The Hungry Fire

Serpentstone #1

by A.M. Obst

They’re surrounded by immense magical powers. How can they survive when they only have wits and desperation as weapons?

Betharad, Sarnd and Jessa are doing their best to step out from the shadow cast by their hero parents. But they are thrown into a desperate battle for survival by the return of the sorcerer their parents died to defeat.

The siblings search for clues in their parents’ tragic demise, only to uncover shocking secrets behind the official story. Reeling from the discovery and lacking magical powers of their own, as their enemy meddles with chaotic forces, death seems inevitable.

Can three ordinary people outwit a fiend whose ruthless ambitions could send their world to its doom?

The Hungry Fire is the gripping first book in the Serpentstone epic fantasy series, but can be enjoyed as a standalone story too. If you like underdog champions, earth-shattering magic, and high-stakes action, then you’ll love A.M. Obst’s riveting tale.

Genres: Fantasy

284 pages, ebook

Published January 18, 2021

Reviews

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three siblings, Betharad, Sarnd, and Jessa, lack the magical powers to deal with what awaits them. Their parents sacrificed their lives to stop the evil sorcerer. And that would be it, except the sorcerer didn't die. And the heroic story didn't tell the whole truth.

I liked the fact that the siblings start out as ordinary people using their wits to outsmart a ruthless fiend. The magic, the world, and the three POV characters are compelling. I found Jessa's chapters most exciting, probably because she tends to act on a whim and often gets into trouble.

Solid character development and earth-shattering magic make the story engaging. I feel it would be even more exciting if we got less exposition and more action/character work. That being said, I enjoyed the smaller (but no less entertaining) scale of the events - the siblings want to save their hometown, not the whole immense world.

In sum, The Hungry Fire has a promising foundation and interesting premise. I feel it could do a better job at making characters more nuanced and memorable but what we get is solid anyway.

[S.A. Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic fantasy story revolving around three siblings, two of whom are twins. Descended from strong, magic-wielding parents, their lives are turned upside down by an evil protagonist hell-bent on releasing evil onto the world. This is a classic fantasy story, it does nothing to push or twist the genre, but that can be forgiven because the plot is solid.
The characters and world is fleshed out with great detail, and the writing is top-notch. The antagonist seemed scary enough, and there was never a moment where the tension wasn't high.
I will say that while the story started with a bang, it dragged on through the first quarter of the book, only really catching its legs once the twins were taken. There was an unexpected surprise near the end that caught me off-guard in a good way. The story wrapped up very nicely, almost too nicely. Usually, sequels must "up" the stakes, so it will be interesting to see where the author can take the story from here.

[J.M. Arlen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hungry Fire is an enjoyable read involving dangerous magic artifacts, kidnappings, and mystical portals to other realms. The story also takes a lot of time out to flesh out council meetings and conversations about how to manage the town, which I did not enjoy as much. For me, the story was too light on the action in the first half. The book opens with a strong action scene but doesn't quite satisfy with its description of the event. I found myself unsure of exactly what took place because of the messy way it was described. Following the opening, we don't get much action for many chapters. I myself lean more towards books with lots of action and quick pacing so It was a bit difficult to get through the first half of the story. In the end, though, the building action leads to a long, satisfying final battle which had very nice descriptions of actions and lots of great dialogue. I was very intrigued by the Serpentstone and the way the twins' arcs ended. The strongest character is Betharad, who acts as our protagonist. I found myself bored by most of the other characters, but Betharad is a strong personality and the way she handles the primary antagonist and the rising problems created by him are well written and satisfying. Betherad ends the story on a note which leaves us looking up to her for what she did, even in spite of the extreme danger. I'm not sure where the sequel will lead as I felt the world in this story was not built up enough in this book to make me want to read more. It felt like the story was neatly tied up, other than just one major plot point, so the Author will need to really reach deep into the story to find a way to make it continue. Hopefully we can see an entirely new cast of characters next time.

Overall:
Solid writing: 8/10
generic Diologue at times: 5/10
Characters are mostly flat other than Betherad and the Twins: 6/10
Plot is interesting and well thought out: 9/10

[Sandra J Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betharad, the steward of Naerun, is about to be inaugurated at the Deliverance Ceremony. But she’s worried. Can she live up to the legacy her parents left behind? Before the ceremony can begin, chaos erupts, causing the death of a Councillor.

With the postponement of the ceremony, it is now up to Betharad, Marshal Kavilas and the other councillors to discover what happened and who’s behind this murder. Was it the strangers who were seen lurking around earlier that morning or someone more nefarious?

I was intrigued and enjoyed this story from the moment I started reading this fantasy. Well-written and with great world building, it was easy to follow along and visualize the scenes as described by the author. Though I didn’t read this book every day, it was easy to get back into the story whenever I picked it up again. There’s also a twist near the end that I was not suspecting.

I would have liked to have seen a little bit more of Betharad and Kavilas’ relationship. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is suggested at one point that the two spend some time together and not “talk shop”. According to the story, they had dinner together. I personally thought this would have been a nice scene to have experienced rather than be told it was a nice time through dialogue. In any case, there is a second book in this series which I’m interested in reading.

If you enjoy a well-written fantasy adventure, I recommend The Hungry Fire.

[Darla Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantasy story about 3 siblings tackling a great evil that threatens to return. It is very well written and there is a strong emphasis on developing details of not just the main characters but many others. Through the first 10% of the book, this character development occurs through the use of dialogue, which I found difficult to fully engage with. The story then picks up pace, gradually developing suspense as the confrontation with evil looms closer. There are several sections that are heavily dialogue loaded, revealing a past event that could be a separate novel in its own right. I have given 5 stars but I would drop half a star because I found some sections hard to focus on, as the past background was delivered through prolonged discussion by several of the characters. This is a well written novel with a great fantasy story and characters. Recommended read for fantasy fans.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chapters switch third-person perspectives between sisters Betharad and Jessa, and brother Sarnd. They realise a third into the book they're not safe from the danger their parents died to stop. There are various characters introduced, and with the three perspectives the characters are not always altogether and gets dizzying. Nonetheless, there is a great relationship among the siblings as they come together to defeat their undead enemy, unearthing further secrets.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.

[Kathryn Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this actually. I picked it up with no expectations and I was really impressed. The authors style of writing was quite refreshing. I won’t say anything about the plot because it’s quite fantastic and I don’t want to spoil it, but I will say that it wasn’t generic or something that’s been overly done before. Overall, quite an impressive novel for what I assume is a debut novelist.