From Fire and Shadows

A Tale of Six Sources Book 1

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Pub Date 15 Aug 2020 | Archive Date 06 Aug 2020

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Description

A girl with a dangerous power.

A warrior they call the shadow of death.

A world divided and slowly dying.

Six-year-old Theodora grew up at the House, a place for girls born without power. Abandoned as a baby, she has no memory of her past beyond the melody that invades her dreams. So when an ancient presence starts whispering in her ear, she answers. 

The reward is fire; the price is the destruction of the only life she has ever known. Yet from the loss comes a chance at a better future… if she can learn to control a power that no one seems to understand. 

Across the ocean, Death's Arm warrior Kai struggles with the changes forcing him out of the shadows. With the neglect of those in power breeding dissent, he is called to do his job as their occasional assassin: cut it at the root. 

But when a strange restlessness makes him question an order for the first time... he finds himself on the path he never wanted, but can no longer avoid. After all, he may be the only one capable of stopping what is coming—a war where death is just the beginning.

A girl with a dangerous power.

A warrior they call the shadow of death.

A world divided and slowly dying.

Six-year-old Theodora grew up at the House, a place for girls born without power...


Available Editions

ISBN 9789895481606
PRICE $1.99 (USD)

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Average rating from 99 members


Featured Reviews

I really really loved this book! I was hesitant at first but just decided to jump into the story. The plot was so good and I am so sad that it is over!! If you love action with hints of romance this is the book for you!

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#JFBaptista #FromFireAndShadows #NetGalley #magic #power #sixsources #Thea #Kai #fantasyYA #epic

J.F. Baptista; From Fire and Shadows

J.F. Baptista writes an epic origin story of two undeniably dangerous, powerful, and magical characters, Thea and Kai. They are both haunted by things in their past and characteristics they cannot change.
While seeming like a long book 1 of a series, Baptista strategically paves the way while keeping the reader on their toes, making this long book appear shorter. I needed to keep reading! I love the Scottish Gaelic-inspired language thrown in, but be sure to keep the glossary handy.
From Fire and Shadows is the first in the series A Tale of Six Sources. Because the reader follows Thea from magical child to powerful woman, one cannot help but empathize, cheer on, and yell exclamations at her throughout her journey. Kai’s self-loathing evolves into self-acceptance. The teacher in me just wants to pull Kai aside for a conference and say, “You just need to do you. Let’s go.”
When these two join forces, who knows what will happen?!

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This book was a good start to this series! J.F. Baptista really built an interesting world, and it was easy to buy into the story because of the detail given about the world! The characters have a lot of promise to develop into super intriguing characters later in the series!

My biggest issue with this book is how passive Thea is. Her perspective going from a six year old to a young teen was interesting, but it left me feeling a little disconnected from her.

Overall, this was a easy read and I am looking forward to the second book! Thank you to the publishers for giving me a chance to read this book early for an honest review!

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This book was received as an ARC from BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book solely reminded me of the His Dark Assasin Trilogy and I was excited to see what this book had to offer. At first if I am perfectly honest was very hard to get through and understand but midway through the book, the plot started to pick up and the characters of Theodora and Kai were well expressed and executed throughout the book and how her powers and his determination were sole powers of the war of death and all as they know it will cease to exist. My jaw was to the ground through the whole book and my mind was completely blown.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

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Thank you for providing me a copy of this ARC! I was hooked in from the first chapter! You are introduced to the main character who has no memory of their youth years and it grasp the readers attention on wanting more! Pacing is slow while all the worldbuilding is being introduced but I didn’t mind! I can’t wait for the future books as theres a lot left unsaid!

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Absolutely loved this book!! I’m reading all things fantasy at the moment and this just ticked all the boxes! The author has written Theodoras story well and definitely gave me some Geralt vibes with Gunnar....

It was fast paced but also very descriptive and explored character personalities very well.

I’d recommend this to anyone who is fans of all books fantasy and magical.

(Can’t review on Amazon just yet)

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I really enjoyed this!!!! Theodora was a lovely protagonist and I haven't connected that deeply with a character and their struggles in a fantasy novel in a long time. She was very skillfully crafted, I have to say, which was a delight in a primarily plot driven story. I would definitely recommend, although I am unsure on what direction the series is going to go in, which is a little unusual (although not necessarily a bad thing at all!) One store docked for a bit of a clunky writing style, but to each his own!

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'From Fire and Shadows' by J. F. Baptista begins with a tragedy.

In a world where the majority has some sort of magical ability, Theodora was the odd one out until one day when her power overtakes her, resulting in a fire. After that, she is whisked away to a new life amongst her people, where she learns more about her origins, and the strange magic she possesses. Along the way, she forms a connection with Kai, and they find themselves linked without ever having met.

As a protagonist, Theodora was a delight to read. She's introduced at the tender age of six, and her curiosity for her new world is infused in the writing. She's playful and trusting, launches herself into new projects and friendships head first, which lends her chapters a lightness rarely seen with older main characters.
Kai, on the other hand, is fully grown when he's introduced, and quite cynical. His chapters balance Theodora's out in the beginning, and then go on to compliment them as she grows.

The book takes place over a decade or so, with the main characters only meeting at the very end. The audience experiences those years mostly through Theodora's perspective, as Kai's chapters are shorter and more action focused. However, keeping up with this was slightly confusing, as the time jumps happen suddenly, sometimes mid chapter. Kai's first chapters were especially confusing, as the events that lead to the first time jump are rather rushed.

The world was fascinating, with the world-building done rather well. Baptista uses modified versions of Gaelic terms for many of the central pillars of the world, so I had to continuously check the included glossary, but it does get easier as it goes on. I look forward to reading more of it, especially the history as only bits and pieces of that are included.

Overall, I enjoyed J. F. Baptista's 'From Fire and Shadows' and look forward to reading the sequel!

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The story is written in two storylines, two main characters, who are linked to each other throughout the story. It takes place over a period of years and also in different locations. It feels like a well-founded fantasy novel/ world in which these characters find themselves. We follow the story of Theodora, a young girl with a unique and unknown power. On the other hand Kai, a warrior with an interesting and dangerous power of his own.

The author used Scottish Gaelic language as a base for a lot of names of characters, locations etc. It give this world and story an interesting sound. Although a lot of names were mentioned throughout the story, and it sometimes became difficult to remember who the character was, or what the places were named. It took me a while to get back in the story when I got lost, but overall it was interesting enough for me to continue reading.

The fantasy world has interesting elements, I've already mentioned the Scottish-linked names, besides that I find the way the powers are distributed, or the powers that characters have very interesting. There powers are linked to the color of their eyes, which I find a nice aspect of the story.

The first chapters gave an introduction to the world and the main characters, but it doesn't have much substance in their characteristics. We don't really get to know them, but that due to the fact that years go by, and with that the characters grow, change and so do their powers and relationships with other characters.

The side characters we meet throughout the chapters are interesting, peculiar in their own way, and sometimes it's a pity that we don't read about them anymore. I find that there are a lot of fascinating storylines and relationships in the book, that I wish I could read more about.

The story kind of slowed down for me in the middle, but got very good near the last 30% of the book. The years went by faster, the storylines came closer together, it got very exciting to read. The story is captivating and the end of the story certainly makes me want to read more about it. I am looking forward to the sequel in the series.

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This book was okay. There were an equal amount of what I liked vs dislikes. The world building was phenomenal, I could close my eyes and see everything. I love the entire concept and the bones of this book. I think the series can be great. I really wish this was done as 2 books. A prequel and then book 1. I think having half a book where the character is unrecognizable from the 2nd half throws off the rhythm and pace. I also feel by splitting up the books you could elaborate on big events that change her so drastically. I also think this book requires a map, I was very confused by the layout. Overall I think it's a good start to a series!

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Fascinating prologue to a new series…
J.F. Baptista introduces readers to her new series A Tale of Six Sources in the inaugural novel From Fire and Shadows. Set in an ancient magical realm occupied by both descendants of the foundational lines of power: Aite (power over time-extinct), Bas (power over death and the dead), Beatha (power over life), Inntinn (power over the mind), Nadarra (power over natural things, and Uine (power over space -extinct) and the ungifted and powerless. This story sets the stage for the age old conflict between those who use power to fulfill selfish and brutal ambitions versus those funnel their power to nurture and help the powerless. From Fire and Shadows is truly a prequel novel to what appears to be an epic series. It is told through two completely separate story lines, that of six year old Theo and hundred year old Kai and follows the progression of their lives that seem to be leading them to the potentially catastrophic conflict between the remaining holders of power.

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself lost or not immediately comprehending everything you read. Committing to From Fire and Shadows is similar to receiving a passport to a new country you know nothing about. The initial feelings of confusion and lack of understanding go hand and hand with the intrigue and wonder at the exposure to all the new people, places, customs, languages, and politics. Over time you acclimate to the environment and your familiarity with your surroundings increase. While occasionally the experience can be overwhelming, I felt the investment of time in learning and keeping track of all the new details was well worth the effort and resulted in the story being truly engaging, captivating, and entertaining.

Baptista has you see and experience this new world simultaneously through the eyes of a young, innocent, yet powerful girl and an ancient in years but young in body dangerous assassin who commands both the realms of the living and the dead. Theo and Kia are so completely different yet share a deeply held sense of rightness and desire to not be pawns of those who would exploit their powers for selfish gains. Their trials and journeys fortify their resolve and prepare them for the uncertain future.

From Fire and Shadows is definitely not a casual read but most great epics take a commitment on the part of the reader to immerse themselves in a new world and learn the people, language, and realms that come with it. Book one of A Tale of Six Sources is a slow build of the story and main characters and appears to be laying a foundation for the coming conflict as well as the future interaction of a grown up Theo and Kia, which is teased towards the end of the book. The story ends with a perfectly executed cliffhanger which will leave you looking forward to the next installments of this fantasy series.

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Young Theodora was just a regular young girl until one night, something called to her and she wasn't the same after that. That night, she came into her powers, powers so intense that everyone is scared and baffled. Then a large man comes to take Theodora away to a new life and to help her control her powers. As she gets older her powers become more and more and she gains new powers over time. She has to find her place with her powers and goes on a journey to find out how to.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys this genre and I can't wait to read the next book.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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**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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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From Fire and Shadows is a dual point of view story, focusing on two main characters, Theadora and Kai. These two characters are different on so many levels yet they both had the same impact and I grew to care for both of them.
The worldbuilding was one of my favorite aspects of the book. From the first chapter, I was able to see how talented the author is when it comes to describing the layout of the land as well as the different cultures and hierarchies. Every different place of the world is treated fairly when it comes to description and it sucked me right into the book.
Personally, I thought it would be difficult for me to enjoy a story that was mostly narrated by a 6-year-old Theadora. But I was pleasantly surprised with the direction it was going, especially in the second part, as years pass and Theadora grows up.
Yet something that kind of made it difficult for me to fly through the story was the numerous Scottish Gaelix words that the author added to the story. In any book that has their own terminology, it takes me a while to fully grasp the context in which they are used. Luckily for me, I have read multiple fantasy books and they all come with their own difficult terminologies so once I understood the context, it was easier for me to get through the story. However, I could see how this would push someone away from fully enjoying the story.
Throughout the book, I quickly came to the realization that I greatly preferred Kai’s perspective, especially in the first part. But I grew to enjoy Thea’s perspective once I passed the second part. It was much more strongly written and her voice changed, along with her age.
From Fire and Shadows is a strong start to a series that has great potential and I can’t wait to read more about Kai and Thea.

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When I first saw the title, I was excited because of it's uniqueness. As I read the book, I figured what it really means!!

One word for this book, Amazing! I loved it especially the character development Thea's from shy to fierce. Kai's from self loathing to acceptance. Now I can't wait to read the next book. I know it's selfish of me to say this, but I really hope the second book releases soon.
If you're looking forward to read a book with twists, magic realism, then this is for you.

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I really enjoyed this book and I liked the two main Characters. I particularly liked Theodora. She did not have an easy life, and finding she had powers was totally unexpected. I liked Kai as well.
The writing was gripping and the plot kept me turning pages.

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