Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch Publisher:  (Dec 12, 2018) Category: YA Fantasy. Epic Fantasy. Gateway Fantasy. Alternate Reality, Sword & Sorcery Tour dates: Mar-May, 2019 ISBN: 978-1916488311 Available in Print and ebook, 304 pages

Description Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

Seventeen-year-old Jack Kulinski is the best mixed martial arts fighter of his generation. So why does fighting scare him so much? In the ring, the sound of swarming bees mysteriously fills his head, and it takes all of his effort to not flee in panic. But when his best friend disappears, and Jack, alone, discovers that he’s been magicked to a terrible land ruled by a murderous god and his violent people, he needs to learn how to face his fears and to fight better than he ever has before.

My Thoughts:
I'm not certain what I expected from this author but I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of his book. There are alternating points of view and multiple story lines going at the same time. I liked seeing everything going on and not simply having a narrow view of it. That being said, there are quite a lot of characters, some evil, some good, some mysterious but all of them have their own agendas.
The author did a good job with setting up the series in this book, there is a lot of story building going on and it hooks you in. I cringed when the friend was an idiot with the lighter, the priest and priestess creeped me out, I wasn't certain I was going to like the dad, but every character was well written and  I can't wait to see what the author does next with this series.
It was a 4/5. I will certainly be looking for the next book.

Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book via Virtual Author Book Tours. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Praise Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

“I found myself really into the book and finished it in two days. I was rooting for Jack and Denny throughout the book, I liked the talking rabbit and I really liked Zolin, the soldier, and his buddies. I hated the Fire Priest and Priestess and found myself reading at the dinner table, hoping Jack would destroy them. I think the world that Stephen created is complex and interesting; I like the references to Mesoamerican culture, history, and names. At first I felt like there were a lot of characters to keep track of, but part way in realized I had them all set in my head and it was all coming together. I'm interested to see what happens in Book 2 of the series.”-Helen, Goodreads

About Stephen Murdoch

Stephen Murdoch is a writer and investor who lives in England with his wife and three daughters. He is the author of the non-fiction book IQ: A Smart History of a Failed Idea (Wiley, 2007). He has written for various publications, including Newsweek, The Washington Post, and PRI’s Marketplace. The Fire Priest is his first work of fiction. Murdoch is the chairman of two healthcare providers in the UK that provide cutting edge digital and bricks-and-mortar solutions to the mental health sector.

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