Review Detail

What I Liked: This book instantly captures your attention, going back and forth between the POV of Sebas and Lu. From the moment you open this book, you want to know just what this new place that Sebas has walked into is and the role that Lu plays in it.

Sometimes you see that there is so much packed into a book and worry if each topic is going to be covered well, which isn't the case with this book. This book effectively addresses a wide range of topics and thoroughly explores each one. The topics that this book goes over include disability, caretaking, gender, sexuality, family dynamics, and the role of technology in the future.

This book touches on what life looks like with anxiety and ADHD, and how this can complicate daily tasks. Through Lu, we get a glimpse into how their anxiety has been controlling their life and the things that they use to cope with this. We also see how the combination of anxiety and ADHD complicates things for them, especially when their past is at the door.

It also goes into being a caretaker for a parent who hasn't been in your life and who can be abusive. Through Sebas's point of view, we get to witness him finding out the real reason his mom asked him to come to New Gault. We get to be privy to the dynamic between him and his mother and how things shift once she gets what she wanted from him. This will constantly break your heart as you hope, just as Sebas does for a change from his mother that may never come.

This book also touches on gender and sexuality, and what being visibly queer meant for Lu and what it means now. We get a chance to see what Lu believed before moving into this town about gender and sexuality, and how this has shaped past events in their life.

While this book incorporates many topics, there is also a romance going on between Lu and Sebas that develops naturally. This romance is sweet and heartwarming as they both support each other through difficult moments. Another thing that was interesting to have as part of this story was Sebas's reading tarot cards as his job, as well as his connection to his family that he left behind. The moments in which he is reading cards for Lu are important, as this is a way of letting them get a glimpse into his world and bonding with them.

Final Verdict: Fireblooms is a fascinating story about emerging technology and the impact that surveillance has on the world. If you enjoyed The Grief Keeper from the same author or Always Human, then this is one that you will enjoy.