Wednesday, October 2, 2024

"Ignite" by Kara Swanson Blog Tour (Review) & GIVEAWAY!

About the Book

Book: Ignite

Author: Kara Swanson

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: August 20, 2024

Can Mara survive in a world where the fire in her veins is worth killing for?

In a frozen wasteland suffocating beneath a dying sun, Mara is a young phoenix raised by her father to explode at his command. He’s the only one who can help her control her fire, and Mara desperately follows his orders to protect their phoenix family from relentless human hunters.

Her sheltered existence is shattered when her family mysteriously vanishes, thrusting Mara into a perilous quest to find them. Along the way, she unravels a devastating truth: her people may not be the innocent victims she’s been taught to believe.

When she comes face-to-face with the kindhearted Eli, she begins to wonder if the humans aren’t the monsters she’s always feared. What if the greatest danger doesn’t lie in the icy world outside—but in the truth of who Mara really is?

Fire and ice collide in this thrilling tale of a phoenix girl born with the power of a dying sun.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

“Ignite” by Kara Swanson is a moving, powerful coming of age story of a phoenix girl named Mara. Mara has grown up sheltered and controlled. Throughout the story, she embarks on a journey to find out who she really is and what she was made for. Mara experienced a lot of trauma at the hands of those close to her and must learn to use her own voice and control her fire so she does not explode and hurt those around her. She was always told that she needed to cut off her wings and tamp down her flames because she was dangerous and that was the only way to keep her flock safe. Then Mara meets some wonderful friends who bring healing and teach her that she can learn to control her emotions and flames and can use those very things to heal and protect others.

The story is a powerful allegory of mental health, especially those who deal with issues like complex PTSD. Due to the subject matter, the story is darker and may be hard for those with mental health issues to read at times, as it is so realistic and accurate. I personally found it very healing and empowering to read, as I have struggled with some of those things myself. I also love that Mara deals with chronic pain, something I have also struggled with. There is a great found-family aspect to the book and a lot of spiritual parallels, as the characters often talk about “the light” and “the Creator.”

No matter what I write here, I do not feel like I can do justice to the beauty of this book. Moving, powerful, raw, healing, allegorical and mental health are a few words to describe this incredible read. I felt the full range of emotions and was encouraged after reading this. I highly recommend this to anyone going through their own healing journey and trying to find their wings.

I give this story a PG-13 rating, especially for the mental health aspects. Some examples of the content are: a character deals with mental health issues; flashbacks; murder of a loved one; a character seems to suffer from PTSD or CPTSD; says a character curses, but the words aren’t actually written; violence, gore; animals are killed and harmed; talk of child sacrifice; a man was tortured and has no eye sockets; a woman tries to commit suicide; a character is physically and emotionally abused by a family member.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kara Swanson, Enclave Publishing and Celebrate Lit and was under no obligation to post a review.

About the Author

Kara Swanson writes stories about fairy tales and fiery souls. She spent her childhood a little like a Lost Girl, running barefoot through lush green jungles which inspired her award-winning Peter Pan retellings, Dust and Shadow.

She is also the cofounder of the Author Conservatory (authorconservatory.com) where she has the honor of teaching young writers to craft sustainable author careers.

You’ll find Kara with her toes in California sand as a SoCal resident, belting Broadway show tunes on weekend drives to Disneyland with her delightfully nerdy husband, or chatting about magic and mayhem on Instagram.

More from Kara

This story is one that has lived a hundred lives, a little like the phoenix it’s about —dozens of iterations and nearly eight years discovering Mara’s story. In this icy world beneath a dying sun, I was able to craft a story of a young phoenix girl who was more terrified of her own fire than the dangers of the frozen wasteland outside her underground hideaway. Who has been convinced by the father she loves that her flame is only capable of pain and damage — until suddenly, he disappears. And for the first time, she ventures out of her hideaway to discover that the frozen world outside is actually dying for her flame. And that the parts of herself that she has feared and run from…that there may be beauty, even there. That she can choose to rise from the ash of a world that doesn’t understand her, and use the fire in her veins to bring warmth and healing.

I hope you enjoy the adventure!