My Thoughts:

Glow of the Fireflies was a unique, and adventurous fantasy. It was simplistic and imaginative. This story is perfect for middle schoolers. I loved the vivid imagery that Lindsey Duga crafted with the setting of Firefly Valley. I could clearly see the Smoky Mountains, the wisps, the animal spirits, and all of nature.

Briony has both literal and metaphorical scars from a fire that occurred in her old home in the Smoky Mountains. She suffered amnesia after the incident and can't remember her past. Shortly after, her mother left and Briony always blamed herself; thinking that it was because her mother couldn't handle her amnesiac condition.

Briony's father moved them to Knoxville, but after her maternal grandmother needs a caretaker, she is tasked with returning to the Smoky Mountains. She meets the gorgeous and mysterious Alder, and together, they are about to embark on a perilous journey to rescue her mother from a dangerous nature spirit...

Glow of the Fireflies had beautiful and descriptive writing. The pacing was moderate, and I loved the main characters Briony, and Alder. Briony persevered against all of her obstacles and never even thought of giving up when circumstances were at their bleakest. I loved Alder, because he was loyal, heroic, sweet, and willing to sacrifice himself for Briony. He encompassed unconditional love, and gave me all of the feels. My only critique of the story was that I expected the plot to be a little more layered, and complex. Like I said, it was a pretty simple story, and I think it would be perfect for middle schoolers.

If you are an animal and nature lover, and enjoy a unique and imaginative story with lovable characters, adventure, and beautiful visuals, I highly recommend Glow of the Fireflies!

This was an interesting urban fantasy type. Sometimes I didn’t quite get everything but I liked the uniqueness of it. Also, there was cuteness with the romantic interest and the dialogue was great!

I have received an arc of Glow of the Fireflies by Netgalley.

It was the first time I was reading a book from this author and wasn't dissapointed. I have really love it and the cover is so pretty.

Briony never planned to go back to the place she lost everything.

Firefly Valley, nestled deep within the Smoky Mountains, is better kept in her past. After an unexplained fire gave Briony amnesia, her mother disappeared and her dad moved them to Knoxville.

But when her grandmother needs someone to help her after an accident, her father volunters her to hepl. As soon as she return to Firefly Valley she soon feels a magical connection to this place, as if it's was part of her.

She meets an hot guy who claims to be her childhood friend, and soon start to find pieces of her lost childhood and learn that her mother didn't abandonned her but is trapped into an hidden world.

She will do anything to save her mom, even standing up after dangerous nature spirits.

I think it’s hard with YA fantasy to get the balance right sometimes as obviously there’s a huge gap in experience between a twelve year old and a seventeen year old but this author has done a credible job of bridging that divide. Her characters feel real and have idiosyncrasies particularly best friend Izzie but it’s Briony whose bravery and willingness to embrace any challenge thrown her way who quite rightly pulls the narrative along. I was a tad underwhelmed by her amnesia but did particularly enjoy her budding relationship with Alder who is a part of her past but also pretty much a unique entity but to say more would ruin the story. I can say I thought the villain was sneaky and whilst I wasn’t entirely convinced by everything and the way certain characters behaved it was imaginative, well written and a sweet little escape from reality.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Something inside Briony is missing, she has amnesia and has to return to the place where all started to find any answer. True friendship and love are the clues to succeed in this adventure full of magic.

I will recommend this book to my friends.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for this opportunity. I enjoyed reading “Glow of the Fireflies”.

As someone who reads a lot of YA this is usually exactly my sort of thing. Sadly, I really found myself unable to get into this book. As I believe it is a subjective opinion, I do not feel it fair to leave a rating or provide a full review.

4.5 out of 5 stars

[[I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]]

this was an adorable book. albeit formulaic... but honestly? sometimes we want that formulaic book to just take us away and keep us from our realistic thoughts. this book was very, very good. a wonderful little escape from reality. and it was just what i was looking for.

i enjoyed the characters, although flawed in some ways. regardless of all of that, they were special in their own ways, and different than each other so there was no confusion. it was very clear who would be doing what, and why they were written in the first place. that was very nice. i also felt as if these characters could be my friends in a way. they were welcoming and fun. no angst whatsoever.

what i loved MOST was the description of everything in this book. i felt as if i were actually there with our characters, living and breathing in the smoky mountains. the description was 5 out of 5 some of the best i have read. thank you for that, ms. duga!

i would absolutely suggest this book to my students to read. i can't wait for it to come out so that we can order it and i can start to do just that!

Scenic, imaginative writing. This clean, wholesome fantasy novel featuring a strong female lead coming to terms with her emotions and coming home again is best directed towards a a younger YA audience.

Enjoyed the story with the elemental gods. The elemental magic and overall magic of the valley was described well. Briony and Alder were good together. The ending left me with a few questions still. Mainly about what happens after, could go a few ways.

Absolutely magical and enchanting. I really enjoyed this book! Set in the gorgeous Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Duga weaves to life a story about healing from past trama and coming home again. Briony is fierce, determined and incredibly strong for all she's endured. The descriptions were so beautiful in this book. You can't help but be transported to the Smoky Mountains and all it's beauty. The plot, characters and world were all mesmerizing. This is Duga's best book yet! 100% worth the read!

Glow of the Fireflies was amazing journey that I was very surprised I fell in love with. This was my first book by Lindsey Duga and it definitely won't be my last. Briony is an amazing character and the story had me hooked from the very start. I know this one will be a hit at my library and I can't wait to share it.