken.

Tristan was little more than a pretentious womaniser while his friendship with Lily felt dubious and unrealistic. Lily may not have shared the quintessential teen experience but she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and refused to allow Tristan to hurt her again.

Lily's heartbreak is palpable as Lillian summons the teen to her realm in an archival Salem, a world where the brutal monarch decrees the Thirteen Cities whilst looking for an heir to her empire. In Lillian's world, Lily is no longer a delicate girl, but infused with a power to rival her namesake. Leaving behind her sister and ailing mother, Lily is desperate to return home believing Lillian's world is merely a hallucination. She's frightened but refused to accept the gravity of the situation until she stumbles across Rowan.

Rowan exudes power. Lillian's former mechanic feels an attraction to Lily as he watches her stumble through the city streets, believing she is his Lillian. With animosity flowing through his veins, it soon becomes apparent that Lily is her own and not the Monarch that had sent his father to death. Rowan is the only character who is not apparent in both worlds, he is an original and perhaps why both Lillian and Lily are drawn to his prowess.

Rowan is a Native American who's Outlander community faces decimation, both from the engineered monsters known as the Woven and Lillian's genocide. Lily is no ordinary girl, she's a Witch yet to realise her own destiny and the reason why Lillian summoned her to her barren world. With Rowan's guidance, Lily begins to discover her artistry and emerges as a potential source to confront Lillian and end her reign over the Thirteen Cities. The chemistry between Rowan and Lily smoulders but learning his history with Lillian, the romance felt as though Lily was merely a substitute for the Lillian Rowan had once fallen in love with. Lily struggles with her feelings for Rowan, still in love with Tristan believing her feelings for her former best friend being unrequited. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, the romance was awkward and dubious at best.

The world building was incredibly vivid, I loved the landscape of Lillian's world and the comparisons between both dimensions of Salem. I enjoyed Lily's character development from a sickly and bland girl who most likely would have been an isolated adult driven by the responsibility of caring for her mentally ill mother, to the strong and determined young woman who was torn between her family and becoming the conductor who was entrusted to contend with the ever increasing hostile Lillian.

Josephine Angelini is a wonderful storyteller who is able to immerse and engage readers. Although the romance was loathsome at times, Lily's character development and the vivid world building will leave readers enthralled until the final page. One of the few traditional paranormal romances I've thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended. ...more

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May 29, 2014 Beth (YA Books Central) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, arc-hard-copy, kick-ass-heroine, favorite-covers-2014, feiwel-friends, macmillian

"Love burns.
Worlds collide.
Magic reigns."

I had heard sooooo many people raving about this book so I had to get my hands on it. From the moment I opened the book and read the first chapter....I was completely hooked. Josephine Angelini's writing style is just breath-taking and phenomenal. She writes her characters in a way that it feels like you are in the book with them.

The main character, Lily Proctor, is a young girl who has life-threatening allergies and could die at any moment. Lily's "Love burns.
Worlds collide.
Magic reigns."

I had heard sooooo many people raving about this book so I had to get my hands on it. From the moment I opened the book and read the first chapter....I was completely hooked. Josephine Angelini's writing style is just breath-taking and phenomenal. She writes her characters in a way that it feels like you are in the book with them.

The main character, Lily Proctor, is a young girl who has life-threatening allergies and could die at any moment. Lily's character was so easy to like. She is witty, smart, and down to earth. I immediately found myself cheering for her. Her only wish in life is to live like a normal teenager. She decides to try and attend a high school party and while there she has an allergy attack and almost dies. Once she is home and feeling better she imagines herself moving away....far away from everything. All of a sudden she gets dizzy and blacks out....

"Her skin pricking with a preternatural sense of wrongness, Lily turned and looked behind her.
She was still in Salem. The shape of the shoreline, as familiar to her as the whirls of her own thumbprint, told her that.
She just wasnt in her Salem anymore."

Lily wakes up in a totally different place and she will discover that she is actually in a totally different world. She has been transported to an alternate universe called Salem. Lily discovers that her evil "other self" named Lillian is the person who has brought her to this world in order to train Lily and use her to take over Salem.

This new world is fascinating and dangerous at the same time. Lily experiences magic for the first time and realizes that in this world she is very important and could be the difference in whether good or evil wins. In this new world Lily meets Rowan and Tristan who are both on the side of good and are trying to defeat the evil Lillian. Lily and Rowan begin to develop a breath-taking romance and I just love them together.

"A world of tenderness wrapped around Lily and filled her up, as if the air had turned into Rowan and she was standing in him and breathing him in."

There are so many parts of this book that I never saw coming!! I knew there would be plenty of magic and possibly romance but I never imagined that horror would also be included.....and I am a huge horror fan so when the horrifying, scary creatures showed up in the story I was just completely blown away!!! There are some parts of the story that are actually gruesome and took my totally by surprise and I loved every aspect of it!!! I mean, this book is just really awesome. Trial by Fire has everything from intense magic scenes to horrific fight scenes. Fans of young adult, suspense, romance, fantasy, and horror will absolutely LOVE this book.

There were also so many questions that I had that did not get answered....Which of course makes me about to DIE to get my hands on the sequel...Well played Josephine Angelini...well-played.....Readers will devour this "unputdownable" book....and be left craving for more!! Josephine Angelini just moved to the top of my Favorite Authors list....Wow.....No other words but WOW.....

http://curling-up-with-a-good-book.bl...
...more

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Sep 02, 2014 Nasty Lady MJ rated it it was ok

To see full review click here

If you read my reviews you know I’m not a huge fan of Josephine Angelini. Mainly because the Starcrossed trilogy was a God awful shitty series. However, the premises of Trial by Fire pulled me in enough where I had to read it-note, I had a bottle of wine nearby the entire time for sanity purposes.

The result: well, it’s like a better version of Starcrossed with some horrible moments and prose that on Angelini can grace us with.

Let me just warn you, if you want to read ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
YA Today Book Club: Discussion #31 - Trial by Fire	2	11	Jan 28, 2015 11:14AM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA witch in parallel world [s]	4	32	Jan 27, 2015 11:38AM
Little Yellow Boo...: Discussion! Chapters 1-5	4	21	Dec 10, 2014 05:54PM
Little Yellow Boo...: Ending of Trial by Fire spoilers	4	26	Dec 02, 2014 07:42AM
Casual Readers: TRIAL BY FIRE: Official Discussion	4	9	Nov 04, 2014 09:12PM

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About Josephine Angelini

Josephine Angelini

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Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. She graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.