Firebrand

In an fantasy country inspired by South Africa a young woman from one of the minority populations builds on her new position to face a plot that affects the city where she lives and international politics.Anglet Atonga is now secure in the employment of an up and coming politician when she stumbles on a plot with ramifications for all sides of politics, the progressive party of her employer, the nationalist ruling party and the extreme white supremacy party The latter is gaining popularity as th [...]

Dual Review Both 4 stars Steeplejack and Firebrand click here for a US Canada GIVEAWAY of both titles were two of the most unique books I ve ever read the type of stories that continue to resonate long after you finish them The books were successful on several accounts The whodunit detective mystery was engaging, made all the compelling by Anglet s the main character personal stake in solving the crime Her involvement felt organic than not, and the passages dedicated to developing her convicti [...]

Just for the record, this book did not take a month to read I had an excessive number of ILL and holds come in all at once and I had to put this story on hold The reality is it took about 3 4 days to read.This is seriously one of the hardest series to pigeon hole into a category BSG Welcome back crazy voice in my head I have not heard much from you since I reviewed The Night CircusIMH Yeah, well I been waiting for you to let your freak flag fly and today you opened the crazy gate WooHoo BSG Lets [...]

Source Library Genre Young Adult, Steampunk Rating 3.5 4 MY Thoughts Firebrand is the second installment in author A.J Hartley s Alternative Detective series This is a world that I have best described as being an alternative reality of 19th century South Africa In this world, Bar Selehm is home to 17 year old Protagonist Anglet Sutonga Ang is a former Steeplejack, a Lani who has seen the worst sort of discrimination because of her skin color, and now works as a undercover detective for Josiah Wi [...]

I expected a great deal from Firebrand after Hartley delivered a intricately woven story in Steeplejack and I m happy to report that the sequel lived up to those expectations The story picks up soon after the events of book 1 with Ang working for the politician Willinghouse as a private detective of sorts, and she s about to have her work cut out for her.On its own, Firebrand was almost a standalone in nature There are some events which connect the two stories but if you were to read it without [...]

This exciting sequel reads like a murder mystery but is much a dynamic social commentary that is as timely as it is compelling The book is expertly written, never preaching or pointing fingers, but subtly applying pressure to examine race issues, gender inequalities, microaggressions, and socio economic problems in our culture The pace is unrelenting, hurtling the reader through one nail biting scene after another, connecting the seemingly unrelated series of events into a satisfying conclusion [...]

My prevailing thought when I finished FIREBRAND this afternoon This is turning out to be a fantastic series This sequel retains a lot of what made STEEPLEJACK a special novel a compelling protagonist, a mind turning mystery, heart pumping suspense, and breathlessly believable worldbuilding And while STEEPLEJACK introduced us to the racial and social class tensions inherent in Bar Selehm, FIREBRAND fearlessly yet sensitively shows those conflicts coming to a head, drawing from current day events [...]

Pros excellent world building, interconnected plot, great charactersCons Grappoli is invading native territory, sending refugees fleeing to the city of their enemy, Bar Selehm But Bar Selehm s politicians aren t sympathetic to the refugees plight, and some believe the time to unite with their white brothers of Grappoli, at the expense of the black and brown lower classes of their own city, has arrived When important military papers are stolen, a clue sends Anglet Sutonga to an exclusive club, w [...]

Dear Mr Hartley,Please accept my humble apology I am unable at this time to write a review of Firebrand, for reasons which are far too mundane to go into here i.e life gets complicated sometimes I really wanted to have written a stellar one, since, in all likelihood, I ll be meeting you at JordanCon next week In theory I d be the one wearing the sign that says Sorry I didn t get to review your book before meeting you though likely I ll just be wearing a sheepish grin on my face However, thank y [...]

I just really love this series I love the world building, I love the amount and variety and predominance of female characters and I love the themes, issues and story lines Hartley chooses to explore I can t wait to see where this series goes next.

Definitely an allegory for modern day politics and a very good one at that Did the audio book found I couldn t stop listening to it As every the mystery and intrigue sucks you right in.

DNF It kills me to, because I ve liked everything ELSE I ve read by this author, but this one just isn t for me I made it through the first one, but didn t love it I decided to give the second a shot, but it s just not my genre.

I was all kinds of impressed by Hartley s Steeplejack Firebrand improves on it Hartley is confident in his story, his setting, and his characters, and it shows Ang Sutonga is back as a private detective secret agent for parliamentary backbencher Josiah Willinghouse, and she has a new mystery to solve Ang may no longer repair chimneys and clocktowers as a steeplejack, but rest assured that much of the action takes place above street level And Hartley continues to handle hot button issues with fa [...]

Disclosure I received a review copy from the publisher exchange for a honest review.I haven t read the first book in the Alternative Detective series, but I had no problems following the story in Firebrand In this follow up to Steeplejack, we find Anglet, a former Steeplejack working as a private detective spy for parliament member, Willinghouse After blueprints for a machine gun gets stolen and a wave of refugees goes missing Angl is sent into the inner sanctum of the elite society to find out [...]

I was given a copy of this title, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.Anglet is back with another mystery This time she is chasing after a thief that stole the plans for a secret weapon In the midst of this mysterious theft Bar Selehm is going through their own refugee crisis This mystery takes Ang deeper into the social elite of Bar Selehm, places that even her benefactor cannot go She must learn to become, not just pretend, that she is someone other than herself The deeper that the mystery [...]

I really enjoyed this sequel to STEEPLEJACK Ang has another mystery to solve Plans for a new weapon are stolen and her boss Josiah Willinghouse sets her on the path to find them Along the way, she pretends to be a foreign princess to gain entry to an exclusive club with links to the theft and finds herself becoming involved with the refugee problem in her city Ang is a fascinating character She is an ethnic minority in a city which gives minorities less value In fact, a new movement in Parliamen [...]

Firebrand by A J HartleyThis is the second book set in a future where whites, blacks and browns live in uneasy harmony Anglet Sutonga is a teenage steeplejack One of if not the premier steeplejack in Bar Selhem turned private eye or perhaps special agent Someone has stolen some documents and her personal government official tasks her with finding them Hartley did an excellent job creating a community that seems to combine aspects of Victorian society with a respect for the press and uneasy race [...]

Firebrand was a great and worthy follow up to Steeplejack It continued following the incredible MC, Ang Sutonga, in her unofficial investigator role This time around, blueprints of a secret weapon are stolen, and to get to the bottom of it, Ang has to learn some new techniques to blend in with the in crowd of Bar Selehm s most elite club New characters, deplorable and loveable are introduced, along with many returning cast from the first book This one had a slower build up compared to the first, [...]

When I saw that the heroine is a spy I knew I had to read this book then you add in that this book takes place in Africa well and alternative Africa and I was hooked I haven t read any books set there so I was excited to read this one and A.J doesnt disappoint I loved the main character Ang She is what you want a heroine to be and I instantly connected to her from page one As much as I love Ang and all the other characters what really had me hooked on this book is that A.J added in issues with p [...]

so many things going on in this series love itit may make sense if you have a background in the colonial battles of the 19th century it s a fantasy world, but there is much that is familiar in that but even without it has depths Race and economic station are again forefront as is the oppression of the powerless by the powerful Ok ok, it s a fun fantasy mystery, but I enjoy it for its hidden social commentary as well Enjoy

I loved loved loved loved loved Steeplejack I was waiting impatiently for the sequel and it did not disappoint Do you like original steampunk YA featuring badass feminist protagonists of color Yes, of course you do So read these Firebrand picks up right when Steeplejack leaves off and it is so much fun to read I need More Now Write faster, Hartley I m waiting, damn it.

Now working as a private detective spy, Ang may be living a financially healthier life than her years a steeplejack, but she s in as much danger as ever Political parties are clashing, some turning from very conservative to something darker, something much extreme that puts people like Ang and many others in fear for their lives Not to mention, refugees are giving their all to escape their war plagued country, but certain politicans will do whatever it takes to keep them out of the city Ang mus [...]

I m kind of saddened that this series isn t popular Clearly the author was inspired by current nationalistic racist tension and refugee crises in the making of this second book, and he does it so, so well.

A fun steampunk adventure that is also a mystery novel Although I could have done without view spoiler the re appearance of Ang s sister as a monstrous creature It felt too melodramatic hide spoiler I m sure I shall read the next book, and I would recommend the series to my fellow steampunk fans.

I think I may have enjoyed this better than the first While others may disagree I found the intermingling of the action with the social justice message to work pretty well Plus the action, creepy characters, well the gargoyle is a little cheesy I will admit but over all a solid.

there s really no legit reason why I should enjoy this so much and reasons why I shouldn t enjoy it but I m SO INTRIGUED and I love it.

This was an excellent sequel, and very timely issues are threaded throughout the plight of refugees, white supremacists, etc.

I had a hard time getting into this book.

Rating 4.5 stars Review posted at Fantasy Literature.

Firebrand gets another high rating from yours truly, because it s an exceptionally original story with a unique voice.First, the narrator on audio, Noma Dimezweni I adore her She truly brought Ang and all the supporting characters to life.Secondly, as a mystery this book truly connected to the current state of events Sometimes it even felt like I was watching news instead of reading urban fantasy All the indicators were there wars, unemployment, refugee crisis and the oppression of certain races [...]