Of Honey and Wildfires

Sarah Chorn is one of those writers that I have had on my radar for quite some time. In fact, she was one of the first books that I bought when I started this site, but unfortunately, I have had some difficulty finding the time to actually read her books.

Big Mistake, or maybe not! Because sometimes, you need to have that right set of circumstances which mean that you enjoy the book to its full potential, and I think that this was the right time for this book.

As an editor, Sarah Chorn has been involved with some of my favorite books, and now, as an author she has written one of my favorite books.

I have literally only just finished reading this book, so as I am writing this review, you are getting my thoughts unadulterated, without the time to think of one liners or superlatives to try and describe the book.

When you see a review, how many times do you see the line ???I wanted to like this book but???.??? Well I am going to use that line. I wanted to like this book but?????? for the life of me I did not expect to like this book as much as I did! It is utterly gorgeous, and I was taken aback by how beautiful the writing is in the book. In fact, just how good everything is in this book. I most certainly did not expect that!

I suspect that if you are reading this, you may have done some investigation of what the book is about. It is a kind of weird west setting, and by that it uses a fantasy version of the wild west to tell its story. However, the wild west that Sarah Chorn writes about is full of colour. She does not give you a name for the people that live in this world. They are humanoid, but their skin, hair and eye tones are made up of the colour of the rainbow. There are green people, orange, violet etc etc..

The book primarily deals with a number of subjects that all have relevance in the real world, life, loss, love, and family, which I am sure you will have seen in previous reviews. But in addition to that, for me, I also recognised division. Not just between class, but between each other, which seemed to be personified by the boundary, an invisible construct that separates the rich inhabitants of the world that Sarah Chorn has built, from the poor. However, it also signifies the division between those that we hold dear and the boundaries that we impose or that are imposed upon us.

One of the things that I found intriguing in the book, is the use of certain fantasy stalwarts, like the magic. Sarah Chorn cleverly does not use a magic system per se. Rather, she uses a magical substance called Shine, which is used for a myriad of purposes and is intrinsic in everything that the world relies upon, from healing to flavouring food. It also has mundane uses like powering lamps, or heating the house. However, it also has a darker side, in that people can become addicted to it, or that it is used for weapons. She also uses other aspects of the fantasy genre, like the unseen dark overlord that rules the land, in the form of Matthew Esco, who whilst being out of sight for most of the book, is a constant presence throughout, and when he does finally enter the story, he is the epitome of the dark overlord.

The structure of the book is interesting too. The story is told by multiple characters in different time periods. For instance, Arlen???s story is told in the relative present, whilst Cassandra???s is told from the past. However, it constantly hurtles towards the present like a train navigating to it's ultimate destination and bringing us into the present, And then there is Ianthe???s story, which is told in the immediate present. All these stories intersect in some way to finally meet.

In addition to this, the characters are so well written, you can virtually hear them breathing.

As I said earlier, Sarah Chorn's prose is something of beauty. She can make even the mundane sound beguiling. She will effortlessly slip from emotive language that pulls at the heart to describing chopping a tree into logs in the blink of an eye, and I almost cried at that! She is able to convey a sense of tension and foreboding whilst richly describing a walk through a moonlit meadow. It's just.... stunning.

I must say, I was swept along by this book. By the shine of Sarah Chorn???s beautiful writing style, the depth of her story, and I think that this is one of those books that will stay lodged in my head for quite some time.

I read this one for the Indie Ink Awards, but I got the book on kindle from a free event ran by the author!
The author's Twitter says, “Books on Amazon. They'll break your heart,” and I don't know for sure if she meant her own, but she's certainly still right. This is one of the most heartfelt, and heartrending stories I have ever read. Every sentence is like a gut punch. Destroying the reader with ease. 
This novel is also one of the more unique stories I've ever read. It's fantasy, in a fantasy world, and yet it still reads like a period piece or historical fantasy for the Wild West. It has that industrial, gritty feel of a cowboy western, and it technically has a train heist!
The boundary, an invisible line to most that demarcates the civilized from the other, is where the fantasy elements are amped up. Inside the boundary folks are imbued through all things shine. Shine is somewhat like an essence or drug-like substance like in Dune, however here it functions as so much more. It stops the aging of food, keeps it at the correct temperature, stops rot, it heals people, and yet it can also destroy. Those that live with it and intake it show its use through a variety of colors. Your skin and hair may be orange or purple, green or blue. 
In many ways this novel functions as a slice-of-life story. Except that every single character is being emotional decimated over and over, with nothing good staying. Cassandra has perhaps the most hurtful experience of all. And she has over a 15 year journey to her finally reaching her max. Arlen thinks everything is fine until it's not. Sadly he doesn't get to choose finding this out on his own, it's thrust at him, as it so often is in life. 
The author uses such broad strokes and fanciful writing that the mundane reads magical, the typical is anything but. And every paragraph and page is truly emotionally astounding. Metaphorically, lyrically, poetically brilliant. 
Personally a 5/5*. Just fantastic. 

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Of Honey and Wildfires

Shine oil is a valuable commodity controlled by one company. It can restore food, provide light and power, and also heal the wounded. Shine Company owns the land this oil is taken from and through it owns the people that reside there. Arlen Esco, heir to the Company, takes a journey to Shine Territory seeking adventure. But the harsh realities he finds will forever change him. The lives of those who work for the company are not as picturesque as he imagined.

Residing in Shine Territory, Cassandra grows up among ridicule and hatred. While the family she lives with does the best they can for her, it is impossible to hide the fact she is the daughter of an outlaw. One that has caused problems not only for the company, but the people forced to work for it to survive.

Be prepared, Of Honey and Wildfires is going to grab your heart. The prose is poetic and steeped in emotion, painting vivid imagery every step of the way. I found myself sinking into this world, never wanting to leave. I highlighted line after line on my Kindle, saving so many quotes. This book is a lyrical masterpiece, and the characters are just as powerful as the writing style.

While the book mainly focuses on Arlen and Cassandra, another character named Ianthe sneaks in chapters from time to time. Through their eyes, the reader experiences what it means to live in the shadow of Shine Company and how it has changed their lives. Each of them will face uncertainties and hardship, immersing the reader in an intricate story about love, loss, and family.

Sarah Chorn has created characters with true depth and complexity. And while the plot is nonlinear, each chapter is perfectly placed. The world unfolds across the pages, each chapter adding another layer to the experience that is Of Honey and Wildfires. Not to mention she has somehow mixed third and first-person points of view in a way that makes the story all the more captivating.

Of Honey and Wildfires is one of those books that I will be talking about for months, attempting to make everyone I know read it. Seriously, go buy this book or download it on Kindle Unlimited, you will not be disappointed. Meanwhile, I will be sitting, waiting for the sequel to release because you can be sure I already pre-ordered it.

(actually, I don't know how many stars to give it, but it probably deserves 4. I didn't give it a rating on my blog, The Irresponsible Reader, where this originally appeared.
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I will tell you this: Home is not a place. Home is an architecture of bones and a steadily thumping heart. Home is where dreams are born, and monsters are put to rest. It is where the soul can unfurl like the petals of a flower and find succor in the golden blush of each new day.

Home was my father's arms. When I was in them, I knew nothing in the world could touch me.

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From the moment the first settler dug a well and struck a lode of shine, the world changed. Now, everything revolves around that magical oil.

What began as a simple scouting expedition becomes a life-changing ordeal for Arlen Esco. The son of a powerful mogul, Arlen is kidnapped and forced to confront uncomfortable truths his father has kept hidden. In his hands lies a decision that will determine the fate of everyone he loves—and impact the lives of every person in Shine Territory.

The daughter of an infamous saboteur and outlaw, Cassandra has her own dangerous secrets to protect. When the lives of those she loves are threatened, she realizes that she is uniquely placed to change the balance of power in Shine Territory once and for all.

Secrets breed more secrets. Somehow, Arlen and Cassandra must find their own truths in the middle of a garden of lies.

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Of Honey and Wildfires

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Seraphina's Lament