3.5 stars rounded up!
I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and I thought the world building in particular was very strong. Baptista managed to create an intriguing and well-structured fantasy world that I love to learn more about. There was a certain level of exposition dump at the beginning, but that is pretty typical of fantasy novels I find! I also really enjoyed the style Baptista adopted - of course I enjoy action, but I really like the internal shape of the narrative, focusing more on the inner workings of the characters than just fight scenes.

My main issue lay with with Thea, and the switch in ages half way through the book. It was rather jarring, and I found that I didn't really connect with Thea as a protagonist. She felt much older than six at the beginning, and I think the ageing up happened too quickly after being with Thea for so long as a much younger child. I also found that this book felt like a prequel to the actual story Baptista wants to tell - there was a lot of set up and little pay off.

However, I think there is a lot of potential, and I will be interested to see how the author develops in any upcoming sequels, which I will definitely be picked up!

The blurb for this book sounded absolutely amazing but unfortunately there was some disconnect between me and the book and it ended up being something I wasn't expecting and I just couldn't get into it. There wasn't any exact issue that made me lose interest and it was well written so I still give it 3 stars based on that. For someone who went into it without any expectations I think they'd enjoy it.

I loved this book and I can't wait to read another book from this author in the future. This book had a great storyline.

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found that didn't hold my attention, but overall, I still liked it.

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for providing an ARC.

From Fire and Shadows held so much promise! Alas, it fell short for me.

The author did, however, do an amazing job at world building and character developments. The tale just felt a little slow for me.

I think some readers will enjoy this tale but others it will fall short for.

From Fire and Shadows was a good book to start off a series. I would have almost left most of it to be written as a prequel for the book. There is a lot of worldbuilding and magic involved, and some of it got confusing at times. I thought that the storyline was good, and I look forward to reading more of this series. I hope that book 2 is more clear and concise. I think this series has great potential, however I don't think that this first book represents it well.

I'm not sure what it was about this book, but it was very hard for me to stay interested. I thought the premise was so unique, specifically how the main character started off as a six year old at the beginning of the book. The first chapter was very compelling, but as the story progressed, I found it difficult to stay engaged with what was happening and couldn't really picture anything that was being described. I do want to try this book again maybe next year, but as for right now it just wasn't for me, 2.5/5 stars

I really wanted to like From Fire and Shadows. Authors put so much of everything into writing a book and I have mad respect for authors as I am only a reader but this year alone I have read probably 75+ YA books and this one just did not keep me interested. There were so much unknown in the beginning that I felt lost and was not connecting with the world or characters and this book is long, maybe too long? I do hope others out there like it but it just couldn't complete with some of the other YA that I've read this year.

I liked the start of the book but the perspective kind of devolved for me with the age of the narrator seeming totally disconnected from the way the book was written. It was a bit annoying, but still overall a decent read

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Unfortunately I couldn’t really get into this book and it has become a DNF.
Based on the version I read, I found that the writing was quite clunky and didn’t flow in a manner to help me immerse myself into the story.
I will might try it again in the future, and if I do I will amend my review to updated opinions.

For my full review, please see my blog.

From Fire and Shadows shaped up to be one of my favorite Netgalley reads of 2020. I was impressed with the characterization, the world building, and the mythology of magic. It all added up to a wonderful story that I will think about for years to come.

The characters in this book are written so perfectly that it's hard not to connect with any of them. When I looked up the author, J.F. Baptista, I understood why. She is actually a clinical psychologist, so literally has studied the human condition thoroughly. I believe this is one reason why Thea and Kai's motives are so well-written, and their characters so well-developed.

I can't recommend this book enough! It was so well-written, the characters so well-done, that this book is slated to be in my top-ten books of the YEAR. Considering how many awesome books I've read this year, that's REALLY saying something!

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

The book tells the story of Thea, a child who discovers super powers and Kai is an assassin. A world divided and at war. An old force that has awakened and may be the chance to improve the future.
I thought it was a good read, with a great idea, but I couldn't get attached to any of the characters.
The world was well described and I felt immersed in the plot, wanting to know where it was going, and in the end I still didn't know, it will probably be for the next books, since it is the first book in a series. With very difficult names, despite having glossaries at the end, it is very difficult to understand. I found it very complex for the age group (fantasy for children and young people). In the book there are also suddenly 3 changes in time.
I didn't feel like reading the sequels.
Suitable for those who want to read a children's fantasy full of magic.

This was a interesting read. If there is a sequel I'll be picking it up.
This was well writing and had a good plot. Good characters and I was entertained from the beginning

**Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I would say this was a 4-4.5 story for me!!
I really enjoyed From Fire and Shadows. A lot. The way the story unfolded made me feel like the plot was constantly building up, as if I was along for an epic. It reminded me of how stories like The Golden Compass are told where you know the slow uncovering of background will lead to something amazing. This book was full of world building, and interesting characters, magic, and found family. I found myself engaged the whole way through. I adored the relationship between Thea and Gunner the most, and found it to just be simple and lovely. The only issue I had with the story was the use of Gaelic (or maybe just Gaelic inspired words..) without mention of what they meant. That being said, since I was reading an eGalley there is a definite possibility there may be footnotes, or a glossary included in the print copy of the book.

The story does sort of finish off at a point where I was so invested I was ready to keep reading all night, but that just means I am dying for the next book. I will definitely be waiting for the next instalment. This book was a win for me.

I struggled to read this book.

I felt like I was going through a black hole that was never ending.

Overall, it was a good book but it just wasn’t for me.

I enjoyed reading the novel. It's full of adventure and magic. I look forward to the author's future works.

My thanks to the author, to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

this was a great scifi novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the story itself. After I was done I wanted to read more in this universe.

I was very excited to be given an eARC for this book but unfortunately I was a bit let down. It's kind of weird following a six year old around in a story and it didn't really feel like a six year olds POV. I don't know it was just hard to connex to.

ARC from NetGalley

I'm not entirely sure why this gets such low reviews. I really enjoyed this book. Sure, it could use an edit, but it's an ARC. It brought me back to previous high fantasy I'd read as a child. It had the same ethereal feeling of wonder.

We follow Theodora (Thea) from age 6 to age 17 as she and her powers grow. People have called this book slow, but I thought it was paced nicely with Thea uncovering new powers often enough to satisfy. The reactions of the adults when they realized how strong she was were particularly enjoyable. I love an OP MC when done well, and this was done well. Thea is terrified of what she can do and what she can't control.

The magic system is fascinating. The setting is gorgeous. There wasn't a lot of character development, but I think that aspect will be a bit of a slower burn. This book had 0 romance. I love romance. It's one of the more important facets of a book for me, but I didn't miss it. It had enough going on to keep me turning the pages, so much so that I had to forbid myself from starting to read it before I was done with my work lest the work not get done.

At first, I was flitting through the Kai pages because I wanted to know more about Theodora, but eventually the Kai pages gripped me too. I hope he gets a bit more growth in the coming book. His gritty, dark bits nicely offset the shiny happy discoveries of Thea as a child.

All in all, a solid first book in a high fantasy series. I'm eager to read the next one.

A beautiful story of magic and realms unimaginable with notes of Potter and Baggins. The author does a wonderful job of painting the vivid worlds as we travel along with Thea and Kia as they explore not only what they are but what they have the potential to become. The thought of which terrifies and tantalizes them.

It was interesting to see the development of Thea's powers and the extent of them. But the passing of time was a bit patchy making it a struggle to stay in the moment with the characters.

All and all this story and these characters hold a spell over the reader. Can't wait to read where the journey takes us and Thea and Kia's worlds unite.