Prelude of Fire

A lengthy adventure in a colorful world!

A desperate mission. Sinister sorcery. Can she find the seven prism shards to stop the world from being destroyed?

Ashlai is a Fyre who can harness powers of flame from the sun. Despite her powers, or perhaps because of them, she has always felt like an outsider among the Forest-footer Elves who raised her and her brother, Merritt.

When their home is attacked by King Ragnar and his “Sere,” a vicious drought that burns all in its path, Ashlai embarks on a quest to save it. Her only clues are the strange music playing inside her head, the warnings of a captive princess, and a broken prism.

With the help of new friends, including a snarky elf, two squabbling but kind-spirited bards, and a boy who can turn into a tree, Ashlai journeys to collect the remaining prism shards.

Can she find them and defeat Ragnar before his Sere consumes all Hyloria? Or will the secrets of the prism cause Ashlai to lose her new friends, her family, and even herself?

Prelude of Fire is the first in an epic quartet that combines music and magic while reminding us that our choices, not our circumstances, define who we truly are and will become.

Goodreads

The Gailean Quartet: Prelude of Fire

by Christine Schulze

My stars: 4

Comes out in October of 2024!!

I enjoyed reading this novel- the world was so colorful and wonderful, the characters had their quirks and charms, and there was rarely a dull moment. The premise is one familiar to us all: the hero(ine) must seek out a group of like-minded travelers who must overcome the evil one, together. Honestly, I got Lord of the Rings vibes. 😀 The book is plenty entertaining, but it is long. I wonder if it would be easier to swallow broken up into two or three books- there is certainly enough action fit at least two books in here! 🙂

This book is, I think, a marketed as a young adult book, but sometimes it feels more on the younger side of adult. Perhaps that is because of the younger age of the characters. Ashlai kept doubting herself; it got a bit frustrating XD. I’m like, “girl, we’ve been over this already! Stop falling back into your doubts.” But, you know, we all do that so often, so I suppose it’s only realistic! I liked that Schultz showed the two characters of different religions growing to trust each other, despite their initial prejudices against those who believe in different gods.

This world of Hyloria has great promise! Book 1 ended happily ever after, but with potential for more things to come!