| Title | : | Girl on Fire |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 145 |
| Publication | : | First published October 28, 2020 |
But freedom has a price, and when the young girl hell-bent on starting a new life crashes her cherry red 1989 Pontiac Bonneville on America's loneliest road, she finds out just how dear that price is.
From the Bram Stoker Award nominated author of Dear Laura and White Pines comes a new novella, a searing tale of fire, revenge and redemption, a coming-of-age tale with a bite, because, let's face it... happy endings are for children, and some girls just want to watch the world burn.
Girl on Fire Reviews
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To quote Alicia Keys, “This girl is on fire!’ Ruby is one hot-headed trailblazer (Enough play on words?). So I loved the parallels here between Ruby’s breaking point and discovery of her newfound abilities, the path of destruction as she goes through her anger, and her rebirth versus her recovery from her traumas. It was just all balanced out nicely and put together so well. And, not to spoil anything, but sometimes it just takes one instance and/or person that can make a world of difference. I can speak on that from lots of firsthand experience fron my own mental health struggles over the years. Now there are some very delicate traumas that are touched upon in the book, ie rape, but the author did so in a way where you know what happened, but there are no further details on any of it. Again, that is something I struggled in my Preternatural series, so I am always sure to compliment colleagues who practice such subtlety and tact. But this had some great takeaways on mental health, PTSD, and trauma, even while simultaneously using some awesome theatricality and gore to exemplify Ruby’s experiences. It’s also a fairly short read, and left some unanswered questions, but I noticed a plug for the next book in this apparent series, which I will be first in line to see. Well written and well-done (Sorry, I had to make one more bad pun here).
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WOWWWWWW!!! If you have not picked this one up yet, you need to RUN and grab it....now, not later. Go ahead, you can open a new tab right now and order this one. I'll be here when you get back.....
Okay, you done? Is your copy on it's way to you? You'll thank me later. Trust me! While you're waiting for yours to get here, I'll let you in on some of my thoughts...and I have a lot of thoughts about this one....
Ruby is finally free! She's free of her crappy past and her even crappier family. She's getting far, far away, and then...BAM! She crashes her car, and everything she was running from and running towards goes up in flames...literal flames. As Ruby burns alive, she also begins to transform into something bigger than herself. She becomes someone who will no longer be held down by her life circumstances. Like the phoenix of mythology, she rises from the flames stronger than ever and ready...ready to take on the world.
I could not get enough of Ruby's story. It is steeped in anger and rage, but it also has a passionate beauty to it. I found myself in Ruby's corner throughout all of her deeds (some worse than others). She's the type of character you can get behind and root for. Your heart goes out to her, and you're happy to see her sometimes misdirected wrath (even though that may sound slightly nefarious). She's vengeful and does some rather evil things, but once you understand her story, you understand anger, and you understand Ruby.
5/5 - I was immediately sucked into this book from page one, and the varying viewpoints from which the story is told is so impeccably done. Sometimes shifting viewpoints can make a story feel disjointed or hard to follow, but not here. I don't know that I've seen this technique utilized so well. If you don't already love Gemma Amor, this book will make you fall hard. If you're already crushing on her writing, you are just going to fall deeper after reading this beautiful novella. -
Just finished! I'll write up a full review soon but I think fans of Chuck Wendig's Miriam Black series should get on this ASAP and as a huge Gemma Amor fan, I have one ask:
More. Like. This. (you're so good at it!) -
**Disclaimer: This review might contain some spoilery material. I try not to do this in my reviews, but I had to gush...
Girl on Fire reminded me just how good Gemma Amor's writing is. It's vicious and pissed off. It's beautiful and ugly and fascinating. This one was my second read by her, Dear Laura being the first. As with that book, I'm going to say the same with this one. It's not my last. And now I doubt there will be a book where I just stop reading her stories. She is quickly climbing up my list to becoming a favorite.
Girl on Fire follows Ruby Miller, our antihero. Her teenage years are filled with pain and abuse, and just as she saves enough money to buy her own car and run away, something happens where she learns that she can create and control fire, and a lot of it, with her mind.
Straight away she's forced to use this newly found power to defend herself, and she kills. Thus begins our journey, a trip to a fiery hell with a whole lot of crispy flesh left on our trail. Ruby begins to lose any sense of compassion or empathy as she goes, becoming less and less human with each new victim. Worse, she self-justifies her reasoning, offering only a shrug if she doesn't have an answer ready as to why she's doing such horrible things.
The Good:
Gemma Amor is a master of the English language. Your brain will crave absorbing her wonderful prose as she takes us through some terrible and terrifying situations. She's also a master at character creation. Ruby, at the beginning of the story, is sympathetic, but as she learns to harness her fiery powers, the less she cares about the lives she takes. So you begin feeling for Ruby, wishing for her to have better. As the story progresses, however, you grow to hate her. And yet you can't help but find her fascinating and continuously curious wondering what she'll do next.
The Bad:
The abusive beginning reads like a literary coming of age, albeit a grim one. We're suddenly and quickly thrust into an adventure story with our antihero supervillain all within the change of a page. It's a little jarring, but Gemma Amor's writing skill is good enough to hold onto the reins and keep you interested. But I think that it's important to address this because it could lose readers. Just know that you're in for a wild ride.
Aside from the beginning, Girl on Fire is fast-paced and thrilling. It's also very short. I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it enough. -
What a book… I did help format this book but my review is based on the fabulous writing that is held within the pages and not my involvement in the project (just for transparency I wanted to mention that small fact).
Girl on Fire wastes no time and throwing the reader headlong into the story, there is no preamble into this one it is a full on sprint, there’s no lengthy discussions about our main protagonist; we are like Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego and are thrown directly into the fiery furnace of this smoldering novella, make no mistake you’ll remember reading this book.
Ruby Miller is our protagonist and she’s a character that Gemma Amor has written about before, she appears in one of Amor’s short story collections, and it’s such a great short story that you can see why Amor wanted to give her a little more air time with her own novella. Ruby’s story is dark and there are some dark elements being dredged from the wreckage of her life, and Amor does a fabulous job at facing these head on, there is no shirking, it is honest and gritty prose that gets to the heart of the issue as we witness firsthand the darkness, destruction and obliteration that is left in Ruby Millers wake.
What I loved about this darkness is that it would be quite easy to show us this, but Amor has great restraint and resolve with her writing, believes in her own talent and instead of showing us these horrors (for shock value) she subtly infers them with tiny throw away lines, phrases that the characters utter or through a character thoughts, and it’s these subtly lines that absolutely obliterated me whilst reading. There is so much power in Amor’s words here that they tore my heart in two, whilst also making me so repulsed by this father figure (this may be because I’m a father myself of two girls) and it left me thinking what an evil sonofabitch.
I think the main driving force of this novella is the character work by Amor, Ruby is a fully realised character and she is one that has so many layers and within the novella we get a glimpse at a great many of these. We have the burning angst and troubled past, we see her quest for belonging and vengeance, we see her issues around attachment and fear of becoming attached, sexuality, hope and a hell of a lot more. But what I really enjoyed is the brutality that she shows, the storm that she brings, because Ruby Miller is the eye of the storm and people better get with the programme because she is coming for them, coming for revenge and coming to hold a mirror up to all those people that do detestable things… you better be ready for the judgement!
I’ve not seen this type of writing before by Gemma Amor, it is full on action scenes. I will say that White Pines pushed the envelope to this side of her writing, but Girl on Fire tears that envelope into tiny pieces and scatters it to the wind. There were elements of this book that brought to mind The X-Men, The Terminator and also for me a huge slice of The X-Files – but what we also get treated to in this offering is a tiny glimpse at, and what I am going to boldly pronounce as ‘The Gemma Amor Expanded Universe’. I am not kidding you I think all roads are leading home with this book, and the destination when we get there is going to be one hell of a ride.
In Girl on Fire we get treated to some ‘Easter Eggs’ for want of a better word (you know in films the small things that reference something only fans of that series would recognize). Amor does this with the slightly X-Files vibe as we learn of Rat Boy (from Rat Girl short story), we also hear of an Island off Scotland (White Pines) and there are countless other little nods, but I wont go into that here as the joy is spotting them all for yourself.
Ruby Miller is free at last. Free from her past, her tormentor, her shitty family and the even shittier odds she was given at birth.
But freedom has a price, and when the young girl hell-bent on starting a new life crashes her cherry red 1989 Pontiac Bonneville on America’s loneliest road, she finds out just how dear that price is.
The only issue I had with the book was that it took me a while to get my head around the vengefulness of Ruby as there were a few scenes where lots of innocent people fall under her reign of terror and carnage and I wondered why and how this would play out. I struggled to initially empathize with this character and her choice of vengeance, especially when those that were in the firing line (pardon the pun) sometimes were innocent or hadn’t done anything wrong. But as the story developed I warmed to her more and could see the reasons behind her actions and what the driving force behind these were.
I was like a rag doll in Amor’s clutches in this book as she threw me about, battered me, burned me and just had her wicked way – it was a rollercoaster of a ride and I never wanted it to stop, but the good news is, is that there will be more of Ruby Miller… so strap yourselves in for a ride into the blazing furnace and prepare to be burnt asunder!
Girl on Fire is a raging wildfire of a book that’s hold spreads to the very core of your body – and there is no way of putting out that fire. The only course of action is to keep on reading, keep on hoping and to keep on praying until you turn that last page. A masterful addition to the Gemma Amor cannon and I can’t wait for more! -
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
A red hot, super pissed off, nothing held back revenge thriller full of hellfire and brimstone. If you like Stephen King’s Carrie and/or Firestarter, you’ll love this. It’s incredibly badass.
Gemma Amor is fast becoming a favorite of mine. She is SO good and more people need to read her books. -
This story starts with a bang (literally) and is paced like wildfire, zipping through a tale of a young girl's burning fury being unleashed upon the world. Ruby's traumatic past haunts her still, and all she wants to do is see the world burn. She is the girl on fire, and her killing rage is both righteous and overwhelmingly destructive. Unfortunately for those around her it is only going to escalate.
I understand Ruby's pain, but after a few chapters I was afraid she was just going to be this angry, unstoppable force for the whole book (which, honestly, would become tedious). Thankfully the author begins to switch things up more in the second half. We begin to see cracks in Ruby's tough exterior. She briefly finds companionship, allowing us to see a more vulnerable side. Something is starting to go wrong with her awesome powers. And so on. All of these aspects add engaging layers to what could have just been a straight-forward revenge story, and they're what elevated this book to the next level for me.
There are also hints at a larger world of super human beings and unnatural oddities. These brief glimpses are a welcome addition, but unfortunately that's all we get. I absolutely need a sequel to this book, and it's certainly set up for one. In fact, no spoilers, but I loved the way this ended. It's a nice blend of tragedy and redemption.
Overall I really enjoyed this novella. I love the quick pace and laser-focused writing style, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice variety of perspectives. Some of my favorite chapters are ones told from other character's POVs, and seeing Ruby's destructive force from an outsider's eyes added an interesting dimension to the storytelling. There pretty much has to be a sequel, and I can't wait to see what happens next! -
Ok, so you need this book. Gemma Amor is fantastic, and why did it take me so long to read this?! I can't wait to read more from Amor. She's absolutely the real deal.
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Review to Follow
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After leaving her abusive father, Ruby Miller crashes her car in the desert. She catches on fire, and all goes black. But like a phoenix, she is reborn...
To cause chaos. To spread her anger.
This was one of my favorite stories in Cruel Works of Nature, one of Gemma's short story collections (the entire collection was a 5 star read for me, go read it). I'm really happy to see that we got an extended version, and it was wonderful. The little nods to her other works were also a very nice touch. I love when authors include past stories. That being said, I would definitely read Cruel Works of Nature first, so you can be like me and smile like an idiot when you see a reference.
Gemma's writing keeps you wanting to know more. Keeps you flipping pages. I finished this novella in just a couple of hours, and while I've finished the last of my books for #AugustForAmor, I'm already itching to pick up another read from Gemma Amor.
Read for August's book picks with Queens of Horror book club! -
Some girls just want to set the world on fire and when it makes for stories as amazing as this one then I am A-OKAY with it, fire away ladies! This is my second novella by Gemma Amor and it has firmly cemented her as a favourite horror author. Girl on Fire gives me Firestarter by King mixed with Miriam Black by Chuck Wendig with a sprinkle of Jennifer’s Body vibes and if that bloody killer mix doesn’t make you want to read this immediately then I don’t know what will and I also think you might be insane. Because who wouldn’t want to read such a story? It’s one of the best coming of age stories I’ve read in awhile and I just loved following along Ruby’s blazing path of fire and destruction. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find of what could possibly come next and before I knew it I was already finished and desperately needing more Ruby Miller! My fellow horror fans, this is one coming of age horror novella that you don’t want to sleep on.
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Dear Laura is an all time book for me having read it earlier in the year and anything from Amor has my attention at this point. She returns with a blistering white hot novella opening her Ruby Miller series with an introduction to a character who is as insane as she is captivating
Ruby grew up being abused by her father and having turned 18 is running away from home when she crashes her car and seemingly burns alive. She awakes from this accident and the fire that burnt her up now inhabits her. From there the anger and trauma of her youth mould with fire to create an unstoppable force.
Amor creates tension and suspense throughout the book taking us to different points of view as eyewitness accounts tell their stories of meetings with Ruby. Most intriguingly, we are introduced to Helen, the head of an X-Files style unit, looking to utilise Ruby for a task that is hinted to be world saving as the elements of the GAEU (Gemma Amor Extended Universe *winky face*) conspire to tip events in their favour.
This is a quick, action packed, captivating read full of suspense and tension perfectly setting up a series in that it leaves you begging for more. -
People. Are. Trash.
I remember reading the original short story (of the same title) in Cruel Works of Nature and thinking, I would love to see this girl’s descent into madness. Well, we certainly get that in some form here, though not so much as a “descent,” per se; I’d call it a full-on meltdown, more like.
You see, Ruby Miller has a nasty past with her father, which is told here for the first time in the prologue. You then get the original short story, followed by about a hundred and ten pages of brand new content. Over the course of this novella, you receive several points of view as Ruby goes about killing hundreds of people by setting fire to diners, towns, and forests. She’s pissed off and a switch in her brain has been flicked by her new powers - she’s basically become a sociopath, and a violent one at that.
The switching of characters works nicely, though I felt like a character got lost in the midst of it all. You have one section in which someone - I’ll keep this vague - has brought in Ruby’s mother to talk with her about the horrors her daughter has committed. It is at this point that we learn a lot of connections to Gemma’s other stories, which is great! However, after that scene - which ends ominously for the mother - we never get Mrs. Miller again. You’re left to expect more with her, but it never comes. So what happened to her? I have a guess, if the facility is the same as the one later in the novella, but I won’t voice it here. The point is, I don’t remember ever reading any conclusion for Ruby’s mom. Did I just miss it somehow?
Otherwise, the character switches do a good job in moving along the story, without forcing us to directly follow Ruby from massacre to the next. In all, you have Helen twice, Ruby twice, Cat once, and Randall once. Randall’s was probably my favorite, because Gemma gives him a bit of background that I want explored further (maybe in the sequel?).
My main issue with this story was how little I liked Ruby. Even though I enjoyed her in the original short, I found the rest of her story a bit needling. I can’t feel sympathy toward a character that is out there burning down homes with mothers and children in them. I don’t care what happened to her in life - it’s not an excuse for terrorizing the innocent. Some readers may disagree with me here - let’s not start an argument, please - but this all made me dislike Ruby. I had hoped for a story in which we follow Ruby trying to be left alone and figure out her life; in other words, a story in which she wasn’t an obvious villain. Sure, she’d have to kill people along the way that won’t let her be, but that wouldn’t make her a monster. Unfortunately, she is made a villain here - a monster that I really wanted put down. Maybe this is partly because I’m used to Gemma writing characters I care about; sadly, Ruby isn’t one of them.
My complaints aside, this novella packs a punch, as to be expected. There are some excellent confrontations in here - the diner scene with Cat is intense, as is the final sequence involving Randall - in addition to a lot of Easter eggs for avid Gemma fans to find. I loved that! And if you like stories about revenge, then you’ll certainly get that here. Girl on Fire is a destructive expansion of the short, and one that has been left open for sequels to come. Eat your heart out!
**
Highlights: Fast-paced … catastrophic … connects many of Gemma’s stories together in the same universe … promises a sequel
Shadows: Very little character development … hard to sympathize with a mass murderer, despite the terrors of their past
For fans of: Sci-fi horror … suspenseful horror … action and destruction … stories about strong women … stories about revenge … stories with mass casualties
Takeaway: Though this is a simpler side to Gemma Amor, Girl on Fire spits fire left and right, torching the scene and taking out everyone in its way. There’s a lot of explosive action - pun intended - and, probably best of all, it expands upon the universe we’ve been exploring with Gemma these last couple years.
Would I read this author again? Yes
REVIEW BY AIDEN MERCHANT
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Gemma strikes again with another amazing book!!! Ruby is over thrilled with her new lease on life. Exhilarated to be free of her past and shitty family. That is until she crashes her beautiful old car off the road and everything goes up in flames.
“𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻.”
I love how this book doesn’t muddle around with the long laborious details and just gives you the meat and potatoes! What you are given is just what you need. This novella is full a white hot furry and you can’t help but be on the main character’s side through most of it. I genuinely felt for her the whole time. Well until one part, damn you Gemma! Why you gotta make me feel these feelings. This story is told through multiple points of view. I don’t mean the same event over and over again. That is definitely one of my pet peeves. No, this story continues to progress even if you're not seeing it through Ruby’s eyes. As always the character connection is on point! 5 ⭐️. -
This is a fast-paced, unique story of revenge. I enjoyed the story of Ruby and the cleverness in which it was told. I also thought it was interesting that some chapters were from the viewpoint of other characters so the reader was given alternate viewpoints and a different “voice”. This worked well, I think, in adding depth to a story that was novella length, making it feel like a much larger work.
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The synopsis of GIRL ON FIRE is very vague and for good reason. It's the best way to go in.
A five star read all the way through that's up there with the very best of Gemma Amor's work. She absolutely nailed it and I'd go as far as saying that I'd put it in my top ten novellas of all time.
But I'm not saying much else about this because of spoilers. Trust me though, it's one hell of a ride.
Buy it immediately.
I promise you won't regret it.
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
Christ, I could barely catch a breath.
No exaggeration.
Fantastic. -
I noticed a remake of Firestarter being in the movie theatres now. Excellent timing to have read this novella, I suppose.
Ruby Miller's an asshole you'll come to love and hate at the same time. Mayhap she'll even be fueling a bit of pent-up anger within yourselves. Only to realise it's not that bad in retrospect. If otherwise: go see a therapist.
I'm interested in reading more of Gemma Amor's work. At times, her writing style reminded me of the great Firestarter King. Which is a compliment, obviously. -
I flew through this flaming beauty - Amor has a gift with pacing, imagery, and powerful characterization. I loved the intriguing chapters from the other POVs, particularly Helen's. There's a lot of sinister stuff going on in this story, and I'm here for it. Get to know Ruby Miller, or get out of her way.
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5 stars to this amazing story by Gemma Amor
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This book was so so good! It was a unique story, with a fascinating protagonist that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. It was the perfect read for Women in Horror Month!
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This is the story of Ruby, who has had a super shitty life so far and is finally escaping it. A strange event on a deserted highway gives her a strange power and the story takes off from there-and it is a wild ride. Ruby isn’t a likeable person, but she is a great one to read and follow-you don’t quite root for her, but Gemmas writing makes you understand her and some of her decisions.
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This is a short novella, so I don’t want to give away any more than that-but seriously, I have loved everything of Gemma’s that I have read and this is no exception. Her writing is beautiful and haunting and just wonderful. I can’t recommend it enough if you like horror/dark fiction. -
Slash and burn!
This story steps on the gas pedal on page one and does not let up until the end. Ruby Miller, on the run from a terrible past, crashes her car in a blazing inferno only to be reborn with the volatile ability to manipulate fire. And now she is hell-bent on burning down everything in her path.
There's a strong superhero vibe to this narrative of rebirth and power, but it's filtered through a lens of horror and rage, leaving the reader with something visceral and unique. Is superhero-horror a genre? If it isn't, then author Gemma Amor just invented it. If it does already exist, then Amor just perfected. Sign me up for this series. I definitely need to know what Ruby will burn down next! -
“𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂����𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁, 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝘆𝗽𝘀𝗲. 𝗠𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝘂𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗮 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀.”
Ruby Miller is running from her old life. She’s flying down the road in her car, cheering herself on for finally escaping her father and the house of horrors, when she hits a pothole. Her car veers off the road, rolls and explodes. Her Pontiac burns and so does she. But like a Phoenix, she’s reborn from the ashes.
If you’ve never read anything by Gemma Amor, then I suggest you run to get one of her books.
Ruby is an intense character. She’s full of anger. And a voice lives inside her head that belongs to her father. It whispers to her to let it burn, all of it. The fire consumes her and cleanses everything in its path.
This is one woman who wants to get her revenge, and she does. Repeatedly. But I felt sad for her too. She has no room left in her heart for love, or beauty.
I really enjoyed this entire novella!
5 ⭐️ -
Girl on Fire by Gemma Amor is a fiery tale about a girl that just wants to get away and start her life on a fresh chapter. But as she navigates the very beginning of this next chapter, she crosses paths with more toxic people that are just as bad as the one she had been running from.
Will she be able to rise above, or will she let herself become a monster?
When this story begins, we meet a teenaged girl named Ruby who has finally broken free of a toxic family life. But just as she’s feeling that she is finally able to celebrate, her car hits a pothole, veers off the road, flips over, and ends up bursting into flame.
But Ruby isn’t at the end of the line here… Her fresh start is about to truly begin as she rises from the ashes.
From there, we’re off and running on a path following Ruby, who is no longer allowing anyone to treat her poorly. If they do, they will find themselves in the hot seat.
I absolutely loved Ruby. My heart went out to her learning some of her backstory and then seeing how much she struggled with the line between finally being herself and giving in to the evil thoughts. This poor girl didn’t stand a chance with her upbringing and the messages that were drilled into her.
The author certainly played with the pull between being good and being evil here. I really enjoyed seeing this teenager struggle with both that and the new feeling of finally having some power for the very first time. She was clearly in a negative headspace, and some of the people she ran into during her journey certainly didn’t help that as it just made her more and more angry. But when some of the characters she came across showed her kindness, I had hope that they were getting through to her.
While the story centered around Ruby, I loved that we got chapters from the perspectives of others that played a part here. I especially loved Cat and how strong-willed she was. One of my favorite scenes, even though I was cringing the whole time, was seeing how Cat gave it right back to the people that were interrogating her.
My Favorite Passages
Hate, I realise, can be a useful survival mechanism.
I could weep, but I will not, because I have shit to do, and crying is a waste of my time.
Maybe I want to see if I really am evil, all the way through, or maybe I’m wondering if my evil comes in spots, like rotten patches on a dropped apple. You can cut the bad bits away, and still have a half-way decent apple left behind.
We can’t expect life to make sense. We just make our own truths, and there is something liberating in that.
“… You’re entitled to your anger. You’re not entitled to take it out on the world at large. Do that, and you’re just… I dunno, a fucking patron saint for everything toxic and bad. Tyler Durden. Thanos. The fucking Joker. With tits.”
Guilt is a slow-growing flower.
My Final Thoughts
This was such an intense read. Ruby certainly makes a great villain, but I absolutely cannot wait to see if she returns and takes another path.
I highly recommend checking this one out asap! -
ⓇⒺⓋⒾⒺⓌ
Girl on fire - Gemma Amor
Ruby Miller is free, she’s leaving her shitty life and abusive father behind her in her beloved cherry red 1989 Pontiac Bonneville.
On the road to freedom she loses control and dies in a ball of flames, except that’s what should of happened. Instead, Ruby rises from the wreckage practically unscathed.
She is left confused and naked, walking America’s loneliest road when she is approached my a motor bike gang who see this as an opportunity to have some ‘fun’ with the vulnerable target.
But in the words of Vivian (Pretty Woman)
Big mistake...BIG. HUGE!
Girl on fire is born.
Gemma delivers another smash hit with this novella, I was hooked from page one. This could easily be a super hero/villain origins story.
I couldn’t help but root for Ruby, even when the innocent got maimed.
A fast addictive read that you simply must buy and devour. -
I was first introduced to Ruby Miller in the short story 'Girl on Fire'. I was enamoured. So much so that I contacted Gemma Amor and asked for more info. She informed me that this book existed. I downloaded it immediately and dove in with gusto!
I love this story! Ruby is an Anti-Hero with a flaming passion for all things burnt. If you get in her way (and maybe even if you don't), you're toast. -
This book started off very strong. I loved watching Ruby develop…because it reminded me a bit of Rin in The Poppy War. And I liked the power and vengeance that this story held. But at some point, it kind of fell apart for me. It lots it’s power and became…more weird and convoluted. I just think the plot wasn’t strong enough.
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Soo good. I loved Ruby. Gives me Carrie vibes.
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You’ve certainly got my attention Gemma!! Another amazing outing from one of the best writers in horror right now!
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Gemma Amor’s “Girl on fire” is, simply, a rage story. It starts so innocuously, Ruby Miller driving away from home, away from her life. A new start, a new life, full of promise and purpose, until she crashes her car and dies, burnt to death, screaming and burning, melting in agony, a literal fiery death to her dreams of freedom. Only, she doesn’t die and wakes transformed. She is a girl on fire, the flames of her supposed death are hers to control, and use as she sees fit.
The premise here is great, there’s a touch of magic, or paranormal here, a hero origin story – superpowers that arrive that are never really explained, although we become aware that others have been “blessed” with abilities later in the book. The focus here is not on the how, or why, but rather on ruby’s chosen use of her powers. Gemma weaves one-line facts about her abusive past into the novel, one-line smacks to the face – never expanding on the theme, merely letting the reader come to conclusions – subtlety and deftly done. Ruby’s story is one of repressed rage, and now, with her new condition, she wants to set the world on fire.
It’s a great premise, the powerful woman dispensing justice, but the reader is aware that she has also been consumed by hate and revenge, she is on fire against the world, and though we can understand and sympathize with her story, we cannot justify the burning of the world because of it. Amor settles the story down with the introduction of a love/friend/something interest (loved the POV of Helen), though the relationship could never go toward love, Ruby is too consumed in her hate.
Ruby is captured, (wisely – on the part of Amor, the break was needed) and escapes, at which point we have a swap of pov to view Ruby and her actions from afar, to be on the receiving end of that force of nature. At the close, Ruby lives up to her Phoenix tattoo, and Amor leaves the story open for a sequel.
Ok, so what did I think of it? Loved it. It has a certain comic quality about it – the cover is lush, it reminded me of DC’s Vertigo line, and this story could certainly have found a home on that range. The wronged hero, revenge-driven, it’s pure testosterone. Gemma’s writing remains fresh, fluid, evocative. You can’t help but click straight over to amazon and buy another book to savor. There are Easter eggs in here, a reference to White Pines (I believe, having read the blurb to that book and having it waiting patiently on my kindle), so for Amor fans, there are gems hidden to find. It’s devoured in one sitting, unstoppable, you can’t gulp it down quickly enough. I read this on my drive back home and missed the journey back through Croatia, it took all of my attention – a perk of having a son old enough to drive :D
5⭐ ‘s out of 5, this is definitely one to get. Can’t wait for White Pines, Gemma. -
Ruby Miller is free at last. This is what I’m talking about - Gemma Amor writing a book that teeters on the line of long novella/short novel. From page one, Ruby Miller is a spiritual sister to the about-to-be released anthology We Are Wolves, co-edited by and contributed to by Amor. This book, and it’s titular character are brimming with fire. Literal fire, yes, but emotional fire too. The story begins following Ruby, who has been wronged, to put it lightly. Ruby perishes in a car accident, but is reborn from the ashes, like a phoenix.
From there, Ruby becomes something of a vigilante. Not the traditional Punisher-esque type, out looking for vengeance and trouble. For the most part, Ruby just wants to be. She wants to be allowed to exist and be who she is. When she is inevitably confronted, it never goes well for the confronters and bystanders.
Amor does an incredible job of building empathy for Ruby. The reader begins in her point of view, an opportunity to climb inside her head and understand what leads to her newfound ability, and why she’s not simply turning into a monster. What Amor also does a fabulous job with in this story, and much of it is accomplished by shifting points of view throughout, employing different styles of narration when the character changes, is stirring questions of morals in the heads of the reader. We begin with an understanding of why Ruby responds to things the way she does, but as the story progresses, we are left with questions like how much of Ruby’s humanity is left? Can we lay the end result of everything that happens at the feet of the people who drove her to this point?
It is certainly possible to read this book as a wham-bam-thank you ma’am tale of action, but reader, don’t deprive yourself. There’s so much more here. Gemma has the ability to pack a story into 150 pages or less that most authors can’t do in twice the length.
A couple other things I enjoyed - the surprise that this will be the first in a series. The mysterious organization out to capture Ruby, their motivations never made quite clear, are all but sure to return. The characterization of Cat, certainly aided by the first person narration section. Finally, the references to some of Gemma’s other stories including White Pines and a story from These Wounds We Make. Fun easter eggs for regular readers that don’t detract from the story if this is your first Amor experience.
This book doesn’t sing, it screams. Ignore whatever the “dates read” portion says. This was a two-day read. It’s captivating and full of white-hot fury. Enjoy.
