Earth, Air, Water and Fire control the destiny of our world and four very special girls known as the Effigies each control one of the elements!
Every time one Effigy passes another girl is chosen to gain her powers.
For centuries the Effigies have fought against the phantoms who would destroy our world if given the chance.
But with the development of technology the girlâs powers are no longer needed and instead they have used their abilities to gain fame and fortunes.
But one day the protections fail and it is up to the Effigies to once again help humanity survive.
Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley
Published by Simon and Schuster on November 22nd 2016
Genres: Action & Adventure, Fantasy & Magic, Friendship, General, Social Themes, Young Adult
Buy the Book ⢠Goodreads
Four girls with the power to control the elements and save the world from a terrible evil must come together in the first epic novel in a brand-new series.When Phantomsâmassive beasts made from nightmares and darknessâsuddenly appeared and began terrorizing the world, four girls, the Effigies, each gained a unique power to control one of the classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Since then, four girls across the world have continually fought against the Phantoms, fulfilling their cosmic duty. And when one Effigy dies, another girl gains her power as a replacement. But now, with technologies in place to protect the worldâs major cities from Phantom attacks, the Effigies have stopped defending humanity and, instead, have become international celebrities, with their heroic feats ranked, televised, and talked about in online fandoms. Until the day that New York Cityâs protection against the Phantoms fails, a man seems to be able to control them by sheer force of will, and Maia, a high school student, unexpectedly becomes the Fire Effigy. Now Maia has been thrown into battle with three girls who want nothing to do with one another. But with the first human villain that the girls have ever faced, and an army of Phantoms preparing for attack, there isnât much time for the Effigies to learn how to work together. Can the girls take control of their destinies before the world is destroyed forever?
Today we have the privilege of welcoming the current four Effigies to the blog. Please join me in welcoming Maia, Chae Rin, Lake, and Belle.
Maia (fire), Chae Rin (earth), Lake (water), Belle (air)
B: Ok ladies to start things off can you please introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about your powers?
Lake: Iâll start! Iâm Lake, of course, but you already knew that. Iâm British Nigerian and etcetera, etcetera, more importantly, have I told you about the single Iâll be dropping soon?
Chae Rin: Nobody cares.
Lake: Many people care.
Maia: Hi⦠Iâm Maia. Uhâ¦Iâm the main characterâ¦I guess. Iâm new. I go to school and⦠I burn things. Sorry, Iâm bad at this.
Chae Rin: Iâm Chae Rin and let me make this less painful. Victoria Soyinka aka âLakeâ is a pop star with psychotic fans and she actually controls the wind and nobody cares about her next single. I am currently suspended from being an Effigy through NO fault of my ownâ
Maia: I mean, a little faultâ
Chae Rin: And I control the earth. The French Ice Princess controls water and no one is surprised.
Belle: â¦.Yes.
Chae Rin: She wonât say much.
B: Maia I know that you are the newest member of the group, can you tell us what it was like when you first discovered that you were going to become the next Effigy?
Maia: I mean I didnât know it until it happened. It just kind of â¦awakened in me. I was in bed alone⦠and ⦠it wasâ¦kind of an intense experience.
Chae Rin: I was going to make a snide remark but let me just keep this Pg-13.
Maia: Appreciated.
B: Chae Rin you have the ability to control the earth. What is your favorite thing about your powers and what is your least favorite thing about them?
Chae Rin: I like hurting monsters and the people who anger me. Least favorite? Hmm ⦠no, I mean I really canât think of anything. It really is fun being able to hurt things.
Lake: The work.
Maia: The pressure.
Chae Rin: Oh right, yeah. Like, the pressure of having to do your job right. And what happens when you donât. Actually, now that I think of it, we Effigies donât get to live that long. Yeah, thatâs less fun.
B: Lake can your name be anymore perfect! You have the ability to control water. What is the coolest thing you have done with your powers?
Lake: First of all, I just want to agree with you that my name is perfect. As I explained during my latest interview with Seventeenâ
Maia: Uh, Lake, the question.
Lake: Right, uh. Actually, I control the wind â itâs all there in our little Effigy pamphlet starter pack my agent put together, but donât worry about it, love. Also the coolest thing Iâve ever done? I mean, once when I was performing on stage I was able to be my own wind machine so that was pretty cool.
Chae Rin: If only she could self-autotune.
Lake: Oh please, pop isnât about singing.
B: Belle correct me if Iâm wrong but I believe you have been an Effigy the longest which makes you the leader in a way. What do you think has been the most difficult part about being an Effigy?
Chae Rin: Belle, a leader? *snorts* I mean I guess she bosses us around a lot.
Maia: Belle is a leader. And youâre right, she has been an Effigy the longest. Sheâs fought literally hundreds of phantoms and sheâs already one of the most famous Effigies of our generation and she has this really cool sword â um, do you want to show them your sword?
Belle: *sighs*
Maia: AND sheâs fought side by side with the legendary Natalya Filipova whose kill count is literally a number not conceived of by human beings.
Chae Rin: Are you going to let her answer the question?
Maia: Oh, uh, sorry. Um, Belle? The most difficult part of being an Effigy.
Belle: Being an Effigy is a duty. You can only do your best to fulfill that duty andâ¦and if you dieâ¦then you die. Itâs not difficult. We fight and we die. That is our purpose.
B: This question is for all of you. You have all had to deal with the Phantoms that plague the land. Can you each tell us a little bit about some of your experiences with them and what the Phantoms are like in person?
Lake: Phantoms areâ¦scary. I hate them.
Chae Rin: I mean they are scary, unless you know how to deal with them. The circus I currently work at uses phantoms in a fun wayâ¦I donât know if I should say more though, I donât want to spill the beans.
Maia: I used to have this sister named June and when we went on drives, weâd look out our windows and we might hear them. Or even see them. Highways are protected by a special tech system so if you stay on your path, you donât have to worry. But seeing them outside your carâ¦my mom used to hate it haha.
Belle: I only remember fighting phantoms. Theyâre creatures of darkness, but like Chae Rin said, if you know how to deal with them, then you realize that you have nothing to fear. Either you kill them or they kill you. Thereâs no reason to overthink it.
B: Maia you were such a huge fan of the Effigies before you became one. What was it like to meet all of your heroes in person?
Maia: Umâ¦
Chae Rin: Just say it.
Maia: BELLE IS AWESOME, I LOVE HER.
Lake: What about us?
Maia: Iâll be honest and say I did spend some time on the internet trash-talking you, but now that Iâve come to know you, I think you guys are kind of cool too.
Chae Rin: Golly, thanks.
B: Chae Rin and Lake what has it been like to deal with the fame of being an Effigy?
Lake: I love it. I mean, I was really made for it! Despite what people say, my fans are actually quite lovely.
Chae Rin: Iâm not really about that life to be honest. Itâs not fun having your parents interviewed every time you screw up.
B: Belle what is the most important advice you would give to a new Effigy?
Belle: Learn to survive quickly. You may not get a second chance.
B: Lucky for us your story is not over yet but all of us who have read your book are dying to know what happens next. Can you each tell us one word that will describe book 2?
Maia: â¦Love.
Chae Rin: Death.
Lake: LIES!
Belle: Betrayal.
Lake: So, the usual!
B: Since we are at a fun carnival can you answer a few this or that carnival style questions for me!
Fresh dipped corn dogs or Corn on the Cob?
Maia: Corn dogs
Chae Rin: Corn dogs
Lake: Corn on the Cob
Belle: Corn.
B:Â The ringtoss game or the fishing pond?
Maia: Ringtoss
Chae Rin: Ringtoss
Lake: Ringtoss.
Belle: Fishing Pond.
B: The Ferris wheel or Carousal?
Maia: Carousal!
Chae Rin: Ferris Wheel
Lake: Carousal
Belle: Carousal
B: The talent show or the hypnotist show?
Maia: talent show!
Chae Rin: hypnotist, the talent probably sucks
Lake: talent show!
Belle: hypnotist
About Sarah Raughley
Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to SF/F TV to Japanese Role Playing Games, but she will swear up and down that she was inspired by ~Jane Austin~ at book signings. On top of being a YA Writer, she is currently completing a PhD in English, because the sight of blood makes her queasy (which crossed Medical School off the list).
She is represented by The Bradford Literary Agency.
So far, you can also find her on Twitter, where work ethic goes to die.
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From this interview, which character do you think you would relate to the most?
Head over to Dark Faerie Tales to check out her booth for today!
I’ve heard friends talk about this book! It sounds super cool. I’m curious how the use of elemental powers will be portrayed, so I’m looking forward to that.
I love books that have characters that have elemental powers! Most of the books I read like this are epic fantasy reads, so I am excited to read an urban fantasy!
Oh, I love this! It reminds me of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Thanks for the interview with the characters. Their relationship (if you can call it that) sets the tone for lots of conflict in this book. I love their powers and can’t wait to read how this author builds this world.
I haven’t really paid much attention to this book before, but it really sounds like a good read! I’ll have to check it out!
Oh this book sounds so awesome! I love stories about elemenal powers! And the cover is beautiful *-*
I’m adding it to my TBR right now. Loved the character interview! It was really fun ð
Loved this character interview!!!
This one sounds like a great read!!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Sort of curious about this one ð That cover is awesome. <3 Always, lovely post Crystal. <3 I feel badly about not really wanting to read any of the books that you have blogged about lately, lol ð But I love love love reading the posts, and learning about the books. <3
I can already tell it will be interesting getting to know these characters…. but I wonder if there is a one of them that I will actually like! Thanks for the giveaway!
This book sounds sooo good! It seems to have Pacific Rim vibes, which I loved! I would love to win an ARC!
Great interview, loved getting to know characters a little bit more. Excited to read it, sounds really interesting and that cover is gorgeous.
This sounds so cool!
Oh, I can’t wait to read this one! I’ve seen this around and it gives me some PERCY JACKSON vibes! Thanks for sharing! ð
Ummm how beautiful is this cover!?!? I am loving every single thing about this synopsis and interview. I love the idea of strong girls leading the pack! Did I mention how awesome the cover is????
Oh, you had me at elements! ð Will keep an eye out for this book.