Review. Fire Baptized, by Kenya Wright

Author: Kenya Wright
Title: Fire Baptized
Series: Habitat (#1)
ISBN: 9780985023003
Publisher: Dragonfairy Press (January 28th 2012)
Disclaimer: Copy received for review purposes.
Buy your copy: Kindle | Paperback

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Since the 1970s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.

Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.

Enlisting help from her Were-cheetah ex-boyfriend MeShack and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat’s raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.

While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?” GoodReads’ blurb

This was very, very good, and very, very different from what I usually read. Can’t say I was too surprised, because when I received the request and read the sample chapters I knew I had something quite outstanding coming my way, but... yes. Wow.

The world built by Kenya Wright here is fascinating. I find the whole Habitat concept both fascinating and horrifying – fascinating because it’s so plausible, and horrifying because that’s the only way I can feel when faced with the dilapidated lifestyle, extreme poverty, absolute racism and total despair that bring the pages to life in Fire Baptized.

Is this for dystopian fans, then? Fantasy? Alternate history? Well, a bit of everything, I say. And I think that as long as you have the stomach to face the grim reality of the Habitat, you’ll like the book no matter your favorite genre.

Lanore, the main character, had some qualities that I admire, like the ability to kick butt, and none of the faults I’ve come to expect with the package of female lead. I’ll explain:

By this point, you might have figured out that I dislike it when characters become self-proclaimed heroes. When they take the weight of the world upon their shoulders. When they go all “woe is me” and then proceed to be the best at everything anyway. Well, Lanore does not fit that bill.

She falls so far from it, that she’s approaching the lead character concept from the other side. This means, in simple terms, that I was able to relate to her. Okay, not to all aspects of her life, perhaps, but definitely to her motivations. To her protective streak, when it does surface. To her love uncertainties, even.

There was no way for me to guess the solving of the mystery that drives forward the book, in that key information is disclosed so that the characters will talk us through realization. Oddly, I didn’t mind this at all, even though I usually like to wonder and ponder the possible solutions. I think this situation sat so well with me because it felt natural. It allowed me to further appreciate the world, its balance, and the characters. It gave a feeling of flailing around in the dark, of not knowing where to go next, that simply fit with the story and the situation.

I have to say that I suspected about three people, and was wrong each time. That my dawning realization left me with a good kind of “oooh” moment. And that I’m officially awaiting the sequel with eager puppy eyes, because while the plotline closes nicely, there’s still many answers to be had.