{Review} Trial by Fire (The Worldwalker Trilogy #1) by Josephine Angelini

Posted by Donna
Release Date: August 28th, 2014
Finished Date: July 6th, 2014

Publishers: Macmillan Children's Books
Genre: YA Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 384

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

The exhilaratingly seductive new series from the author of the bestselling Starcrossed series

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

But how can Lily be the saviour of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

The Review: As soon as I heard Josephine Angelini was writing a new series I was immediately excited because I adore her Starcrossed series, and I couldn’t wait to see what she would do next. 
I have to admit, once hearing the story was about witches, I was hesitant. There are only a number of witch stories that really stand out for me and I was worried Trial by Fire wouldn’t. However I was completely and utterly wrong because Trial by Fire is a completely unique story, full of magic, secrets, danger, love with a stunning plot and fabulous characters!

Lily Proctor is a sheltered girl because of the life threatening illness’s that she has – that no one can explain – but that forbids her to do the things a normal teenage girl can do. After deciding to take a chance and go to a party, it’s there that something happens to Lily and it’s something that will stay with her forever. When the chance comes to escape the life she lives, Lily rushes to take the chance, not realizing that this was a part of a plan – a plan by Lillian – a girl who is Lily but lives in another world. Lily soon finds herself in a world that she could never have imagined existed and for some reason everyone wants her, including her evil self. As Lily is thrown into danger she realizes that there are lives depending on her and she must do what she can do help, even if that means changing the person she is.

With a gripping start and an intense ending, Trial by Fire is a book that was hard to put down. I was welcomed into a captivating and imaginative world that I couldn’t help but love and wanted to discover all of its secrets within the first few chapter. It’s one of them reads that I wish I had all the information to hand to start with, so I could figure out the plot. But upon finishing it I knew that would have been a mistake because it would have stolen the perfectly crafted ending that leaves you with a nail biting cliff-hanger and definitely leaves you wanting more. Eek! It was intense I’ll tell you that.

Lily at first was a weak character and that wasn’t that her personally was weak, it was her illness that made her weak. It’s not until she steps into the other world that she can finally breathe and be her true self. Even though her true self is unbeknown to Lily at this time, she notices a change immediately. I loved that she continued to grow throughout the story, she was feisty and determined and damn stubborn too. But without the help of Rowan, Caleb and Tristan she wouldn’t have been as strong as she was. The three boys are like brothers and after a rocky start, they quickly welcome Lily into the fold, but it’s Rowan that Lily has that deep connection with. I adored Rowan – even though it was hard to like him at the start, he was still swoon-worthy. You could see how much he felt for Lily even though he tried to deny himself. Their connection wasn’t an easy one it’s one that takes trust and love but, I loved how everything came together. I guess you could say it was meant to be.

I think what I enjoyed about this story so much was how different it was from Starcrossed. I do still favour that over this, but still I really couldn’t fault Trial by Fire. 

In all, Josephine Angelini has created another spellbinding series and I cannot wait to see what she comes with next. For me, Lily and Rowan’s story so far is quite unforgettable and it’s going to be a long wait for the sequel.

Thank you to Macmilliam's Childrens Books for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.