I really loved the concept of the different prayer stones and the mechanics of the magic/religion system in Bursts of Fire, which is something that I hope is explored in more detail in further books. The particular magic of the Magiels and the manipulation of time, both in their execution of magic and the price they must pay, is one of the best ideas I’ve read about in a long time, especially in how it allows for manipulation of the narrative to explore elements of the future and past, either adding more detail to what has happened or dropping clues as to what might occur at a later date. It was the concept of the Magiels and wanting to learn more about what they could do and how their magic functioned that kept me reading, looking forward to moments when magic was used so that some other event in the timestream might be glimpsed. I love books that feature time travel and it is, I feel, in this instance, done particularly elegantly and not out of keeping with the overall fantasy genre.

However, it’s the narrative itself that I’m still not too sure about. I really enjoyed the opening of the novel and the foreshadowing, but I was left feeling that the story didn’t really go anywhere for a good deal of the book. This is not to say that I wanted to stop reading, though I felt that I was waiting for big events that ultimately didn’t really happen. The sisters themselves have stories that it’s easy to become invested in, with Meg’s perhaps the strongest in this respect, yet it felt a little like watching their lives unfold without their taking much command of events – reacting, rather than driving the story. This said, I would happily read more in this universe, for I cannot say enough good things about the magical elements and the social/religious structures that are presented, and I look forward to the next instalment.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. The writing style, world, characters, plot, was all good. I enjoyed myself during the read and that ultimately is what I look for in a book. Will read more from this author in the future!

I found this book very hard to read, though I'm not entirely sure why. I love the concept, but that wasn't enough for me. The slow pace and the somewhat boring characters made this novel drag. I never fell in love with the characters or the setting, and almost couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. That being said, the sisters went through great character development and as the story progressed I felt a bit more for their situation. Everything came together for a great climax, ending on a hopeful note and preparation for the rest of the series.
It was a well written novel, though unfortunately, I just could not enjoy it.

Unfortunately I just could not get on with the writing in this one. I DNFed it at 20% as I had no connection with any of the characters or the worldbuilding. It looks like an excellent premise, but just wasn't for me.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

I couldn't really get into this book and I dnf'ed it about 25 percent into it. I might pick it back up in the future.

A gripping, political fantasy novel that I couldn't put down. I loved the Magiel's magic with their shifting skins and found their ability to move things through time intriguing. This book was incredibly unique and differs from anything I have previously read. I would recommend this book to any fantasy reader.

Absolutely loved the world building in the novel. Interesting growth of the characters as they struggle to find their way through the war.

This had a slow start and I wasn’t sure about the very young protagonists initially, but their immaturity serves to show the start of their character journey which proves to be very satisfying. Definitely stick with this one, it’s well worth it. A promising start to a new fantasy series. Full review to come nearer to release date.

The world is built beautifully, with descriptions scattered about the chapters, allowing the reader to put the jigsaw of that massive land of many kingdoms. The world was well-formed in the author’s head before she put it down on the page but I felt like some of the information is a bit too much for a first book – at times it was hard to keep up.

The plot is built well and fits with the overarching theme of addiction marvellously (retrospectively, as I didn’t realise it did until the very last page - in the author blurb). The unique take on the Heavens as a normal destination was refreshing and the whole idea with death tokens and magic being time, and the payment being jumping in your own timeline was simply delicious. So creative! Kudos, Ms Forest.

The pacing was strange – the jumps in time connected to the narrative, were executed poorly, leaving me thinking ‘Wait, what? When did this happen? Oh, it’s been three months.’ It was at times a very confusing read.

The characters are not this novel’s strongest point. There is good selection of different narrators, presenting plenty of different points of view but I couldn’t connect emotionally to any of them but Eamon - and the poor lad wasn’t even a POV character! I struggled with hearing their unique voices and had to frequently figure out who was speaking.

Despite that, it is a good tale of sisterhood. It was beautiful to see the three sisters survive together, grow apart and then find each other in a world that had robbed them of adulthood at their own pace.

Rennika is slightly unrealistic to me because she was such a mature, reasonable character – do 11-13-year-olds behave so well? Maybe. I am not convinced.

The writing style is good. But good means things could be better. There were spelling and punctuation mistakes and dubious grammar. Not too many but enough to make me want to mention them. I liked the extensive vocabulary of the author and her ability to tie it to complement a character’s inner world. Overall, well done.

An amazing book, I was hooked after few pages and had to read it as fast as I could.
The world building was amazing, so complex and realistic.
I loved the plot, the well written cast of characters and the setting.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book was a satisfying fantasy read. This is the story of three sisters possessing magical powers, on a quest to save themselves and the world they lived in before a power hungry king changed it. As the sisters are separated, each finding their own individual skills, the world around them crumbles. This story at once felt unfinished and complete. It felt like a complete story arc but I was left with many questions when the story ended.

I enjoyed this but unsure if would return to it again. Characters written well, plot was good, but for me too dark/no sign of happiness at times. I like dark books but I find there is always some levity or dark humour to be found, but this just seemed to be a little sad and hopeless in a sense. Maybe too much of a mirror of real life for me, but I’m sure many will enjoy this more because of this.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Where do I begin? This was a very good fantasy book. But besides fantasy - there was more. It was also about mental health and other problems. The characters were good, very believable. I always love stories about great sister power! Also some characters put a lot of faith in religion, and I always find that fascinating.

The book started off slow for me - it's an epic fantasy where a lot of the world the story takes place in needs to be established. I was never thinking about DNF, but it wasn't sucked in from the start like with some books. I think the magic system could have been explained more and better. The second half was way more flowing for me. I loved the sister's individual struggles and how they got together in the end. There was some love and romance, but just a tiny bit, not too much.

So in short: loved the story, I hope there's a sequel. Check it out if you like epic fantasy.

What a riveting tale!

I was hooked as soon as I started this and just couldn't put it down. These unique characters really kept things moving. The world building made you feel as if you knew this place already. I've never ready anything like this before.

The book started out slowly, causing me to rethink reading it several times. Thank goodness I continued. and gave it a real chance!

The storyline is complex, which may be what made it slow going in the beginning. It was necessary to pay very close attention at all times to keep track of all the characters, all the timelines and all the various magics used. Not to mention the gods. However, once those thing fell into place the story became very engaging.

Watching these 3 girls, Meg, Janat and Rennika, go from young, rather pampered royalty with magical gifts, their class referred to as magiel, to refugees from a war they didn't understand yet had to either avoid or become involved in was an interesting experience. Because this is fantasy, and not real world events, we can watch, feel, and engage with these girls without comparing their lives with our own, real lives. Yet, we find the author takes her fantasy tale and imbues it with real life problems such as addiction, depression, mental disorders, emotional growth and religious quandaries. She has cleverly interwoven these disturbing issues that plague people of all walks of life in the real world with her fictional characters; issues inflicted upon royals, peasants, the wealthy the poverty stricken, the young, the old and the religious alike just as they are in the actual world. These seem to be issues she takes very seriously and is very involved in when not writing or editing so it isn't surprising that she was able to craft so believable a novel surrounding such devastating problems.

With all that being said, the storyline is a well written fantasy about these girls, their trials and tribulations growing up in what becomes a war torn world surrounded by people they fear they can't trust due to their physical manifestations of their magiel status. There is the angst of young girls being torn from all they know, from their mother, their homes and their privileged way of life, and there is the growth that comes from living in constant fear and strife not knowing who to trust. There, of course, is young love, jealousy between sisters when both want the same man, and rebellion of the youngest when the dislike of being treated as a child comes to the fore. But there is also the abiding love that sisters feel for each other when tragedy strikes and they find all they have is each other.

Through war, fear, loss and uncertainty we are shown the growth of these girls as well as the tearing apart of their world. Knowing there is still more to come just makes it that much more engaging. So, yes, I am very glad I got past the beginning and continued reading.

Very well done, Susan Forest! Looking forward to the continuation of Addicted to Heaven.

This book was given to me as an ARC with the understanding that I would provide a true and unbiased review.

This particular read was unable to maintain my interest and I did not finish it. Though well written, I just think that this title was not for me. Thank you so much for providing an eARC.

I am a sucker for a good story about sisterhood and this book really delivered. It was an added bonus that these sisters are magiels and are on the run from a mad king. I really appreciated the ending of this book and loved getting to see the characters grow and develop through the story. Excited for the next book!

** I received the ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

This was a good book. I wanted to start off by saying that, because I don't know if I will finish the series. The story is great, but there are very few positive moments in it to break up the negatives. After the characters got over their attitude of looking for someone to take care of them, they became much more interesting and likable. There was an amazing amount of character development and the story is intricate and interesting. When it ended, however, I could not think of much in it that was happy. I don't know if the story will be enough to return me to this world.

This book sadly wasn't for me. The premise is so amazing!! But overall, I found the characters and book boring and not immersive.

rtc on my blog closer to publication date :)