Title: Of Flame and Fury
Series: Weird Girls #9; Flame #3
Author: Cecy Robson
Genre: Paranormal Romance - Urban Fantasy
Release Date: March 24, 2020
Format: eBook
Pages: 282
Source: Review Copy

We’re all responsible for our actions, and that includes me. In retrospect, I did everything wrong, almost from the moment I arrived in Edinburgh. I was weak, thoughtless and self-centred. I believed I was helping them, or at least I persuaded myself that I was. But the undeniable truth is that if I had made even the slightest effort to look outwards at these children, instead of inwards, I could have changed everything that happened. No-one was destined to die at this point.

Wow. Now, this book was not perfect and there are some aspects that made no sense, such as why an inexperienced teacher would be allowed to teach drama to teenagers with a history of violence without being given either their case files/histories or any training whatsoever on how to deal with certain behaviours or ensure security, is clearly beyond me. Or that the class never actually read any texts in class, which was really weird.

HOWEVER, this book made up for this in many other aspects. 

The plot was fresh to me. I could not predict how this was going to go. The characters were fully fleshed out, and the characters' inner conflicts were really well portrayed. 

What I loved best, tho, was that this story was not a re-telling of a Greek classic as the books blurb may have suggested. Instead, Haynes used the plot of Alex, a theatre director, teaching juvenile delinquents about Greek drama as a way to ask whether certain themes and issues addressed in Greek drama are still relevant today and how they would be assessed today. 

I thought this book was, despite its light tone of voice, really quite complex and really though-provoking, and all the while Haynes built up a plot that would climax in something that we, as the reader, know is going to happen, but we don't know what this is and when it will occur.

The Amber Fury was smart and thrilling and I loved it. I certainly also want to read Haynes' other books.

Even if you have no control over your life, you should live like you have a choice.

Previous reading updates:

Reading progress update: I've read 176 out of 298 pages.

Reading progress update: I've read 148 out of 298 pages.

‘I’m so sorry. Have you spoken to him? Is he OK?’

Jono shrugged.

‘He texted. Says it’s not as bad as last time.’

I nodded, not wanting to give away the fact that I didn’t know he’d been in an institution already.

‘Well, I think we should probably decide what we’re going to read next, shouldn’t we? Then when Ricky comes back, we can tell him about it, and he’ll catch up easily.’

Though Annika’s eyebrows shot up above her glasses and I could see she was considering telling me what a pointless delusion this was, she said nothing.

‘Is there a play any of you would particularly like to do next?’

Last time, I’d let Carly choose, so it was someone else’s turn.

‘What’s your favourite?’ Mel asked.

I thought for a moment. ‘I like the Oresteia,’ I told her. ‘It’s about families – parents and children and how they cope with one another. And it’s about revenge and retribution.’

Erm, really? Did Alex think this through? We're talking about a group of 15-year-olds with a history of violence, and much of the Oresteia seems to me to spend time in various characters' head JUSTIFYING VIOLENCE!!!

I can see this go horribly wrong. I really can. 

But we shall see. I really have no idea where this is going and I am loving it.

This may not be the best psychological thriller I have ever read but I am thoroughly enjoying it. 

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I DNF'd my RL book group's book about the school shooting set in Edinburgh because it was really, really stupid? 

The Amber Fury is the book that All the Hidden Truths should have been. Why, oh why, doesn't my RL book group ever pick a book like this one?

This is not about a school shooting, btw. It's set in a school, it's also set in Edinburgh, and the plot is gearing towards something big happening, but I have no idea what this is, yet. (I am eager to find out, tho.)

Alex is a drama teacher at a school for teenagers with behavioral problems who have dropped out of the normal school system. Alex only took the job and move to Edinburgh after tragedy struck in her life in London. 

The fantastic thing that strikes me about this story is that it really reminds me of Atwood's Hag-Seed, but set in a school setting where Alex teaches classic Greek drama (Sophocles etc.) to students rather than Shakespeare to inmates.

And of course, Haynes' book was published a couple of years before Hag-Seed, so it wasn't inspired by Hag-Seed (and I doubt that there was any inspiration the other way around either). So, by pure chance I've met two books that use drama as a way to "reform" delinquents.  

Anyway, I really like this so far. I hope the second half is as engaging as the first.

I loved the paranormal aspect here, angels, demons, even a rogue vamp, some of them big players you've definitely heard of. I have to say though, I wish there would have been more of it in the beginning especially. I really enjoyed all of those encounters a lot more than the inside of Maccus's bedroom. It was an interesting story line that I'm curious to see continued in following books. PNR is my jam, but I actually would have preferred a little less R in this one...or maybe even more R and less sex. I don't know if that has anything to do with how quick they jumped in the sack or what, but I mean sometimes a lady likes a little build up before blastoff, just sayin'. I feel like the second half had more world building and interaction with other characters which I enjoyed more. The ending took an interesting turn which made me definitely want to see what happens next.

I received an ARC of this book Entangled Publishing via Netgalley and this is my honest review.