Whitney, Daisy The Fire Artist, 272 p. Bloomsbury, OCTOBER 2014. $18. Language: PG (21 swears, 0 ‘f’); Violence: PG (man is eaten by crocodile); Mature Content: G.
In Aria’s world, having a talent to shape one of the four elements (earth, wind, fire, water) is a ticket to a life of fame and fortune. Aria’s father has been pushing her since she was small to develop her talent, but only Aria’s best friend knows, Aria has been stealing her fire magic all of these years, because she actually doesn’t have talent at all. But Aria has to steal her magic in order to protect her little sister from their obsessed father. When Aria gets called up to the big leagues of talent performance, all she can do is worry about all of the secrets she is trying to juggle. Then she finds a granter - someone who can fulfill one crucial wish and give Aria for real, the fire she has been stealing. But Aria is falling in love with the granter, Taj, and that makes every facet of her story that much more complicated.
This book takes on a myriad of challenges and doesn’t quite manage to meld them into a cohesive whole. My dissatisfaction comes as a veteran reader who thinks a little too much about the craft of writing, though, and a student will probably not be quite as hard on the book as I am. It does have a nice family touch and a bit of a love story - I would have preferred that it be one or the other.
HS - OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
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