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Fate of Flames

(Effigies #1)

Sarah Raughley (Goodreads Author)

3.65 · Rating details · 2,006 ratings · 366 reviews

Years ago, everything changed. Phantoms, massive beasts of nightmare, began terrorizing the world. At the same time four girls, the Effigies, appeared, each with the unique power to control a classical element. Since then, they have protected the world from the Phantoms. At the death of one Effigy, another is chosen, pulled from her normal life into the never-ending battle ...more

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Hardcover, 368 pages

Published November 22nd 2016 by Simon Pulse

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· 2,006 ratings · 366 reviews

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Feb 16, 2016 Sarah Raughley added it · (Review from the author)

This is my book! Basic Premise: PACIFIC RIM meets the AVENGERS with a SAILOR MOON cast.

What does that mean?

Basically:

1) Bad Ass Pretty Girls
description

2) Fighting Monsters

description

3) While the World is Watching

description

Uh but unlike Pacific Rim there's no mecha ~~(yet?)~~, sorry Gundam fans! :)

If you've got any comments or questions? Put em right here :) Check my blog and twitter for up to date news!

ALSO:

August 17 - Hey Canadians! We're doing a goodreads giveaway just for you! It's happening right now, ending August 31, ...more

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Oct 04, 2016 Aneta Bak rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, arc, first-reads

Fate of Flames is my new favourite dystopian book. It has amazing characters, a fantastic plot, and a stunning new world. The book has so much action, you won’t want to put it down.

There can only be four Effigies at one time. If one Effigie dies, their power moves on to the next person chosen. When Natalya turns up dead, it is Maia Finley who becomes her successor. The power of fire has been handed to Maia, she has no choice but to train her powers and fight alongside Bella, Chae Rin, and Lake t Fate of Flames is my new favourite dystopian book. It has amazing characters, a fantastic plot, and a stunning new world. The book has so much action, you won’t want to put it down.

There can only be four Effigies at one time. If one Effigie dies, their power moves on to the next person chosen. When Natalya turns up dead, it is Maia Finley who becomes her successor. The power of fire has been handed to Maia, she has no choice but to train her powers and fight alongside Bella, Chae Rin, and Lake to defeat Phantoms terrorizing the whole world.

There comes a book every once in a while, that you wish you read when the whole series came out because you’re dying to read the next one after finishing the first book. This is that series. I was not exaggerating when I said in the beginning that I could not put the book down. As for the moments when I had to put the book down, all I could do was think about getting back to it and continuing reading.

I absolutely loved Maia as the main character. She is such a good person, and always knows when to do the right thing. I love how she is very careful and doesn't trust anyone. She makes things exciting, and I can promise you that you will not get bored of her point of view. Throughout the book I found myself falling in love with the other Effigie girls as well. Right off the bat, I thought Belle and Lake were going to be horrible to read about, they both seemed like stuck up annoying girls, but once you find out more about them you really do end up liking them and cheering on the whole squad of Effigies. Chae Rin was definitely my favourite out of the four, she's not afraid to tell people how it is, and do her own thing, and its definitely a plus how she's from Canada.

The world building is outstanding. I believe it is the best world building I have yet to read about. Not only do you get to see Maia’s home town, but the squad of girls also travels to places like London, Paris, Argentina and many others. It’s so wonderful to read about people travelling rather than staying in the one city or country.

The one thing I didn't like about the book, was the romance. On one hand, if you could call it a romance, it really sucked. I could not ship the characters which was something I really wanted to do, but I just couldn’t. But on the other hand, it really made Maia and the girls more warrior-like and inspirational. I can’t describe it really well, but you’ll know what I mean if you read the book.

Overall, I’m so impressed with this book that I have to give it a 5 star. Honestly I would give it 6 stars if it was possible. I highly recommend this book to all dystopian and kick-ass female main character lovers. Definitely give this book a try, I’ll just be over here, dying and waiting for the next book to come out.

Happy Reading
- Aneta ...more

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Oct 30, 2016 Alyssa rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2016-releases

*** Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley
Book One of the Effigies series
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: November 22, 2016
Rating: 2 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Four girls with the power to control the elements and save the world from a terrible evil must come together in the first epic novel in a brand-new series.

When Phantoms—massive beasts made from nightmares and darkness—suddenly appeared and began terrorizing t ...more

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Sep 21, 2016 Crazy4Books rated it liked it

Shelves: review-books, canadian-authors

I was so excited when I won this ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway. Its been on my most anticipated list for a long time. I love that its written by a Canadian author and that alone makes me want to love this book. The Pacific Rim with a Sailor Moon cast reference had me hooked right away. Ive loved sailor moon ever since I was a kid and I really enjoyed Pacific Rim. Due to the mix reviews I was a little worried but still hopeful.

Off to a promising start with a phantom attack within the first couple p I was so excited when I won this ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway. Its been on my most anticipated list for a long time. I love that its written by a Canadian author and that alone makes me want to love this book. The Pacific Rim with a Sailor Moon cast reference had me hooked right away. Ive loved sailor moon ever since I was a kid and I really enjoyed Pacific Rim. Due to the mix reviews I was a little worried but still hopeful.

Off to a promising start with a phantom attack within the first couple pages. Not much is known about the phantoms but they have some kind of pulse device to keep them out of populated areas. They also dont know much about the Effigies besides the fact that when one dies their powers and memories get randomly passed onto someone else. Due to the lack of info on phantoms and Effigies the world building was a little weak but maybe we'll get more info in the sequel. We do get a bit more information on the Effigies later on which helped.

The characters eventually grew on me even though they really got on my nerves sometimes. I enjoyed Rhys and Sauls character but the main character was a little immature and made some frustrating decisions. The other Effigies, mostly Belle, werent very nice and kind of bratty but I remember some of the sailor moon characters also being bratty. Despite that I still thought the story was interesting. Im a plot driven reader and I really loved the concept of this story. The whole Nick and Alice mystery was a little confusing but kept me reading to find out more.

It took me a bit longer to read this physical copy because I mostly read ebooks in bed with the lights off but when I wasnt reading it I looked forward to picking it back up. It was an enjoyable read with some character growth and a lot of action. I thought the pacing and the writing were alright but I wish there would have been more emphasis on developping amazing female frienships. The Effigies didnt really get along for most of the book which was kind of disapointing. I didnt like the Sect organization but I love those kinds of stories.

I cant wait to get my hands on the sequel. I hope I manage to get my hands on a review copy. Id like to thank Simon and Schuster for this wonderful opportunity and I hope I get to review more books for them in the future. ...more

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Nov 23, 2016 Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy, ya

According to the author: Basic Premise: PACIFIC RIM meets the AVENGERS with a SAILOR MOON cast.

I know the ratings aren't that good, but she had me at Sailor Moon. :D

description

flag 29 likes · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2019 Rosaline (Rosaline's Rolls & Scrolls) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2-stars, annoying-main-characters, can-not-stand-her, disgrace-to-humanity, underwhelming, badly-written, gorgeous-covers, bored-out-of-my-mind, young-adult, do-not-know-what-the-point-was

~ EDIT: After reading - Full Review ~

Well, Logical Side of My Brain, I should have listened to you!

Beware the long rant!

Let me start by saying that I knew I shouldn't have read this. Call it a reader's hunch. I just knew it was going to be a pain, but that damn gorgeous cover and the author's promise of cool monsters and badass superheroines charmed me into getting this book. And I just hoped that the book was going to deliver and leave me happily surprised. However, that did not happen folks ...more

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Sep 30, 2016 Carrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

High school student Maia Finley has been holding in a secret for a few days now. She knows that one of her idols must have died because now Maia has been chosen to take her place as the new Fire Effigy. There are always four Effigies at any given time and when one dies another young girl will be chosen by fate to inherit the magical abilities of one of the four elements.

When the city of New York comes under attack from phantoms with the protection system down Maia finds herself tossed into the ...more

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Nov 22, 2016 Maria (Big City Bookworm) rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2016, 2016-new-releases, pretty-covers, arc

I was provided with an ARC of Fate Of Flames by Sarah Raughley from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for and honest review.

3.5 Stars

The first time I had heard of Fate Of Flames, it was marketed as Sailor Moon meets Avatar: The Last Airbender. Let me tell you, they had me at Sailor Moon. I grew up watching that show and to come across a novel that has a similar aspect? Consider it sold.

--

What I Liked

Our home and native land! Yes, this book partially took place in Canada! Also known as, my ...more

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Nov 15, 2015 Tamara marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2016-publications, not-published-yet, fantasy, young-adult

HAHAHA YOU MEAN SOMETHING LİKE THIS?

Dont give a shit about PACIFIC RIM (It's just slightly better than Transformers but both have cliche scenes, predictable story, bad acting, focus on visual stimulation so no shit given there.) but damn you whoever wrote that. AVENGERS with a SAILOR MOON cast? I'M SO IN BABY. I'M SO IN.

Sailor Moon fan in me:

Avengers fan in me:

If this one mixes:

with

and adds some of the

I'll one happy girl but none of the-

I'm too old for that shit.

And oh, please be good.

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Aug 26, 2016 E.K. Johnston rated it it was amazing

Basically, it's the parts of Buffy, Pacific Rim, and Avatar: The Last Airbender that I loved the most, with twists and turns of its own, and some really excellent world building.

It's messy and complicated and full of girls and and you should buy it.

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Nov 30, 2016 Odette Brethouwer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016, inbezit, to-reread

So, back in March, the Dutch publisher Blossom Books asked their ambassadors (including me) to read some manuscripts for them. This is one of the books I've read in this period, as well as The Witch's Kiss and one other, which I'm allowed to mention when that one is published :)

This is an awesome book about girlpower. The world is under attack by monsters, and only 4 girl, Effifies, on the globe have to power to really fight them. What you get is 4 chicks constantly saving the world, how cool is So, back in March, the Dutch publisher Blossom Books asked their ambassadors (including me) to read some manuscripts for them. This is one of the books I've read in this period, as well as The Witch's Kiss and one other, which I'm allowed to mention when that one is published :)

This is an awesome book about girlpower. The world is under attack by monsters, and only 4 girl, Effifies, on the globe have to power to really fight them. What you get is 4 chicks constantly saving the world, how cool is that.

This story is set in the future, and what I really like is that the story includes the influence of the internet en social media. Those 4 girls are famous AF and people are big fans of them. Including the main character, she has a blog about one of the Effigies. When the Effigy is spotted somewhere, she finds out what closes she wears, and she keeps up to date with the latest gossip.

So, when one of the Effigies dies (this happens), the powers are given to another girl. This girl will be found by the company/institution that is behind getting the girls where they need to fight, so guess what happens to our main character.. (this is not a spoiler, this is on the back flap of my book).

Of course, this is a YA book, so all the guys are super handsome and there is some love in this book while it is not completely necessary. But later on, there was more attention for the connection between the girls, their friendship (which is partly forced because they have their powers) and the fact that they share the power to fight the monsters.

When I finished this book, I wanted to read the sequel right away, but first I had to wait * MONTHS to be able to talk about this book because it was not released yet, and now I have to wait another ages for the seuqel.. so I'm going to reread this in 2017 :P I will add to my review :)

As you may have noticed, i'm a big fan of this book. But the published asked the opinion of more people of course, and not all agreed with me and they decided to not translate this book :( So, you just have to read it in English Dutchies :)

Also, I'm not a big fan of hardbacks with a dustcover, even when the dustcover looks as pretty as this one, because they are so easily damaged when transported to The Netherlands. My edition is not perfect either, which I think is a bit of a shame, but because I could not order a paperback and i wanted to own this book so badly I was like well whatever :) ...more

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Nov 20, 2016 Olivia & Lori (The Candid Cover) rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, 2016-releases, arc

Fate of Flames is unlike anything I’ve read before. This book is about a group of girls who fight phantoms to save the world. The main character goes from fangirl to fighter, even if it takes time. However, the story was pretty slow and there were a few parts that seemed dry, affecting my overall enjoyment.

This book has such an intriguing concept! Basically, there is this group of girls, called Effigies, who have to fight phantoms and save the world. I really enjoyed how all of the girls come fr ...more

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Oct 19, 2016 Aila rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc, paranormal-supernatural, cliche-galore, boring, romance, disappointment, drama-llama, 2016-release, scifi-dystopia, predictable

10/19/16:

Absolutely infuriating to read. It's been so long so I've read a book where I could find almost NO redeeming qualities, no matter what kind of excuses I make up for it. By page 200 I was rage reading it.

Was it because of the cardboard, weak main character whose dialogue never amounted to anything and actions that were stagnant throughout the book?

Was it the lack of growth in the characters that I could read about?

Was it the fact that most of the girls were embroiled in stereotype -lik ...more

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Aug 09, 2016 Annie (Under the Covers Book Blog) rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-young-adult, review-requests, read-in-2016, arc, books-i-own, author-sarah-raughley, series-effigies

FATE OF FLAMES is the first book in the Effigies series. When I read the blurb of this story, I was immediately drawn in by its premise. Four girls with the power to control the elements are responsible for saving the world from terrible evil. These Phantoms continue to terrorize the city of Manhattan and when you throw in the fact that these girls are essentially supposed to be superheroes you would think this would be a pretty epic book.

However, I didn’t love it. I liked it enough to finish ...more

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Jun 01, 2016 T.J. Burns rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-10-october, fantasy-sci-fi, young-adult-teen, preferred-publisher, ng, simon-and-schuster-childrens, netgalley-edelweiss-reviewed

Exciting! Mega-exciting! The action pulled me right in and wouldn’t let me go. (I immediately wanted to know what an Effigie is and how can I become one ;) ).

The characters are diverse and interesting. They captured my interest and I cared about them. I liked seeing the four girls coming together, overcoming their daemons, working through their weaknesses, pulling out their strengths. I am very much looking forward to the next installment so I can continue along on their journey with them.

(view ...more

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Dec 02, 2016 Heather (The Sassy Book Geek) rated it it was ok

Shelves: arcs, read-in-2016, young-adult, urban-fantasy, owned-digital

Originally Posted On The Sassy Book Geek

Update: The more I think about this book the more I remember just how much the main character irritated me so I'm downgrading the rating because 3 stars means I did moderately enjoy and "Fate of Flames" I don't think deserves that.

**** Big thank you to Simon Pulse for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review****

This was a book that was hard to rate because I liked the concept a lot but overall “Fate of Flames” was really meh. So it g ...more

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Nov 06, 2015 Paige (Illegal in 3 Countries) rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, series-unfinished

After being a huge fan of Raughley's debut novel, I'm sad to be so whelmed by Fate of Flames. It tries to mix magical realism, paranormal, and sci-fi in unsatisfying ways and I didn't come out of the book feeling it had a satisfactory ending even for the first book in a series. It feels like a backstory given full form. It does an incredible job of humanizing the girls and deconstructing the Magical Girl trope via showing how hard it is for these teenage girls to put their lives on the line and ...more

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Nov 27, 2017 Leelynn (Sometimes Leelynn Reads) ❤ rated it it was amazing

Find this review and more on my blog: Sometimes Leelynn Reads

"Technically, this was what I'd always wanted, in a way... To fight like one of them. To save lives like one of them. And now I was one of them. An Effigy. Careful what you wish for, I guess."

So my library was doing a "Blind Date with a Book" thing, and the description is what made me get this. I had no idea what the title was or anything because of course, it was wrapped up in brown packaging and only had bullet points as a summary. I Find this review and more on my blog: Sometimes Leelynn Reads

"Technically, this was what I'd always wanted, in a way... To fight like one of them. To save lives like one of them. And now I was one of them. An Effigy. Careful what you wish for, I guess."

So my library was doing a "Blind Date with a Book" thing, and the description is what made me get this. I had no idea what the title was or anything because of course, it was wrapped up in brown packaging and only had bullet points as a summary. I took a chance, but I liked what I saw.

I definitely have to say that I'm so glad I read this book, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to get it as a blind date. To think that the author herself described this book as a mix of Sailor Moon and Pacific Rim made me want to devour it as quickly as possible. I could see those aspects of it for sure, but as I was reading it, I got more of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibe from it, and I'll tell you why in a minute.

Basically the book is about Maia Finley, a Jamaican-American high school student who learns that she is the next Fire Effigy, one of four girls that are tasked with saving the world from the creatures only known as Phantoms. This wasn't something that she knew she was going to do until this feeling came over her. It was then that she knew that the previous Fire Effigy, a Russian girl named Natalya Filipova, known to the entire world as the Matryoshka Princess, was dead. The Buffy reference comes into play here because once one Effigy dies, another girl is called to take her place. Just like a Slayer, when one dies, another one is called to battle evil. In this case, there are always four at a time, one for each of the elements (Avatar the Last Airbender, anyone?): Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. These girls must work together to stop the world from being destroyed, all while being followed and talked about by the media and other fans that dedicate entire forums to them.

Sounds pretty crazy, right?

One of the main things that I loved about this book was that the Effigies are usually from different parts of the world. They are never all from America, or all from Euope. It's diverse, and I love that. I love reading about POCs in books, especially having them as main characters in books and not one-dimensional people just there to claim diversity. In this case, our two POCs are Maia Finley and Chae Rin Kim, who is Korean but grew up in Montreal. Chae Rin is the Earth Effigy, and it screams Toph all over to me, with her temper and sarcastic quips and all. Only difference is Chae Rin isn't blind like Toph, but she is still really strong and has amazing control over her powers.

We also have Belle Rousseau, the longest standing Effigy after Natalya's death, the Ice Effigy since most of her powers manifest into ice rather than water. She is as cold as her power, and it's hard for any of the other girls to really get her to let her walls down. Natalya was her mentor, her sister in arms, and with her death, Belle takes it hard and shuts down completely. She's the hardest of the four girls, and also the one that's been hurt the most. Victoria "Lake" Soyinka, a British pop star trying to stay away from all the death and destruction to focus on her music career, has powers over the wind. Although she was scared to be an Effigy, to the point of flaking out of her training and resorting to the celebrity life, she was able to come together with the others and work together.

I adored this book so much. There were times where I would get extremely frustrated with Maia, especially since she didn't seem to have any handle on her powers, and I just wanted her to be brave, but it didn't deter me from enjoying this book. I get it. To have to follow in the footsteps of someone as formidable as Natalya, there's no wonder that the pressure would be much to handle. Her powers seemed to manifest during times of emotional distress, basically when she wasn't even aware of it. When she was scared, her powers came out. When she was in a fit of rage, her powers came out. But when she was concertrating, and I mean really concentrating, nothing would happen. This kind of reminds me of Aang when he was trying to master Earthbending. I know she will get it, and I know that she will be great, especially being a part of a team like the Effigies.

I can't wait to read the second book, and I'm a little bummed that it's only going to be a trilogy, but I'm also hoping that we get to explore more of the other Effigies backgrounds and what makes them tick. I believe the author did an amazing job of getting these girls to be three-dimensional. None of them were perfect, and that's what made me appreciate them even more. I highly recommend this book. ...more

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Nov 10, 2016 Miranda (MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It) rated it liked it

3.5 / 5 Fangs

Fate of Flames started off with a bang. From the first chapter, I was captivated by the world the author created. I will admit that the world building was a little weak, so it was hard to understand some of the aspects of the world. The author included some much-needed information as the book went on, so that helped me understand what was going on. However, I do still feel like there are some unanswered questions about the world and the Effigies that I hope will be addressed in th ...more

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Nov 22, 2017 Daphnee (daphneereads) rated it liked it

Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley had a great premise but it annoyed me so bad that it was FULL of clichés. The only thing that saved it for me was that it was action-packed and fast-paced.

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Mar 10, 2016 Jamie (Books and Ladders) rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc-reviews, november-2016, simon-pulse, young-adult, fantasy, 2016-release, did-not-finish

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 35%

I made it farther than my typical 25% before DNF-ing only because I am reviewing it on Books Are My Fandom for one of our BAMF Reviews, but I just couldn't read anymore. Thinking about going back to it is making me want to cry. I was bored and I feel like with a book that has destructo-beasts and girls with superpowers, I should be ENTHRALLED not wondering how Jurassic Park was still made in 1991 when the world ...more

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Sep 05, 2016 Carrie added it

Shelves: prizes-requested, did-not-finish, read-2016

DNF - Couldn't get into this one.

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Mar 23, 2016 Liz at Midnight Bloom Reads rated it it was amazing

Sarah Raughley's Fate of Flames is a very ambitious introduction to the Effigies series. Pitched as a combination of Pacific Rim, Sailor Moon, and The Avengers, I definitely had some high expectations when I first started the book. And you know what? I loved Fate of Flames! It gave me four female superheroes to cheer on as they used their powers to fight monsters and save humankind.

Two days ago, Maia Finley became the newest Fire Effigy, succeeding one of the most legendary Effigies who ever liv Sarah Raughley's Fate of Flames is a very ambitious introduction to the Effigies series. Pitched as a combination of Pacific Rim, Sailor Moon, and The Avengers, I definitely had some high expectations when I first started the book. And you know what? I loved Fate of Flames! It gave me four female superheroes to cheer on as they used their powers to fight monsters and save humankind.

Two days ago, Maia Finley became the newest Fire Effigy, succeeding one of the most legendary Effigies who ever lived: Natalya Filipova. As the world mourns one of its ultimate heroes, rumoured to have committed suicide, the attention has now shifted to Maia, who can barely conjure a flame. You see, there are only four Effigies in the world at a time, each gifted with a classic elemental power: earth, air, fire, and water. And for generations, the Effigies have protected humanity with their cosmic gifts, battling terrifying monsters called Phantoms.

Maia has always been a fangirl of the Effigies. She blogs about them all the time, keeps up with their online fandom sites, and memorizes all their fights against the Phantoms. The Effigies are international celebrities. And now she's one of them? It's completely surreal. But as Maia is about to find out, her idols are far from perfect. They hardly speak to each other. And they each carry trauma from the destruction and deaths caused by the Phantoms.

But it's more important than ever that the Effigies stand united. A mysterious man named Saul can somehow control an army of Phantoms, and he's wreaking havoc on the world's major cities. And even more curiously, he seems to have a connection to a previous incarnation of the Fire Effigy. The Effigies are an utter mess, but Maia is determined to bring them all together to join the fight against Saul.

I liked that Maia and the other Effigies—Belle, Chae Rin, and Lake—were far from perfect heroines. And considering this is only book one, I didn't really expect them to be. They're all young women who've had a great responsibility and power suddenly thrust onto them with no choice, and each has been physically and mentally affected in some form. Maia is still bright-eyed and eager to help, mostly because she's always looked up to the Effigies, but you can't forget that she has very little experience actually facing the Phantoms.

Belle is icy and cold, but she's also the most battle-hardened of the others. She was personally mentored by Natalya, and in her grief, you can understand why she didn't much care for Maia initially. Chae Rin is jaded and still haunted by a previous fight against the Phantoms, one that hurt many people. And becoming an Effigy has hurt her relationship with her family. And Lake? Well, she's more soft-hearted and scared to fight, not really a warrior at all. Each of the girls have such different personalities, but I found them to be so realistic. These girls don't know each other well, so of course their teamwork level isn't going to be perfectly in sync yet.

And that's where I think Fate of Flames has so much potential to grow into a truly epic series. The Effigies may not be truly ready to take on the Phantoms as a team, but they'll try their hardest to succeed. They're brave and heroic, but what makes them even stronger is the way they overcome their personal fears and doubts to get the job done. And with more training, I think we'll see even more crazy awesome action scenes. I'm looking at you, Maia. Learn to use your scythe!

Diverse female superheroes, thrilling action scenes, international locales, and plenty of intrigue and mystery... What's not to love about Sarah Raughley's Fate of Flames? I absolutely can't wait for the next installment in the Effigies series!

** I received an ARC from Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review. ** ...more

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Jul 11, 2015 Peach rated it it was ok

Shelves: meh, young-adult, netgalley, fantasy, 2016-releases, arc, diversity-yay, codename-mary-sue

I featured it on my blog in an old session of Top Tuesday. It'd been pitched as "Pacific Rim meets the Avengers with a Sailor Moon cast." COME ON.

~~Sailor Moon~~ Maia Finley is an average schoolgirl when her New York City school has been ransacked by phantoms and ghostly beings alike. She's forced to "calmly evacuate" with her class, and although she knows of her Effigy heritage - aka: a Sailor Scout/Senshi of the current day - she obviously has no clue of how to save the world.

Fortunately for her, ...more

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Nov 29, 2016 Vee S rated it it was amazing

I LOVED IT, honestly. This book is like... everything I never knew I needed. And I don't know why I haven't seen more people talking about it?????

-dystopia/SF/F
-Jamaican-American mc superhero (who I *think* is #ownvoices??)
-really fascinating, satisfying worldbuilding
-such an amazing exploration fandom (and all the ups and downs)
-like honestly who knew you could smoosh together SF/F and fandom culture so seamlessly into one book!! Because I did not!
-exploration of internalized misogyny
-use ...more

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Mar 23, 2016 Sandra marked it as to-read

A superhero fantasy pitched as PACIFIC RIM meets the AVENGERS with a SAILOR MOON cast.

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Nov 09, 2016 Jesse Nicholas rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016-books, fantasy

Its started out fantastic! Hit a dry spell in the middle and lagged. Ending was underwhelming. Should have left off with a cliffhanger to pique reader interest in wanting to pick up the sequel!

Full review to come!

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Mar 06, 2016 Cody Roecker marked it as to-read

I am so excited because I have won an ARC to be sent to me as soon as ARCs are in print! Cannot wait!!!!

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Nov 20, 2016 Tiff at Mostly YA Lit rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, sci-fi, dystopian, debut-author, canadian, pub-simon-and-schuster, arc-to-read, feminist, for-review, superheroes

Review originally posted on Mostly YA Lit:
Review: Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley
Is Fate of Flames is sci-fi or fantasy? I’m not sure it matters. The book has elements from both genres, with a lot about celebrity, teamwork, and memory thrown in.

In the near future, the world has been overrun by phantoms, shadowy beasts who wreak havoc wherever they go. Most major cities on Earth have anti-shadow technology that keeps the phantoms outside of the atmosphere. Sometimes, though, they break through Review originally posted on Mostly YA Lit:
Review: Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley
Is Fate of Flames is sci-fi or fantasy? I’m not sure it matters. The book has elements from both genres, with a lot about celebrity, teamwork, and memory thrown in.

In the near future, the world has been overrun by phantoms, shadowy beasts who wreak havoc wherever they go. Most major cities on Earth have anti-shadow technology that keeps the phantoms outside of the atmosphere. Sometimes, though, they break through, and that’s where the Effigies - four girl superheroes who can each control an element - come in. The Effigies are able to battle the phantoms, and as such, they are each huge celebrities.

Maia Finley, a New York high school student, just became the new Fire Effigy. She’s an Effigy fangirl, but as she quickly realizes, being an Effigy is different from liking them. In short, she’s terrified, she doesn’t seem to have any powers, and on top of all that, there’s a mysterious new guy with a bad agenda who seems to be able to make the phantoms do his bidding.

To fight off the phantoms and this new guy, the Effigies need to work together with the Sect, the governing body who enforces them. And to do that, they need to dig deep into the realms of memory, history and psyche to figure out how to beat this new menace.

So there are things I really loved about Fate of Flames and things that made me go “enh?”.

On the love side, I adored the mythology of the Effigies. The tagline billed this as Sailor Moon meets Avengers and Pacific Rim. I don’t know much about the latter, but I LOVE Sailor Moon and Avengers, and I think that Raughley got the girl superhero elements so right. This is a cast of girls that you get simultaneously frustrated with and kind of also love.

What unites these characters, is, sadly, the trauma and frustration they experience. Every time they have to fight, they put themselves at risk, and hundreds of others. Watching people die all around you, and knowing that you have the ability to save them, but maybe things just didn’t go your way that day? That’s rough. And you can see the toll that takes on each of them.

On the “enh” side, I found Maia’s voice to be really hard to get into for the first part of the book. There is definitely a giant element of fangirl, and occasionally, that just made her feel too immature for my liking.

At the same time, I recognize that that was kind of what the author was going for, especially since Sailor Moon is one of the comparisons. In a lot of ways, Maia is the weakest, but sometimes the most important link in the Effigy clan, and that really feels like Usagi/Serena from the Sailor Moon series. She’s not a crybaby, but she is the youngest Effigy, and the one who seems to care the most about the people around her.

The other enh for me was how strange it was that Maia was never tagged as being Jamaican until about two-thirds of the way through the book. Even though this is definitely a diverse book, with characters of all ethnicities popping up, I didn’t know that Maia was black for such a long time, and I wonder if that was deliberate or not.

Overall, what I loved most about Fate of Flames was how well the reluctant teamwork storylines played out. This is a realistic alliance, one with a lot of bumps even though everyone has the same goal. Girl power is there, but girls teaming up? That’s hard, and it’s something that the author and characters really fight for and earn.
Bonuses:
Fame and Media: I really appreciated how Raughley went into the celebrity element of being an Effigy, and how much of a responsibility, a liability, and an asset the media can be. Media scrutiny plays a huge part in the opinions of the characters with one another, and I think it was used extremely well here.

Memory and Dreams: I don’t want to spoil too much more, but I do want to say that one of the coolest parts of the book is how dreams and memory are built into the narrative. it's very Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Effigies are chosen by fate, and each one carries a piece of the memory of all of the previous Effigies of that element. And it can get crowded in there.
Book Theme Song:

Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde (from the Hunger Games soundtrack)

I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm
And the scars that mark my body, they're silver and gold
My blood is a flood of rubies, precious stones
It keeps my veins hot, the fire's found a home in me
I move through town, I’m quiet like a fight
And my necklace is of rope, I tie it and untie it

This is the start of how it all ends
They used to shout my name, now they whisper it
I'm speeding up and this is the
Red, orange, yellow flicker beat sparking up my heart
We’re at the start, the colors disappear
I never watch the stars, there’s so much down here
So I just try to keep up with them
Red, orange, yellow flicker beat sparking up my heart

I dream all year, but they're not the sweet kinds
And the shivers move down my shoulder blades in double time

The Final Word:
Fate of Flames is a girl Avengers story, with a few elements of Harry Potter thrown in. I really, really liked it. And that’s saying a lot for a girl like me who usually doesn’t like fantasy. If you’re looking for a kick-arse girl power book with realistic alliances, a fascinating mythology, and feels-y characters that are forced to take on impossible situations, this is your book. I’ll definitely be picking up book 2.
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FATE OF FLAMES is out in bookstores now. Will you be reading it? Are you into the Avengers or other superhero stories? What about Sailor Moon? If you know of other YA super hero girl stories, let me know - I so want to read them! ...more

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May 20, 2016 Madison rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure, young-adult, paranormal

I love superhero books, so I was excited by the premise of a strong cast of females with impressive powers (and a touch of both glamour and drama) in a fantasy setting. Fate of Flames delivers plenty of action and mystery, and all the drama you would expect when throwing four girls together and hoping they can save the world.

Maia knows everything there is to know about the Effigies, four girls gifted with the powers of the elements to fight the Phantoms that plague the world. Maia just never ex I love superhero books, so I was excited by the premise of a strong cast of females with impressive powers (and a touch of both glamour and drama) in a fantasy setting. Fate of Flames delivers plenty of action and mystery, and all the drama you would expect when throwing four girls together and hoping they can save the world.

Maia knows everything there is to know about the Effigies, four girls gifted with the powers of the elements to fight the Phantoms that plague the world. Maia just never expected to become an Effigy herself. But with a new villain who can seemingly control the Phantoms, Maia will have to quickly get used to playing the hero, even if she's not sure how.

The description of Avengers meets Sailor Moon is apt, I think. Especially the part where the Avengers fight between themselves and generally create destruction wherever they go. Similar too is the organisation that seeks to control the Effigies, while keeping many things hidden from them. It's fun going on an adventure with Maia as she travels some major cities of the world, fighting monstrous beasts (or running away from them) and trying to uncover the villain's evil plan.

The Effigies are four girls who have the power to control the elements. But technology has allowed the citizens of the world to become complacent. So the Effigies are more celebrities now than warriors. They also aren't used to working together. Maria's arrival and the recent attacks bring the four girls together, whether they want to work together or not.

The world in which this story is set is both recognisable and original. Most things are the same but history, culture, and technology reflects the fact that Phantom attacks and Effigies have existed for as long as humanity can remember. The descriptions and explanations of the history and logistics of the Effigies's powers and the Sect organisation are woven throughout the story. There are no great info dumps and things are slowly revealed. But everything seems consistent, well-thought out and pervasive, creating a very convincing world.

Maia isn't a battle-hardened warrior. In fact, she probably couldn't even throw a punch. She is a better Effigy fan than Effigy. She is even terrified of her power, fire, due to the house fire that killed her family. But she is determined to do the right thing and believes the Effigies can be heroes and should work together. I think there will be plenty of time for her to become a butt-kicking warrior.

As well as action, Fate of Flames has many mysteries, like the history of the Effigies, what happened to the Effigy that came before Maia, and if Maia will learn to control her powers and what her part is in the larger plan. At the end of the book there are still plenty of unanswered questions. The girls are finally ready to work together and move forward in solving their mysteries. It is an exciting setup for the next book, which promises to expand on the action and reveal more of the inner workings of the Sect and the Effigies's powers.

Overall, a fun start to a new series that promises lots of action, mystery, and drama.

The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Find more reviews on my blog Madison's Library. ...more

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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA book about girl superheroes with elemental powers; there was only allowed to be a few at a time, the old one went away and the main character is stepping up, possibly with fire powers; elemental plotline has been compared to Sailor Moon. [s]	3	25	Dec 08, 2017 08:31AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley -- Starting September 27, 2016	20	30	Oct 10, 2016 03:25PM

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About Sarah Raughley

Sarah Raughley

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Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to SF/F TV to Japanese Role Playing Games, but she will swear up and down that she was inspired by ~Jane Austin~ at book signings. On top of being a YA Writer, she is currently completing a PhD in English, because the ...more