ARC Review: Fire and Bone by Rachel A. Marks

Fire and Bone
Author: Rachel A. Marks
Publication: Skyscape (February 20, 2018)

Description: In Hollywood’s underworld of demigods, druids, and ancient bonds, one girl has a dangerous future.

Sage is eighteen, down on her luck, and struggling to survive on the streets of Los Angeles. Everything changes the night she’s invited to a party—one that turns out to be a trap.

Thrust into a magical world hidden within the City of Angels, Sage discovers that she’s the daughter of a Celtic goddess, with powers that are only in their infancy. Now that she is of age, she’s asked to pledge her service to one of the five deities, all keen on winning her favor by any means possible. She has to admit that she’s tempted—especially when this new life comes with spells, Hollywood glam, and a bodyguard with secrets of his own. Not to mention a prince whose proposal could boost her rank in the Otherworld.

As loyalties shift, and as the two men vie for her attention, Sage tries to figure out whom to trust in a realm she doesn’t understand. One thing is for sure: the trap she’s in has bigger claws than she thought. And it’s going to take a lot more than magic for this Celtic demigoddess to make it out alive.

My Thoughts: This urban fantasy is set in current day Los Angeles and gets its paranormal from Celtic mythology. Living among humans are demigods, shades, druids with magical powers, pixies and other magical beings.

Sage is a street kid who just turned eighteen. She entered the child welfare system as a ten-year-old when she was removed from her drug addict mother's care. She had a variety of foster care experiences but none of them were good. She doesn't trust anyone. But she has a secret past and powers that fit her into the magical world.

Sage is a demigoddess, the daughter of Brighid, and her power is fire. She should have been found as a twelve-year-old and introduced to the magical world. Now she just has a month or so to learn all she can and choose which of the powerful Otherworld families she is going to pledge allegiance to. She was found by the Brighid group and given Faelan Ua Cleirigh as a guardian and teacher. Faelan is an outcast from his birth court and is a man with many secrets.

Sage is being courted by all the houses who want this talented demigoddes to belong to their house. Kieran is a prince of House Morrigan and is particularly determined to win Sage for his house. Sage doesn't know anything about the politics of the houses or her magic and keeps getting less than clear answers when she asks questions. It doesn't help that she is being plagued by very realistic dreams that tell the story of a tragic romance 700 years in the past.

This was an entertaining beginning to a series told in alternating chapters by Sage and Kieran. It had, action, danger, and romance. Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy it and be looking forward to more stories in this series.

Favorite Quote:

She snorts, interrupting me. "Nothing will happen to our favored prince for a vague accident, trust me -- I mean, he wasn't technically trying to kill you. Plus, his sister totally has the Cast in her pocket and enough equity with the other Penta that no one would mess with her brother. Maybe if you'd actually died, but ,,, well, you're an all-powerful demi and whatnot. No one is going to feel sorry for you."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.