Synopsis:
Valerie Simons knows the city’s gang wars are dangerous—her own brother was killed by the Boars two years ago. But nothing will sway her from joining the elite and beautiful Herons to avenge his death—a death she feels responsible for.
But when Valerie is recruited by the mysterious Stags, their charismatic and volatile leader Jax promises to help her get revenge. Torn between old love and new loyalty, Valerie fights to stay alive as she races across the streets of San Francisco to finish the mission that got her into the gangs.
CW’s Review:
When I heard that this book was an Iliad retelling set in San Francisco in a time of gang violence and gang wars, my interest was piqued. A Thousand Fires is described to be a retelling of the Iliad, a story that follows biracial Philipino-American teen who, upon turning eighteen years old, joins a gang to find her little brother’s murderer and to avenge his death. Although the story’s premise showed promise and sounded interesting as heck, A Thousand Fires wasn’t only just disappointing on many fronts but also, unexpectedly, bewildered me – and not in a good way at all.
The Quiet Pond 