I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book, and even when I started it, I still wasn’t sure. After a little bit of time and getting used to the unique universe, I settled in and enjoyed the ride. I liked the interesting and unique take on vampires/zombies which can be a good or bad thing. I was a little iffy when we met Jonah, and I took a little bit to warm up to him, but he did grow on me. This is wild ride, as well as an engaging one, and readers who like a unique universe will definitely like this one. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

I’m rounding my stars up to 4 but I’m really begging the author to make this into two books.
The idea is fab, the plot good but I need more info, more details, I WANT more.
It felt rushed and things seemed to jump, so the romance felt a little flat and the friendships/alliances almost seemed fake. I want more detail and more background. There were a lot of times we were told things and not shown them, if that makes sense.
I also think there needs to be a prologue to ground the story.
I was completely lost even though I was having fun, until like 30 % so a prologue would add emotional depth and draw you in.
It was like being thrown into the deep end of the pool as a kid 😂

I really did enjoy the book and it’s my first of this author’s. It shows a lot of promise with how inventive the system of power is. Plus the plot with the government agency is very super spy

3/5 ⭐️ Thanks you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC

Pyre was a great take on zombies and the government's way of keeping them hidden from the rest of the population.

We follow the life of one zombie who decides to work with the government agency tasked with finding other zombies before they harm other people. The whole premise of how they are turned into zombies, what they eat and need to do to stay 'alive' is a fresh take that I enjoyed.

While I know this is a relatively short story, this would have made an excellent series if fleshed out. It felt a bit like reading the cliffs notes of what should have been a longer novel.

This review will contain spoilers!

<spoiler>

I love the concept of this book - a mix of vampires and zombies and pyromaniacs. There’s second chance romance, begrudging exes to friends to enemies to…??? There’s governmental involvement and a few surprising reveals. But in the end, it all felt rushed.

I wish we knew more about Edward’s past and motivations. He seemed so surface level, just “the villain,” but he had so much more potential. Who was he before he became a thermie? How did that happen? How did he become so evil? How did he find the cure???

The multiple “breakups” between Jonah and Ruby got stale quick. Their relationship progressed quickly, then backtracked, then progressed, then was ruined, and then he died??? Off-page??? Also, we never figure out why there’s a picture of him, his sister, and Edward in his house. It all seemed sloppy. I liked Jonah’s character but the lie at the end was unnecessary.

The book feels unfinished. What happened to the camera woman? What about Lucas? Idk, the potential was REALLY there, this just needed an extra 100 pages to fully flesh out the story.

</spoiler>

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc!

3.5 🌟 Thank you so much to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ARC, all views and opinions are my own ✨

A shorter story with zombie/Supernatural vibes and FMC who reminded me of Bryce from Crescent City. Great for fans of modern sci-fi where monsters live among us and are hunted by “one of their own”.

“Ruby Murray was never meant to survive. Created with fire, she now hunts her own kind—thermophiles, predators who feed through flame and consume the remains of their loved ones.”


Pros:
* This was a really interesting story, I loved the concept of the Thermies with “walking dead” vibes.
* I enjoyed the relationship with her a Jonah as the story went on, it felt a little forced at first but I liked how it developed.
* The twists and turns really helped to keep me engaged in the story, one specific plot twist (which was more about a readers assumption than anything else) really hit me
* The story really left me wanting to know more about Thermies and their origins etc.

Cons
* I wanted more. The book was short, so it was easy to consume, but I wanted more of the story.
* The end all felt very rushed, I liked the conclusion but I felt there was more that could have been pulled out of this.
* What Ruby did at the end, I definitely wanted more about this. Considering her actions throughout the book it just felt… well off.
* The beginnings of Ruby and Jonah’s relationship in the book felt a bit strange and disingenuous, I was glad that it was developed more as the story went on.
* Because the story was so heavily weighted to the end with reference to plot twists and revelations, the pacing did feel off. But mainly because I really did want to delve further into the ideas raised at the end!
* The end felt a little “easy” for me, considering the book set up and the revelations I expected (and wanted) something a bit more hard hitting.

In all, a good story, a sassy FMC, an intriguing concept that I wish had been explored more. It just fell a little flat for me in parts.

The first chapter was just something else...Ina good way. I haven't read to many books that word it like this and i thought it was a beautiful way to introduce us to this character. This book was just brilliant. This is the first book I've read from this author and I was not disappointed. The emotions and the rage i felt was so raw. This world was so fascinating and tragic and a bit funny at times. I loved the characters and the twists were just mind blowing! Oh easiest 5 star give away.