A new genre for me, the military thriller, opens realms of delight. Ronie Kendig’s Firethorn keeps action pouring over each page. The Discarded Heroes series encompasses four books in all. While I’m sure they all share many of the same characters, Firethorn stands alone as its own story.
action.
The characters, men from a black ops team called Nightshade along with their wives, share emotions on a variety of levels. Stress and despair intersperse with determination and confidence along with other reactions. Bringing to light the challenges of our military, Firethorn hints at difficulties that real soldiers and their families go through.
I give Firethorn my coveted five-kiss ranking! The book grabbed me at the first page. The only complaint I had was the length. Not that it was too long, especially for this type of novel. My problem was that it kept me on the edge of my seat, but I couldn’t finish it in one sitting. Bummer! Halfway through I remarked on my Goodreads page:
“Total awe. You can bet I’ll be reading Ronie Kendig again if the ending of this book is anywhere near as good as the beginning and where I am now!”
And fifty pages shy of the end, I noted:
“Eyelids rebelling. Darn. Gonna have to finish tomorrow. Sleep is highly overrated when I’m enjoying a great book!”
For the record, the ending easily matches the middle of the book. In fact, the strings tie up nicely. A very satisfying finish. I laughed. I cried. No, I’m not proud of that, but great fiction affects me!
I received an Advanced Reviewers Copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review, and I’m so glad I did! I might not have chosen this genre on my own. (Although I will now!) But not only did I love Firethorn, I’m convinced that my college-age son, who can’t get enough of XBox battle games, will love the Discarded Heroes series. (He inhales books!) Christmas gift! Yea!
Pingback: Choosing Characters | Marji Laine ~ Writer
2011/November at 7:38 pm
This sounds like a great book! Thanks for sharing it with us!Jackie
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2011/November at 2:58 pm
Looking forward to chewing through the others! My boy is going to LOVE them!
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2011/November at 2:03 pm
Good review, Marji – and on a good book too. Yay to you and Ronie.
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2011/November at 12:04 pm
The book sounds good. Thanks for sharing.
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