Firebrand, by Gillian Philip

Posted by: Redhead on: April 8, 2013

• In: Gillian Philip
• 27 Comments

Firebrand, by Gillian Philip

published February of 2013

where I got it: received review copy from the publisher (thanks Tor!)

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I wanted to write a formal review of Firebrand. I tried to. Really, I did. But nothing I typed was conveying anything I wanted to say. Thus,  this post is more emotional reaction than formal-ish review. Shit happens.

I’m having a tough time coming up with words to describe Firebrand. Words like wonderful and amazing and stunning just aren’t going to do it this time. What’s the word for the taste of a late summer heirloom tomato warmed by the sun? What’s the word for that feeling in your chest when listening to a beautiful piece of music, and the groundedness of the cello and tympani reverberates right through you and reminds you who you are? That word for wanting to trap perfect moments forever in amber, so you can watch the sunlight get caught in them?  Those. those are the words I need for Firebrand. The last book that made me feel this way was The Name of The Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss.  I felt like I was waking up.

Philip effortlessly reached into the recesses of my mind, found the story I most wanted to hear, and then she put it on paper. I was addicted in the first few pages, and the book only got better. Everything you think a fantasy about fae creatures is, everything you expect, throw all of that out the window, right now. Firebrand is something new.

Instead of prattling on and on about the plot, I’m going to tell you the most important thing, and the thing that bound me instantly to Firebrand: Seth MacGregor idolizes his older half-brother Conal.  The first time we meet Seth, he’s readying himself to murder his brother.

If you really need more plot info, hit up Amazon.

There are some readers who won’t care for Seth.  If Fitz from Robin Hobb’s Farseer trilogy annoyed you, then Seth will as well, for many of the same reasons. Raised with minimal social interaction, Seth isn’t so good at playing well with others. He has no idea how to keep his mouth shut, diplomacy isn’t his strong suit, and worst of all, he wears his emotions on his sleeve, as passionate about the people he loves as he is about those he hates.  He’s a very frustrated young man, but damn it, he’s got reason to be. Did you like Assassin’s Apprentice? Did you like The  Name of the Wind? of course you did, and you’ll like Firebrand too.

I absolutely couldn’t put Firebrand down. For three days I wanted to do nothing but read it, and at the same time I knew the more time I spent with Seth and Conal, the sooner their story would be over and they would leave me. I didn’t want to let Seth go, I needed to know he was going to be okay. This is the kind of book that makes me feel just damn good while I’m reading it. Even during the sad bits.

Seth isn’t given to ornamentation or vanity, and neither is Philip’s story telling style. Her prose is simple and direct, no fifty cent words, no showing off or bragging. This  is a  story that shines with it’s own light, a light that mostly hides a shadow of inevitable melancholy. An older Seth is reminiscing about what happened. He remembers being an optimist in his youth. But his older self knows that every choice comes with a consequence.  We can’t possibly know what those consequences are, we just know that in that moment of passion, we know we’re doing the right thing. Only later do we realize what the consequences are, and that they were worth it.

If you can’t tell, Firebrand made one hell of an emotional impact on me. It hit me in a lot personal places, and it hit hard. It probably won’t hit you that hard. You should still read it.

With the direct storytelling style and fast paced narrative, some reviewers are categorizing Firebrand as YA, and others are categorizing it as dark fantasy. I suppose it’s both. Very young readers might not be interested in the political or romantic subtleties, but I’d certainly recommend this as appropriate for older teens (and all you grown ups too). Sure, it’s filled with violence and casual sex and adult language, but nothing a teen hasn’t already seen on television.  This isn’t Joe Abercrombie style super gore-fest violence, the death and violence are certainly there, but they’re not dwelled on.

A quick word on the US cover art – you should completely ignore it. The cover art isn’t ugly or anything, but it does do a disservice to the novel, making it look like some kind of Robin Hood historical fantasy type thing. Put a cloth cover on the book, get it on your e-reader, whatever you have to do to not connect the book’s insides with it’s outsides. Don’t judge this one by the cover, because that bland boring cover is hiding something amazing. the original UK artwork is below, it gives a better feel for what happens in the story.

Firebrand has turned me into a blundering fool when I’ve tried to talk about it. The first thing I wanted to do when I finished it was start it all over again. I fell into these pages and wanted to stay there forever.  It made me feel like I could conquer the world.  I could wait until the emotions subside and write an actual review, and maybe that will happen, as I would really like to read it again. . . .  I’m gonna shut up now, and go find out when the next book in the series is due.

the UK cover art. Not awesome, but better than the US cover art.

Tags: Fae, fantasy, historical fantasy, Sidhe, supernatural