Before She Ignites - Book Review

Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles Trilogy #1)
by Jodi Meadows

What is it about:
Before

Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.

But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.

After

Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.

No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.

What did I think of it:
I usually don't buy hardcovers, but wait (im)patiently for the paperback. For this book I made an exception as I was just too curious if it was as good as the gorgeous cover and the blurb promised.

And let me tell you: this is a great read.

Even though I didn't get as much dragons as I hoped for, I fell in love with this story. Mira is an unusual, but very relatable heroine with her compulsive counting and her anxiety. I also love that she struggles between doing the right thing and doing what's safer for herself. I loved getting to know her and to see her interact with those around her.

The story is told switching back and forth in time. As a reader you at first dont know why Mira was send to prison, but with flashbacks the story slowly unfolds.

I loved the parts that took place in the Pit. Mira makes friends and enemies there. But is every friendly face to be trusted, and is every enemy as evil as Mira thinks? The characters all felt very real and I eagerly kept reading to see where things would lead.

The ending gives closure on some storylines, so you don't feel like you're left hanging, but there's so much yet to come and to discover, you can bet I'll be getting my greedy trotters on the next book once it releases.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool YA Fantasy read with dragons.


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