This is a genre is one I like to read often and I really enjoyed The Name of the Wind, which Emmie Mears sites as inspiration for this story… and prompted me to read this.

The author took some very real issues and wove them into a story that entertains, and simultaneously gets you thinking! Admittedly I had some trouble adjusting to the pronouns of this world, and it was confusing at first, but it eventually grew on me and kudos to the author for both creating this world and explaining her vision on gender to us in the intro.

There’s so much truth to the lessons in this book, and I think Mears has cleverly crafted a way to capture the audiences, getting the attention of readers who might not read nonfiction or otherwise think about these kinds of environmental issues, how we consume, or our impact on the planet.

I’m going to give it to Emmie Mears – she has one hell of a creative mind!
The down side of being creative, however, is that sometimes the mind doesn’t know when to stop. Personally, this was the main flaw I found in Hearthfire.
This world that Mears has created is so vast and unusual that I completely understand the need for descriptive text (which was absolutely beautifully done by the way. No one will ever say that this author can’t turn a phrase!) but I found that there was so much focus on building the world up that the plotline and characters were overshadowed. I kept finding myself losing focus on what I was reading and would have to constantly go back and reread paragraphs.
I also applaud the author of the use of non-binary pronouns. This is something we are just starting to see more and more of in books but still isn’t very common. While the pronouns system was a refreshing change to what we tend to see as the norm in novels, the lack of explanation and the inconsistency of use made it a bit awkward to read. Sure, you get used to it after a while but it took me a lot longer than it should have to realize that these were not typos.
The Journeying as a coming of age tradition was unique and I loved the concept as well as the characters’ relationships with each other and those they meet along the way to find their Names. Again, however, I found that the exciting adventure I was hoping to see was overshadowed by excessive use of descriptive writing and the book dragged on rather than pulled me in. I think the use of “less is more” philosophy would have made for a more captivating read.
I think Mears did a fantastic job of creating a world that I would like to read more about and there is no question of the author’s talent when it comes to putting her creativity to paper. The writing style absolutely blew me away but, personally, I would have loved to have seen more when it came to the characters themselves and the journey they were on rather than focusing on the world and creatures in it.
I have no doubt that there will be many, many lovers of YA high fantasy that will devour this novel, but I don’t feel that it’s for me. For as much as there were parts I enjoyed there was an equal, if not greater, amount that kept me from immersing myself. I will keep an eye out for this author in the future, however, and will be keeping an open mind when the next book in this series comes out. I think it will be interesting to see how this series progresses.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my own, honest opinion.

This review will be very brief.
I read the book and it took me some time. The things I liked: plot. The things I did not like: book drags a lot. I was missing the "thrill for adventure" feeling and unfortunatelly, the author failed for me to be entertained enough.
3 out of 5 rating here because of these aspects.