Queen B’s Decree: Together We Caught Fire had a real weird dynamic going on. Meet our cast of characters:
- Lane: our heroine; in love with Grey; new stepsister to Grey; hangs out with Sadie but doesn’t seem to like her? flirts with Conner
- Grey: new stepbrother to Lane; dating (engaged??) to Sadie
- Sadie: Grey’s girlfriend; weirdly religious; claims Lane is her best friend (although they never hung out before Grey became Lane’s stepbrother)
- Conner: Sadie’s brother; kicked out by his parents when he came out as atheist; flirts with Lane but is a dick about it??
So take that in, if you can. And all these characters? None of them are good human beings. Grey, Conner, and Sadie are all mean spirited in some of their dealings with Lane, with some good old-fashioned slut shaming. Lane isn’t much better, although I can forgive her more since she’s needed some therapy for a long while (thanks for not paying attention to your child’s cry for help, Lane’s dad!).
Overly dramatic prose with a uncomfortably choppy plot, Together We Caught Fire had potential but didn’t work for me.
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Book: Together We Caught Fire by Eva V. Gibson
Series: standalone
Genre: High School
Hotness: mild salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: angst, trauma