Book Review: Griffin's Fire by Darby Karchut

Griffin's Fire
Author: Darby Karchut
Publication: Twilight Times Books; First edition (April 15, 2012)


Description: For centuries, there have been rumors about a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors and their apprentices clandestinely serve as guardians for humans in danger.

Forced to become mortal, ex-teen angel Griffin has been banished from the Terrae Angeli. Struggling to adjust, he enrolls in the heaven-and-hell known as high school. In spite of his friends' support, Centennial High proves to be a battleground, complete with a malicious math teacher.

And to make matters worse, his Mentor, Basil, has been ordered to take on a new apprentice, the gifted and egotistical seventeen-year-old Sergei, whose covert attacks on Griffin makes home life as bleak as a Siberian winter.

Trapped between school, Sergei, and a desperate secret, Griffin is certain of one thing: the only way to fight a Cold War is with Fire.

My Thoughts: Griffin's Fire is another great story by Darby Karchut. Griffin has had his life ripped out from under him. After the events in the previous book, Griffin has to make a new life for himself as a human. At first he is very angry and very frightened. He doesn't know his place now that he is not part of the Terrae Angeli. His human girlfriend Katie is secretly relieved that the two of them can be together but she knows how disappointed Griffin is too. After some pressure, Griffin agrees to go to high school. On the up side, this lets him spend more time with Katie but on the downside he has to deal with a sadistic math teacher who seems only happy when he is making life hard for students. The math teacher seems to have a special need to bully Griffin.


Then, at home, Basil is given a new apprentice named Sergei. The two boys do not get along at all. Sergei wages a secret war on Griffin to try to keep him in trouble with his mentor. Things get even more complicated when Griffin's powers over Earth and Fire come back. He is afraid to tell Basil because he fears having the powers stripped from him again. Between dealing with Sergei, trying to keep up in high school classes, and hiding his newly returned powers from Basil, Griffin has a lot of stresses.


I liked the way we got to see entries from Katie's journal, Griffin's journal, and Basil's journal so that we could see what they were thinking even though they were keeping secrets from each other. I liked the relationship between Katie and Griffin. They were best friends as well as boyfriend-girlfriend. I liked that Griffin was still acting as a Guardian Angel even when he didn't have his powers. My heart was broken again as Griffin relived some of the bad times with his first mentor Nicopolis and cheered when Nicopolis finally got at least part of what he deserved. Not being an angel myself, I actually had hoped for more punishment for Nicopolis.


I can hardly wait to read the third book in the series - Griffin's Storm. And I am very eager to share this book with my students. 


Favorite Quote:

"Basil, what's wrong with me? Why does all of this horrible crap keep happening to me?"

Basil butted Griffin with his shoulder. "Listen and listen well. There's nothing wrong with you. You are Griffin, and that's a wonderful thing to be."

"Oh, yeah? And just who is Griffin?" he asked, still looking down.

Basil smiled as he leaned over and whispered, "Whomever he chooses."

I was sent a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. You can buy your copy here.