Aisling was born in 1985 and wishes that she had grown up in a magical, mountainous kingdom, but was actually raised in Surrey on a diet of books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her early ‘adventure’ stories involved surprisingly little action and her first novel (3 pages long) was politely declined by publishers at age 11. After earning a BSc in Biology and working as a support worker and then a nurse, the idea for her debut novel, Fireborn, came to her as she moved back and forth between London and the US. Now based in Hackney, when she is not reading or writing, Aisling loves cooking and plotting adventures (for herself as well as her fictional characters). Fireborn will be published by HarperCollins in 2021.

Publisher: Harper Collins

Length: 384 Pages

Publishing: 30^th September 2021

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fireborn-1-Aisling-Fowler/dp/0062996711/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56554614-fireborn

Lyra. Lucy. Percy. Once in a generation, a hero emerges whose story enthralls readers worldwide.

Fireborn is an epic quest, perfect for fans of the His Dark Materials and The School for Good and Evil series, that will spin readers into a magical world like no other–and introduce them to an unforgettable new heroine named Twelve.

Ember is full of monsters.

Twelve gave up her name and identity to train in the art of hunting them–so she says. The truth is much more deadly: she trains to take revenge on those who took her family from her.

But when Twelve’s new home is attacked, she’ll find herself on an unexpected journey, where her hidden past is inescapably intertwined with her destiny–and the very fate of her world.

Thank you to Harper Collins Childrens and The Write Reads for the review copy. I can confirm all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fireborn was a fun and action packed novel that I simply couldn’t put down. At the Hunters Lodge you have to forsake your name and clan if you are to become one of the elite Hunters, something Twelve could do easily if it gets her closer to carrying out her revenge plan on the people who killed her family. But when the lodge is attacked, and another trainee hunter kidnapped, Twelve finds herself on a journey with the unlikeliest of suspects. Friendships are formed and secrets from her past are brought into the light, secrets that could change not just Twelve, but the world itself.

Twelve was such a fantastic character. She is resilient, strong but also lonely. Loosing her family, and her revenge plot has taken over her life. Though she would never admit it, the loss of her family makes her unwilling and scared to let anyone get close to her and I loved seeing her character growth through this book. She went from thinking that working alone was always better to realising that having friends, being part of a team makes you stronger, and I loved seeing her form bonds with other characters.

Though the story is told soley from Twelves POV we are introduced to a multitude of other characters, from Six, Five and Seven her fellow trainees to the Guardian of the lodge, a talking stone dog who I loved! Every single character has a part to play in Twelves story and character growth, and I defy you to not fall a little in love with every single one of them.

The world Fowler creates for this book is just so magical. Filled with a wide range of creatures, some friendly and some definitely not, she manages to take us on a journey through her world that is filled with emotion, danger and some epic battle scenes. One thing I loved was Twelve coming to the realisation that not all creatures were ‘evil’ and I’m hoping this is something that will be focused if this becomes a series. Fowlers descriptive writing absolutely brings her world to life and makes sure you are on the edge of your seat for the slightly more life fearing scenes… and there are plenty of them. She adds little intermissions from the ‘beastiary’ which give us an insight into the creatures that roam the world, and she also gives us little tit bits about the different clans that really help bring her world to life.

Relationships play a large part in this story, and I did love seeing Twelve open herself up to friendship with her fellow hunters. Fowler really showed how shutting yourself off can be more dangerous than working as a team, and I enjoyed seeing Twelves barriers being slowly brought down page by page. We also get some Queer rep which is so rare in MG novels.

If you love a good coming of age story filled with twists and turns, with a beautifully rendered world and some brilliantly written characters then look no further. I’m seriously hoping that this becomes a series because I would LOVE to travel to the different clans and learn a little more about their beliefs/cultures. Fireborn was a fun and adventurous read for fans of all ages.