Nite Fire: Flash Point by C. L. Schneider
Genre – Urban Fantasy
Published 3/23/2017
Ages 16+
About the Book – Nite Fire Shines
“Slated for execution, shapeshifting assassin, Dahlia Nite, flees her world to hide in the human realm. As payment for the shelter they unknowingly provide, Dahlia dedicates herself to protecting humans from what truly lives in the shadows. Moving from town to town, she hunts the creatures that threaten an unsuspecting human race; burying the truth that could destroy them all.
But the shadows are shifting. The lies are adding up. And when Sentinel City is threatened by a series of bizarre brutal murders, light is shed on what should never be seen. The secrets that have kept humanity in the dark for centuries are in danger of being exposed.
Wrestling with a lifetime of her own deceptions, Dahlia investigates the killings while simultaneously working to conceal their circumstances. But with each new murder, the little bit of peace she has found in this world begins to crumble. Each new clue leads her to the one place she thought to never go again. Home.” – Publisher’s Blurb
The Review – A Bright Blaze, A Solid Urban Fantasy
While the world and story are imaginative, and the characters find dimension and growth, Nite Fire comes up as feeling quite safe. This is more of an observation than a complaint: there is nothing wrong with safe when it is done well, and Miss Schneider has certainly done that. Word choice and composition play a key role in the success of the work. We would go as far to say that Miss Schneider is technically gifted, though we know these gifts are not bestowed upon the undeserving.
It Always Comes Down to the Writing
Indeed, imagination helps put words down on the page, but it is practice, blood, sweat, and tears that make great writing. Miss Schneider’s descriptions are beautiful, if a bit gruesome at times. The pace of the book is steady and appropriately quick. Everything feels well timed, nothing awkward, dialogue is pithy and sweet. As we said earlier, it is Miss Schneider’s style and her execution of this work that make it good. The writing feels well-practiced and on point, few words feel out of place, and we never found ourselves questioning anything. There was nothing to distract us from the story, which made it quite difficult to put down the book. And, of course, there is nothing wrong with that.
The Rating – Solid A
Nite Fire is good. It’s pretty darn good. Dahlia is a fun character who readers will yearn to see again as the mysteries that surround the world continue to unravel. The world Miss Schneider has crafted is one of shadows and intrigue that we are excited to learn more about. While central plot elements are a little constrained, we feel this is likely because Nite Fire marks the author’s first foray into urban fantasy. We anticipate that the story will grow bolder in future installments in the series. Normally, this would dismay us, however, Miss Schneider’s writing is just so good that she manages to bring this story to a whole new level. We look forward to reading more from Miss Schneider, and we highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark and gritty urban fantasies.
Do you want to read Nite Fire? You can find it here.
