Title: Bright Smoke, Cold Fire (Untitled #1)
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Rating: ★★★★

It seems like everyone was either disappointed or bored by this book, so I dropped my expectations after seeing all of the negative reviews. I even kept pushing back reading it because I was determined that I probably wasn’t going to like it either and didn’t want to be disappointed. When I finally did get around to reading it, I was totally taken by surprise to realize that I really liked it. 

First and foremost, the writing is amazing. I wouldn’t have imagined any different since this is Rosamund Hodge, but still. I was thoroughly impressed by both the marvelous world building and the great cast of characters. I typically don’t find myself liking all the main characters in a book by I did. I liked both Runajo and and Paris, as well as Romeo and Juliet. The plot was intriguing and I didn’t find myself bored once. I really, truly enjoyed every page of this book.

I obviously had a much different experience than most other people reading Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, because despite the numerous negative reactions and reviews I had seen, I really liked it and thought it was a great book. I’m excited to read the next in the series!