Atmospheric and often sensual, this first in a duology is a slow-burning fairy tale about the power of love and the bonds between siblings. Patient readers will find much to savor.
Lush. Delicious. Bewildering. And darkly magical. Popovic has created a world that you tumble into from the very first words and wish you could stay in forever.” — Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game
“Wicked Like a Wildfire was like devouring a succulent fairy fruit—it will rob your time, settle into your dreams, and leave you starving for more.” — Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen
“This sensory-rich debut and series opener highlights the mysteries of life, death, and love for modern twin witches.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will be captivated by [Popovic’s] entrancing writing, evocative setting, and distinctive supernatural worldbuilding, and will eagerly await the second book in this planned duology.” — Publishers Weekly
“Atmospheric and often sensual, this first in a duology is a slow-burning fairy tale about the power of love and the bonds between siblings. Patient readers will find much to savor.” — Booklist
“...a wild ride of magic and family secrets... For fans of Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, readers will be greatly pleased with this debut novel.” — School Library Journal
“Readers will revel in the evocative language and sensory details that feel a time and place apart...” — Shelf Awareness
Atmospheric and often sensual, this first in a duology is a slow-burning fairy tale about the power of love and the bonds between siblings. Patient readers will find much to savor.
Readers will revel in the evocative language and sensory details that feel a time and place apart...
Wicked Like a Wildfire was like devouring a succulent fairy fruit—it will rob your time, settle into your dreams, and leave you starving for more.
2017-05-24
Reminiscent of Practical Magic, this sensory-rich debut and series opener highlights the mysteries of life, death, and love for modern twin witches. Produced from their Eastern European mother and a Japanese father they've never met, mixed-race fraternal twins Iris and Malina know they are also witches born with "the gleam," a magical way to bring forth and manipulate beauty. Raised in the medieval town of Cattaro in the Balkan country of Montenegro and isolated from other witches, abrasive Iris has had less and less practice with summoning the beauty of fractals, particularly through flowers, and tender Malina, with eliciting emotions through her beautiful voice. Narrator Iris has resigned herself to making flowers only through glassworks and helping her gruff mother, Jasmina, in her confectionery until there are strange occurrences and visitors in town. When Jasmina is the victim of a possible murder attempt and left in a state between life and death, it's up to Iris and Malina to find the culprit. The real mystery, however, becomes discovering their complex coven background and connection to generations of strong women with varying gifts of gleam and breaking a deathly family curse. This deliberate narrative is not for fans of the quick, adventurous whodunit but for readers who enjoy detailed descriptions, particularly ones that evoke sights, sounds, and smells. Those looking for fantasy with diversity may find themselves bewitched. (Fantasy. 14-adult)
