A House Afire by Emma Kinna -

Book: A House Afire by Emma Kinna

Release date: December 1, 2009

Publisher: Publish America

From: Author

Summary:

Phyllis Sorin has seen all sorts of people. With two kind Aunts who rent out the rooms of their house to anyone in need, the people she calls family are a little different from most. There’s Bill, who takes on the personalities of movie characters. There’s Quincy, whose best friend is a drag queen. There’s Anna, an opera singer and kung-fu master.

And Phyllis, well, she’s not exactly normal herself. But even as she begins to navigate high school’s social jungle, Phyllis finds comfort and humor in her odd home.

When Dominick Siddons moves in, however, all of Phyllis’s priorities become inferior to finding out his secret. A young lawyer with a vicious wit and ferocious temper, Sid may understand Phyllis in a way no one else can. And through truth and fiction, through the inevitable chaos of the house, Phyllis finds much more than she bargained for.

*****

A House Afire was a lot better than I expected. The only review I read for it was not very good and I was kind of skeptical when I first started reading it. It was a big book and I just didn’t know how I would get through it if I didn’t like it. Lucky for me, I did like it!

Phyllis Sorin has a secret. She can breathe fire. It’s not something she can share with people and it makes life a bit difficult, especially as a teenager. At the end of her eighth grade year she has no friends and nothing to look forward to about high school. Things do begin to look up, though. She begins to make friends and a new tenant moves into the house. Her life is definitely changing but is it all for the better?

A House Afire is a hard book to describe. There are so many characters in it, I don’t even know where to begin. All the characters were pretty unique but I did get the four gay guys, Quincy, Abe, Butch, and Damien, mixed up sometimes. They all sound alike when they are talking. Other than that all the characters had different personalities and were funny people. I would have loved living in Phyllis’ house.

The plot was a little boring but I was able to stick with it. I liked reading about Phyllis’ problems because they were very relatable and believable. I also loved the mystery of what Sid’s secret was. It wasn’t as easy to guess as I thought it would be. I really liked Sid, too. His relationship with Phyllis was a little odd but I liked it. I have heard that there will be a sequel and I can’t wait for it. I want to know more about everyone!

Overall, A House Afire was a good book. It took a little time getting into the story but it was worth it. I definitely recommend it for anybody, although if you don’t like profanity or mentions of teen sex, this isn’t the book for you. =]

Writing: 8/10

Characters: 7/10

Plot: 8/10

Ending: 9/10

Originality: 8/10

Overall: 40/50=B-

Cover: 8/10=B-