A Thousand Fires is the debut novel of Shannon Price, and is a novel worth checking out. It's a modern-day retelling of The Iliad, with a touch of The Outsiders thrown into the mix. Naturally, that has a lot of readers more than a little bit curious about this one.
In a world where three gangs rule the land, everything is both familiar and dangerous. On your eighteenth birthday, you stand a chance of picking recruited by one of three gangs. If recruited, you're expected to put in a year with them. You cannot leave. You cannot run.
The Herons are the most organized gang of the three. They've got their hands on corporations and politicians. As such, they tend to rule the roost. The Boars are wild and loud, and will do what it takes the stop the Herons from getting bigger. And then there are the Stags. They're the smallest, and some people even believe that they don't exist. Their goals are much more obfuscated than the other two.
Ten years ago Valerie Simons lost her little brother to a gang war. A Boar gang member killed him, even though he was just a kid. Ever since then, Valerie has been working towards getting herself recruited by the Herons so she could get her revenge.
Only, she wasn't recruited by the Herons. Instead, the Stags came to her. And they offered her the chance at revenge that she so desperately wanted. All she has to do is earn their trust before they'll give her a name. Just one name, and she'll get the man who murdered her brother.

“Eighteen – old enough to have had your heart hardened, young enough that blood still passes through it.”

Warnings: This is probably fairly obvious, but this novel contains more than one example of gang violence within its pages. It's never gratuitous, for what it is worth.

A Thousand Fires was a magnificent and emotionally compelling novel. It's a prime example of a character driven plot, with Valerie's pain and determination driving her and the plot forward. It was impossible not to feel the pain and anger she was suffering from, while also hoping that she would find a better path in life.
As a fan of both The Iliad and The Outsiders, I knew that I had to give this novel a chance. Now that I've read it, I can honestly say that it lived up to all of my expectations. You can see the influences here, naturally. But it also felt very much like its own beast as well. The end result was something both unique and amazing.
Valerie's character was dynamic and vibrant. Her pain felt real – like it was emanating from the pages. Watching her get into something over her head made for an interesting read, even if there were times where I felt like screaming at her (have you ever watched a movie and wanted to warn the characters about what was about to happen? It's like that).
The secondary characters were equally interesting. The romantic subplot(s) added a lot to Valerie's story...and her confusion. It was a perfect touch. And of course, it helped to add emotional tension to what was happening.
Part of me is actually a little bit sad that A Thousand Fires is a standalone novel. I would have happily read a second novel in this series. And even a third. I guess that just means I'll have to check out whatever Shannon Price comes out with next.

I did everything I could to read this excerpt, but it would not open on my computer. The description sounds really interesting and I love the cover of the book. That being said, I wish I could give a review, but will definitely be reading the book when it comes out.

A promising start! For only an excerpt, I was already hooked on the story. I loved the idea of rival gangs and how they came to be. The writing style is simple yet impactful.
I will definitely pick up A Thousand Fires once it is released!

I don’t think this is a book for me, it might just be a personal issue. It had tropes that I hate- it also felt like one of those early 2000 books. I, sadly don’t see myself buying the physical book or continuing with the story.

*I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All subsequent opinions are my own.

I loved this brief preview of A Thousand Fire by Shannon Price. The book is marketed as The Outsideds meets the Illiad and, as a MA student in Classics, I was thrilled to read a brief, but fantastic tease for this story. If anyone is looking for a well paced, engangingly written, some times humerous, frequently thought provoking read; I cannot recommend this book enough.

My fault for not realizing it was only an excerpt, but this was disappointing. I was just thinking I was kinda liking where it went and then it just stopped. Can't give a review about the story, but I was disappointed when I was done reading all of a sudden so I guess that means the book will at least be worth picking up.

I wasn't sure that a chapter preview would hook me much at all, but I am definitely intrigued and will most likely be preordering or getting it from my library when it's released.

Valerie is ready to be recruited into the Herons, one of the three gangs that control San Francisco. All she wants is revenge for her brother's death. She'll spend the next year in the Wars with her boyfriend, who comes from a family of Herons. But something unexpected happens on the night of her 18th birthday that might throw all those plans awry.

This was a very enticing excerpt by Shannon Price. She gives just enough detail and backstory to keep you intrigued and wanting more. A strong female lead, an interesting take on The Iliad, and some diversity are great components to this story. I'll be very excited to read the whole book!

This was an excerpt for A Thousand Fires by Shannon Price. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advance copy excerpt in exchange for an honest review.

Valerie is eighteen and it’s an established fact that on your birthday you can be invited to join one of the powerful gangs that controls San Francisco. Valerie is eagerly waiting and knows exactly which gang will come for her but what if she’s wrong ? What if her hopes and dreams are about to come crashing down ?
This was an intriguing beginning and the sample I’ve just read certainly sets up for a story involving revenge, a coming of age and there’s even what could be a love triangle to further confuse and muddy the waters !

A very promising start!

A Thousand Fires seems like an interesting dystopian novel, set in a more contemporary and relatable style than books such as The Hunger Games or Divergent.

The premise of rival gangs and a girl on a quest for revenge is sure to create an exhilarating novel.

While I am a little uncertain about the romance aspect, this teaser gave an interesting view into the characters. I look forward to reading this novel!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I was a tad bummed I couldn't download a kindle version, as that's highly preferred.. but.. on to the book itself.

this was only a sample, but it really did draw me in. i plan on reading the book in full.

This is just a sample but I already feel intrigued. The ending of the first chapter makes me want to know the rest of the story.

I am so intrigued already! I love that this is set in San Francisco by a Filipino author. And I'm already super confused so I must know more. I'm excited to get to the full book!

This excerpt was enough to have me excited to read the rest of the book. I'm a bit confused and I think the full novel will explain the questions I have.

1. Why can I not download this sample to my kindle? Why do I need 10 different apps to be a good reviewer?
2. I didn't like the sample. Maybe the book gets better but Tor never approves books for me no matter how much I would like to read and review them. 🤷🏼‍♀️

This is just a sampler, but it definitely pulls you in. Can’t wait to read the rest of A THOUSAND FIRES.

I was provided a copy of a sampler from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This has been on my want to read for a while so I jumped at the chance to read a sampler and can I just say that this has made me even more excited to read the book.

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

The small excerpt of "A Thousand Fires" definitely caught my attention. The concept of rival gangs in a dystopian world is interesting, and I'd like to see how Shannon Price develops the story.

At least there isn't a long wait until November!

Unfortunately I'm unable to provide a review for this one as their isn't an option to send to Kindle and I get an error re incompatible format when I try to open the downloaded file

Loved this sneak-peak of A Thousand Fires! Only the first chapter, and already I'm desperate to know how Val will face her divided loyalties and what lines she'll be willing to cross! This is definitely a debut to have on the radar of YA dystopian fans! I also love the narrator voice/tone. It gave me similar vibes as Hunger Games and A Curse So Dark and Lonely, both of which I love! Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this preview excerpt! #AThousandFires #NetGalley