From Goodreads:  For centuries, the kingdom of Alexandria has protected Northern Shala from the monstrous creatures lurking in the Wastelands. Now, a dark force threatens that fragile peace.

Far from home, Alexandria’s princess is abducted. When a young villager named Hellsfire stumbles upon her and her captors, he rushes in to rescue her, alone and unarmed. His fear and fury unleash an uncontrollable magical force that grants him the power to save the princess-and change the world.

Hellsfire has never craved nor dreamed of power. But such magic as he now possesses has not been seen in Northern Shala for a thousand years, since the devastation of the War of the Wizards and the creation of the Wastelands.

Now Hellsfire must leave all he’s ever known, and make a dangerous journey to learn to master this wild, ferocious power—power he knows he is not ready to wield. More difficult still, he needs to master his emotions. If he can’t, the power will consume him, Alexandria will fall, and darkness will eclipse the land, destroying everyone he loves.

In the dead of cold, the spark shall burn…

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This is a very interesting coming of age novel, following the archetypal model very well.  Hellsfire is a wonderful character.  He’s kind, honest, caring… and his quest is one of mystery and intrigue.  While at times I found the novel a tad bit slow in places, overall, this is a great adventure/quest novel following Hellsfire as he learns to control his abilities and his emotions (namely anger).  I thoroughly enjoyed following Hellsfire on his quest, taking him from place to place and overcoming new obstacles along the way.  Complete with wizards, elves, dwarfs, ogres, dragons, and humans, this novel has something for everyone.  If you like YA fantasy, then this is a book for you. Three stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.