For a Muse of Fire

By: Heidi Heilig

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

A young woman with a dangerous power she barely understands. A smuggler with secrets of his own. A country torn between a merciless colonial army, a terrifying tyrant, and a feared rebel leader.

The first audiobook in a new trilogy from the acclaimed Heidi Heilig blends traditional storytelling with ephemera for a lush, pause-resisting tale of escape and rebellion. For a Muse of Fire will captivate fans of Sabaa Tahir, Leigh Bardugo, and Renée Ahdieh.

Jetta’s family is famed as the most talented troupe of shadow players in the land. With Jetta behind the scrim, their puppets seem to move without string or stick - a trade secret, they say. In truth, Jetta can see the souls of the recently departed and bind them to the puppets with her blood.

But ever since the colonizing army conquered their country, the old ways are forbidden, so Jetta must never show, never tell. Her skill and fame are her family’s way to earn a spot aboard the royal ship to Aquitan, where shadow plays are the latest rage and where rumor has it the mad emperor has a spring that cures his ills - and could cure Jetta’s, too. Because seeing spirits is not the only thing that plagues her.

But as rebellion seethes and as Jetta meets a young smuggler, she will face truths and decisions she never imagined - and safety will never seem so far away.

Heidi Heilig creates a vivid, rich world inspired by Asian cultures and French colonialism. Her characters are equally complex and nuanced, including the bipolar heroine. Told from Jetta’s first-person point of view, as well as with chapters authored as play scripts and ephemera such as telegrams and letters, For a Muse of Fire is an engrossing journey that weaves magic, simmering romance, and the deep bonds of family with the high stakes of epic adventure.

©2018 Heidi Heilig (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Bipolar rep! Exciting and Intriguing

I'm loving that people are now making their main characters bipolar. It's so refreshing. While I did find Jetta's manias and depressions to be a touch too dramatic, I was pleased with the representation overall. I also really liked the way Heilig made necromancy lighter than it is often treated, with Jetta putting the souls of small animals into her shadow puppets to bring them to life. For much of the book I wasn't sure whether the rebellion or the armee was better -- and perhaps that was intentional. Certainly both sides made the lives of the people difficult and fraught with danger. I can't wait for the next installment.

I was at first displeased with the narrator for choosing what seemed an overly high-pitched and shrill voice for the main character, but as the story progressed it evened out a bit and the other voices she used were quite good

Astonishingly poetic

Heidi Heilig can craft an amazingly suspenseful, darkly beautiful story that feels so real despite the fantasy elements driving the plot. However, in For a Muse of Fire, she takes this art to a whole other level. Her prose is poetic and heart wrenchingly moving! Miss Zeller’s delivery was utterly perfect to boot! I cannot recommend this book enough!

Not the best

In fact, I don’t even remember most of this book. The main character was really annoying and whinny. The narrator made that fact even worse. The world was confusing and it could have been so much cooler! I was so excited about this plot, but it wasn’t good. I’m not even sure if I will pick up the next book.