Set Fire to the Gods

by Sara Raasch, Kristen Simmons

Overview

Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Gladiator in the first book in this epic fantasy duology in which two warriors must decide where their loyalties lie as an ancient war between immortals threatens humanity—from Sara Raasch, the New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series, and Kristen Simmons, acclaimed author of Pacifica and The Deceivers. Perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes, And I Darken, and The Winner’s Curse.

Ash is descended from a long line of gladiators, and she knows the brutal nature of war firsthand. But after her mother dies in an arena, she vows to avenge her by overthrowing her fire god, whose temper has stripped her country of its resources.

Madoc grew up fighting on the streets to pay his family’s taxes. But he hides a dangerous secret: he doesn’t have the earth god’s powers like his opponents. His elemental gift is something else—something that hasn’t been seen in centuries.

When an attempted revenge plot goes dangerously wrong, Ash inadvertently throws the fire and earth gods into a conflict that can only be settled by deadly, lavish gladiator games, throwing Madoc in Ash’s path. She realizes that his powers are the weapon her rebellion needs—but Madoc won’t jeopardize his family, regardless of how intrigued he is by the beautiful warrior.

But when the gods force Madoc’s hand, he and Ash uncover an ancient war that will threaten more than one immortal—it will unravel the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062891570
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/06/2021
Series:	Set Fire to the Gods Series , #1
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	222,940
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then: her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things, and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series, These Rebel Waves, and These Divided Shores. You can visit her online at www.sararaaschbooks.com and @seesarawrite on Twitter.

Kristen Simmons is the critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series, The Glass Arrow, Metaltown, Pacifica, and The Deceivers. She has worked with survivors of abuse and trauma as a mental health therapist, taught Jazzercise in five states, and is forever in search of the next best cupcake. Currently she lives in Cincinnati, OH, with her husband, where she spends her days supporting the caffeine industry and chasing her rambunctious son. You can visit her online at www.kristensimmonsbooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

A high stakes YA fantasy full of elemental gladiator fight sequences and political schemes … [that] puts familiar Greco-Roman mythology in a blender with Avatar: The Last Airbender…. Raasch and Simmons balance a large and memorable cast of characters with aplomb.” — School Library Journal

“The history of this world is a fascinating one. . . both heartbreaking and intriguing to observe.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Sara Raasch and Kristen Simmons’s action-packed epic of noble gladiators and warring gods is a must for mythology lovers. With twists and schemes aplenty, this new world of gods and elemental powers keeps the pages turning. COMPLETELY ENTHRALLING. I can’t wait for more of this world.” — Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series

“Set Fire to the Gods is every bit as ACTION-PACKED, IMAGINATIVE, HEROIC, AND DEEPLY MAGICAL as its title suggests, with an ending that will leave you reeling!” — Katharine McGee, New York Times bestselling author of American Royals

From the Publisher

Set Fire to the Gods is every bit as ACTION-PACKED, IMAGINATIVE, HEROIC, AND DEEPLY MAGICAL as its title suggests, with an ending that will leave you reeling!

Katharine McGee

The history of this world is a fascinating one. . . both heartbreaking and intriguing to observe.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

08/10/2020

In this Greco-Roman-inspired duology opener from Raasch (the Stream Raiders series) and Simmons (the Vale Hall series), disputes between the six gods are settled gladiator-style by their human offspring. Only those who have inherited their progenitor’s magic can serve as that deity’s champion. After earth god Geoxus, the ruler of “the western country of Deimos,” declares war on fire god Ignitus, the ruler of Kula, their descendants—Madoc Aurelius, 18, an olive-skinned Deiman laborer, and Ash Nikau, 18, a brown-skinned Kulan dancer, respectively—volunteer for the arena. Madoc, hoping to earn enough money in combat to buy his adopted sister’s freedom from indentured servitude, doesn’t reveal that his abilities don’t stem from Geoxus, which would render him ineligible. Ash intends to avenge her mother, Char, who was killed by a Deiman gladiator—and to depose Ignitus, whom she blames for Char’s death and Kula’s poverty. When Ash discovers Madoc’s secret, she endeavors to win him to her cause, potentially at the risk of his own. Ample action and earnest romance fail to fully compensate for murky mythology and heavy-handed plotting. Although vividly rendered, characters feel underdeveloped, undermining the tale’s emotional heft. Ages 13–up. Agents: (for Raasch) Mackenzie Brady Watson, Stuart Krichevsky Agency; (for Simmons) Joanna MacKenzie, Nelson Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Sara Raasch and Kristen Simmons’s action-packed epic of noble gladiators and warring gods is a must for mythology lovers. With twists and schemes aplenty, this new world of gods and elemental powers keeps the pages turning. COMPLETELY ENTHRALLING. I can’t wait for more of this world.

Kendare Blake

The history of this world is a fascinating one. . . both heartbreaking and intriguing to observe.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

The history of this world is a fascinating one. . . both heartbreaking and intriguing to observe.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

08/01/2020

Gr 7 Up—A high stakes YA fantasy full of elemental gladiator fight sequences and political schemes. The diverse world-building puts familiar Greco-Roman mythology in a blender with Avatar: The Last Airbender. Each of the six gods have a different elemental magic called energeias. After the gods defeated the Mother Goddess, they settled down in six countries and now resolve their conflicts through energeias-ly gifted gladiators in arena combat rather than all-out war. Geoxus (god of earth and stone energeias) and Ignitus (god of fire energeias) declare war and bring the young gladiators together. Olive-skinned Madoc Aureliu has lived in the slums of Geoxus' country, making money in street fights and hiding his energeias by pretending to be powerless. Ash Nikau, who has brown skin, is the daughter of Ignitus's favorite gladiator and is forced to take her mother's place when a fight goes sideways. The well-executed plot is occasionally hampered by melodramatic moments and underdeveloped world-building. The mythologies often get repeated instead of expanded upon, making the world feel flat despite the interesting characters. The strength of the novel rests on the character relationships; not just the budding enemies-to-lovers romance between Madoc and Ash, but with their families, friends, and gods. Raasch and Simmons balance a large and memorable cast of characters with aplomb. VERDICT Recommended for libraries where fantasy and dystopia are popular, this series starter's action scenes are on par with the level of violence found in the "Hunger Games" novels.—Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Lib., IL

School Library Journal

2020-05-16
Two reluctant foes ally to fight for survival in this series starter.

After defeating the Mother Goddess who gave them their magical powers (energeias), the six gods (and their six countries) can now settle conflicts through their similarly powered gladiators in arenas. While some gods have retreated, Geoxus (geoeia, or earth and stone magic) and Ignitus (igneia, or fire magic) continue their quarrels. Once a street-brawling quarry worker and seemingly powerless “pigstock” due to his lack of geoiea, Madoc Aurelius takes to the arena to free his adoptive sister from his evil estranged father’s clutches. But with fame and fighting come the risk of exposing his true energeia, a long-forgotten power. Meanwhile, former fire dancer Ash Nikau arrives in Deimos hoping to avenge her mother, defeat Ignitus, and save Kula from starvation and invasion. Pawns in a vast power struggle, the two champions predictably overcome enmity to become allies amid melodramatically escalating stakes. The co-written effort from Raasch and Simmons is colorful, gritty (literally, given the stone magic), and roiling with emotion, yet the repetitive mythology is underdeveloped, the worldbuilding an unexplained Greco-Roman mishmash, and the plot twists telegraphed. Resembling their manifested gods, Ash and Madoc have black hair; Ash has brown skin.

A self-righteous romance disguised as a gladiatorial slugfest and political thriller lacking much punch. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews