Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Trial by Fire (Worldwalker Trilogy, #1)

by Josephine Angelini

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

But how can Lily be the saviour of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

Trial by Fire is a sensational, page-turning adventure from the bestselling author of Starcrossed, Josephine Angelini.

Reviewed by readingwithwrin on

4 of 5 stars

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“I remember what I must do, even if it makes me the villain of my own story”


I went into this book without really knowing what it was about besides witches. I'm glad I did it that way, because If I had actually read others reviews about it, I probably wouldn't have been as curious to read/listen to it as I was. (I did win a copy of this in a giveaway so that's why it's on my 0by18 challenge)

I actually ended up really loving this book, and now I need to get my hands on the next book very soon so I can see what happens next!
But lets get back to actually reviewing this book first.

Lily is an extremely sick teenager, pretty much everything makes her sick and no doctor can figure out why. With a dad that is absent and a mom that isn't doing so well either, and a sister in college. Lily is pretty much left on her own to try and manage her sickness. Yes she does have a best friend Tristan who does make sure she's okay, but they also have this weird chemistry going on that makes their friendship a little uneasy at times. All of this changes after a party one night that leaves Lily in a bad way, which leads to her being transported to another 'world'.

This is when I actually started to love the story. Yes the beginning was all needed, but lets face it it's not the most exciting and at times made no sense (see epipen complaint a lot of people had). Back to the the new world. It's similar to the one she's from, but so much better it has magic, and scary beasts and still has some of the things from our world as well. It is amazing!


"The flames rise, and I twist and scream, trying to get away, but the iron shackles on my wrist keep me bound to this stake.
I’m a witch. And witches burn."


Lily learns that what made her sick in her own world, helps make her powerful in the new world. That she is actually someone that is feared and has a lot of power that others wants. We see her go on an adventure and meet people who truly start to care for her and want the best for her. She learns how to do magic and to help others with their magic. This all sounds like it would get confusing or info overload at times, but it never was. Angelini did an amazing job to teach us the ways of this world, all while making sure it wasn't to much at once.

“The people who love you will guide you like bright lights into the other worlds.”

Romance was a small part of this story, but it's just in the background for most of it and it seems like it is going to stay that way for the next book as well! YAY!
Yes please keep giving me more female YA protagonists who are willing to learn and risk themselves to save others, all while admitting their flaws and accepting help from others!

Now that I've gushed as much as I feel I can about this book, I'm going to try and find the next book on audio as well. :)

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 June, 2017: Finished reading
  • 20 June, 2017: Reviewed