Review of Cold Fire

[Laney K]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cold Fire" by Stephanie du Toit.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Cold Fire by Stephanie du Toit follows the character of Samantha. After visiting a fortune teller, her life is turned upside down. Samantha is warned to avoid the man with the mark of the serpent and that her friend will betray her. Samantha is greatly troubled by the fortune teller's words. She ends up trying to run away from her life and gets into a car accident. She is rescued by a charming man, though is Samantha really safe with him?

I enjoyed the extensive lore showcased in this novel. The serpent lord, an evil spirit from ancient Egypt, is determined to claim Samantha. She desperately tries to escape his grasp and find her protector. This idea of good versus evil is prevalent throughout the book. I also thought it was interesting how visions and fortune tellers played a large part in the story. The author did an excellent job leaning into these supernatural elements.

My main critique of the book was regarding the more technical elements. I thought a lot of the dialogue was unnatural and clunky. Characters often spoke in a weirdly formal way. Some of the dialogue also felt rather information heavy. Dialogue can be used as a tool to give insight; however, I thought that the amount of information given via dialogue made it feel unnatural. There were also some editing errors. The book would benefit from additional proofreading and some revamping of the dialogue.

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I am taking off one star for the editing. There were several errors throughout the book, and it could use additional proofreading. I am taking off the second star due to the unnatural dialogue. I thought the plot and characters were interesting enough that I still enjoyed the book despite these issues. The book does contain strong language, so I believe that it is best suited for mature audiences. If you enjoy romance novels with supernatural elements, then I suggest that you check out Cold Fire.

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Cold Fire
View: on Bookshelves

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

Good review! I enjoyed it because you were not afraid to state what you liked and disliked about the book. A book with numerous errors is difficult to read as a reviewer because you have to stop and write down all of the errors for the PRQ. This takes away from the enjoyment of the book, as you have to stop and start again. I think that I will wait and see if the author revises the book with some good editing.

[Nati Jiniya]

Thank you for this beautiful review! The book sounds interesting and unique, I'd love to give it a try. I don't have much experince with this genre, so it would be adventurous.