Blog Tour + Review: Glow of the Fireflies by Lindsey Duga

Glow of the Fireflies
by Lindsey Duga
My rating: 4 hearts
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication date: October 1, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis:

Briony never planned to go back to the place she lost everything.

Firefly Valley, nestled deep within the Smoky Mountains, is better kept in her past. After an unexplained fire gave Briony amnesia, her mother disappeared and her dad moved them to Knoxville.

But now her grandmother needs a caretaker and Briony's dad volunteers her to help. The moment she returns, her whole world shifts. She feels a magical connection to this valley, as if it's literally part of her somehow.

And when she meets a hot guy who claims he was her childhood friend but now mysteriously keeps his distance, Briony starts piecing together her missing past...and discovers her mother didn't leave to start a new life somewhere. She's trapped in the hidden world within the valley.

Now, Briony will do whatever it takes to rescue her, even if it means standing up against dangerously powerful nature spirits. Even if it means giving up her first love.

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The first word that comes to mind as I’m trying to sum up my thoughts on Glow of the Fireflies is... magical. I’ll admit I didn’t really know what to expect of it when I started it, but it ended up being amazing. It had everything I want in a fantasy book: sweet romance, a fast-paced plot and good world-building. But what really made me love it was the writing. The descriptions of this truly magical world made it come to life for me, and honestly, I wish I could move to Firefly Valley. And I loved how nature played such an integral part in the plot.

I liked Briony. I wouldn’t call her kick-ass, in the traditional sense of the word, but I still found her to be really intriguing, because while she couldn’t kick magical creature ass, she did her best. She wasn’t fearless, in fact, she was scared a lot through the book, but what I really liked about her was that even though the world she was practically thrown into terrified her, she didn’t let that stop her from doing what she needed to do. 

“Maybe he was more like heat lightning. A storm off in the distance, where the thunder was too far to hear and the summer lightning would flash against high clouds on the horizon, illuminating the sky. He had all the mystery and wonder of a storm, but none of its destruction.”

Alder was such a sweetheart. He’s so sweet and caring, mysterious and protective, but he’s also really lonely. He’s Briony’s childhood friend that she can’t remember because of her amnesia, but it’s still very clear that he cares very deeply for her and you get the feeling that he’d make a great friend, even though they turn out to be so much more. 

“You can’t pick and choose the things you want in a friend. You have to accept all their burdens and baggage and annoying tendencies. If you love them enough, they’ll even become endearing.”

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I think friendships – real, great friendships – are too rare in Young Adult literature. Because friends are so important in life, and I think many YA books focus on romance and forget about friendships. Well, this one doesn’t. In fact, Briony’s best friend, Izzie, was my favourite character. She’s such an amazing friend to Briony, and also a lot of fun. 

“Moving through the garden, my bare feet crunching over weeds and pebbles and discarded flower petals but feeling no discomfort, I admired these so-called fireflies. These wisps that were evidence of a world beyond our own.”

But the true highlight of this story – what made if so magical – was the writing, the world-building and the descriptions. First of all, nature was always present, which in itself added something for me. But the way Duga describes nature, as beautiful, breath-taking, and yes, magical, made the world truly come to life and made me feel like I was actually right there alongside Briony. 

Glow of the Fireflies is like entering a dream. It’s a beautiful, magical place that will suck you in and make you wish it was real. And believe me, you won’t want to wake up from this dream. 

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