ARC Review: "For A Muse of Fire" (For a Muse of Fire #1) by Heidi Heilig

For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

A young woman with a dangerous power she barely understands. A smuggler with secrets of his own. A country torn between a merciless colonial army, a terrifying tyrant, and a feared rebel leader. The first book in a new trilogy from Heidi Heilig.

Jetta’s family is famed as the most talented troupe of shadow players in the land. With Jetta behind the scrim, their puppets seem to move without string or stick—a trade secret, they say. In truth, Jetta can see the souls of the recently departed and bind them to the puppets with her blood. But the old ways are forbidden ever since the colonial army conquered their country, so Jetta must never show, never tell. Her skill and fame are her family’s way to earn a spot aboard the royal ship to Aquitan, where shadow plays are the latest rage, and where rumor has it the Mad King has a spring that cures his ills. Because seeing spirits is not the only thing that plagues Jetta. But as rebellion seethes and as Jetta meets a young smuggler, she will face truths and decisions that she never imagined—and safety will never seem so far away.

Heidi Heilig creates a world inspired by Asian cultures and French colonialism.

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REVIEW

I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Jetta has an extraordinary ability...which must remain hidden if she and her family want to survive. In this world of Empires, conquered cities and full of spies, revolutionaries, and secrets Jetta will discover the extent of her own abilities and struggle with what she considers to be madness.

There were many parts at the beginning of the book that I didn't quite understand but slowly all made sense. There are also breaks between the chapters where from the first POV we go to the third and also the scenes are described like a theatre scenario. The plot is engaging and filled with fantasy and rich history.

About the author:

Heidi grew up in Hawaii where she rode horses and raised peacocks, and then she moved to New York City and grew up even more, as one tends to do. Her favorite thing, outside of writing, is travel, and she has haggled for rugs in Morocco, hiked the trails of the Ko'olau Valley, and huddled in a tent in Africa while lions roared in the dark.

She holds an MFA from New York University in Musical Theatre Writing, of all things, and she's written books and lyrics for shows including The Time Travelers Convention, Under Construction, and The Hole. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their pet snake, whose wings will likely grow in any day now.