Stars: 5
Synopsis: Ares and his twin sister Astrid have been tasked with a terrible secret...they, the children of superhuman scientist Dr. Hiram Bailey, have superpowers. And if their father finds out? Well, that won’t ever happen. Will it?
STOP IT, JENNA! YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART!
Seriously, y’all, this short prequel to Ignite, Jenna Terese’s debut novel, shouldn’t have the power to rip my heart to shreds...but it does. In just a few pages, Jenna takes us back in time to Ares’ childhood...and to the day his world fell to pieces.
This thing is supercharged (no pun intended) with emotion. I could have cried, y’all! (Could have is serious for me, because I have only ever cried one and a half times while reading.) Somehow, Jenna packs it all in, creating a weapon of mass destruction and transmitting it to e-readers across the world.
Suffice to say, this is an epic short story (pain and heartache aside, of course). The development is spot-on, the flow is smooth, all that is on point. Of course, this really wouldn’t have the same affect or make total sense without reading Ignite first (first, because you must fall in love with Ares in Ignite; second, because this totally ruins the whole “Ares is Dr. Bailey’s son” plot twist, so…), but however you order things, it’s still amazing.
And can we all pause to appreciate how wonderfully Jenna wrote Ares’ voice? Like, I stink at writing kids—and I live with six of them—but I can recognize when someone has done a fantastic job of authentically and not awkwardly (I need a word for that...unawkwardly, perhaps?) writing the perspective of a child. Jenna did just that, so kudos, my friend!
Yeah, my heart is broken, but it’s a beautiful broken, if that’s possible.
All readers of Ignite and #aresfanclub, y’all need to read this. And bring a box of Kleenex and some duct tape...we can piece each other’s hearts back together with it.
Disclaimer: The lovely Jenna Terese supplied me with an ARC copy of this heartrending prequel. I wasn’t required to write a positive review, and all those tearful opinions expressed above are my own.
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About the Author
Jenna Terese believes stories are powerful. That’s why she’s dedicated to creating fiction that will impact the world. You can find this INFP dreaming about the future, fangirling over her favorite books, geeking out about Marvel, playing piano, or sipping a chai tea latte as she writes sci-fi novels.
You can connect with Jenna at her website, www.jennaterese.com!