All the women in Iris and Malina’s family have the unique magical ability or “gleam” to manipulate beauty. Iris sees flowers as fractals and turns her kaleidoscope visions into glasswork, while Malina interprets moods as music. But their mother has strict rules to keep their gifts a secret, even in their secluded sea-side town. Iris and Malina are not allowed to share their magic with anyone, and above all, they are forbidden from falling in love.

But when their mother is mysteriously attacked, the sisters will have to unearth the truth behind the quiet lives their mother has built for them. They will discover a wicked curse that haunts their family line—but will they find that the very magic that bonds them together is destined to tear them apart forever?

my thoughts:

I find myself somewhat at a loss for words to accurately capture my feelings about this book. While I liked it enough to see it through to the end, I can’t quite pinpoint what compelled me not to set it aside.

Wicked Like a Wildfire follows the story of two sisters, Iris and Malina, who possess magical gifts allowing them to manipulate beauty in distinct ways. Malina’s magic lies in her voice, while Iris perceives the world in fractals and can weave them into physical objects. Raised under their mother’s strict edicts to conceal their abilities and avoid falling in love, both sisters naturally struggle with these constraints. Their ignorance of their own heritage and the associated risks becomes apparent only when it’s too late. The plot is set in motion when their mother is brutally attacked, left hovering between life and death, forcing Iris and Malina to unravel their family’s hidden past and confront what the future might hold.

It’s perplexing how a book with such a breathtaking setting and exquisitely beautiful prose could still feel so underwhelming. The narrative seemed to lack momentum, building up extensively but delivering little in terms of action. I suspect many readers, unless they specifically seek out a slow-paced, writing-driven experience, might find their interest waning.

That said, Lana Popović’s writing is undeniably stunning. She masterfully painted vivid, gorgeous imagery in my mind throughout the book. Having never visited the locations described, I was surprised by the clarity with which I could envision them. Montenegro, for instance, was never high on my travel list, but it certainly has risen thanks to this book. It’s impossible to read Wicked Like a Wildfire and not become utterly enchanted by its setting.

As for the characters, Iris and Malina became somewhat more likable towards the end. For the first half of the book, I found it difficult to connect with them; they came across as somewhat flat. Their personalities were shrouded in secrets—hidden from the world and from each other—making it hard to truly know them. It was only as these secrets began to unravel that I felt I was finally glimpsing the sisters’ true natures.

Overall, Wicked Like a Wildfire is a book that will likely appeal to a specific niche of readers rather than the general populace. While intrigued enough to complete the duology, I will be setting my expectations somewhat lower for the sequel, Fierce Like a Firestorm.

“[She] had sounded like the rain. Sometimes storms, sometimes light patters, sometimes the sweet, lashing gales after a long drought. Sometimes even the kind that came with rainbows. The kind you wanted to feel on your face while you held the rest of your body underwater in the summer sea.

Rain could be so warm. No one ever really talked about that.”

—Lana Popović, Wicked Like a Wildfire

What Others Are Saying About Wicked Like a Wildfire:
Elitist Book Reviews: “It’s a book about what beauty means and who’s meant to witness it, but at the same time it’s about the sacrifices family will make to save their loved ones from suffering.”

The Bibliophile Girl: “Overall – and I really am getting tired of saying this about overhyped books – it had a brilliant concept, but there was just poor execution of it.”