Wilde's Fire (Darkness Falls #1) by Krystal Wade

Title: Wilde's Fire

Author: Krystal Wade

Publish Date: May 13, 2012

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Pages: 324

Other Books in the Series: Wilde's Army (Darkness Falls #2), Wilde's Meadow (Darkness Falls #3) 

Buy the Book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Rating: ★★★★★

"There is no pain in this death, only peace, knowing I am going to die with the one I love the most." - Katriona Wilde. Katriona Wilde has never wondered what it would feel like to have everything she's ever known and loved ripped away, but she is about to find out. When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she's dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her. Kate's forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What's worse, she has no control over her new future, and it's full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made. Will Kate discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?

Here is my official view on fantasy novels, you ready? The books will either be amazing or disappointing. It's hard to find middle ground, especially when someone is creating a world all their own. I respect people that do that sort of thing because I know how much effort and thought it takes to make a world that makes sense. But that doesn't mean it always works out, so this made me wary at first when I began to read this novel. Somehow along the way, it captured my heart and five stars. The story was wonderful to read and I certainly found myself reading the rest of the series after I finished this one because I couldn't get enough. It became one of those books that once I set it down, I wanted to pick it back up and read it all over again.

Kate, from the moment the story began, held a huge amount of pressure upon her shoulders even when she didn't realize it. Dreams of one man and death haunt her each night and she knows that the man of her dreams is real and that she is in love with him or at least will be. Of course, no one else seems to believe her but that's their issue not hers. She has a certain amount of obliviousness which is adorable and silent strength that proves to be a great resource to her throughout the story. After following a bright light through the forest while hiking with her sister, Brit, and her best friend, Brad, they find themselves in a world that is definitely not their own. Then she finds herself face-to-face with the man who has haunted her dreams and a prophecy that has been attached to her name since before she was born. Beautiful, calm, strong, and brave are some of the words I attach to her and I love her.

I have a love-hate relationship with Brad over the course of the novels. Once you read the books, you'll understand why. He is the typically friend-zoned guy who seems to think he has a chance with the main character when really, she's been in love with this dream guy since she was fourteen. He sadly stumbled into the wrong world when Kate drags him to a world she has only dreamt about and it was most certainly at the wrong time. When he finally gets the nerve up to kiss her, it turns out his whole situation takes a turn for the worse and leaves him without any idea that she doesn't feel that way for him. Of course, his story can only get worse as the story progresses.

Flanna was an endearing character from the moment she was introduced to the novel. She had a witty, sarcastic, and loving way about her that made it hard not to love her. It was clear that she was similar to the woman of the house in this military base that Kate finds herself in. Her jobs were making food for everyone there (which is a higher number than I would ever be willing to cook for) and also caring for the animals that they housed their, such as horses and chickens and goats. Kate and Flanna quickly became friends as they worked together on those duties and found a certain amount of common respect for each other that could not be found with anyone else. She wasn't afraid to ask Kate to work with her and she definitely wasn't afraid to call her on the carpet when she was being stupid and moody. 

Arland is the main love interest of the story, although the two of them seem to face a great deal of challenges along the way. He is a clueless male when it comes to certain things about Kate and yet he is a born leader. One of the youngest to take command of a military base, he has a bright and powerful future ahead of him that many expect. He rarely loses his cool in the face of intense and dangerous situations and shows his strength multiple times throughout the course of the book. However no love story is complete without Kate saving him a couple of times, even though he was born to protect her. Who knows, sometimes things get a little backwards.

I absolutely love and adore this story. Read it. No seriously, go check it out.