Children of the King Book Two: The Fire Starter (Volume 2) Paperback – November 15, 2013

This book is just as adorable as the first one in this series! I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you haven't given this series a try, you should. And the best part is these books don't have to be read in order. Although, I'm a type A person so I can't not read them in order, which means I'll be reading book 3 soon. I can't wait!

After reading Book One of this series, I was totally blown away. The Fire Starter took it to a whole new level. The chemistry between the hero and heroine drives this story. Like Washed Under the Waves, The Fire Starter is above all else, a story with a message. As much as I loved the twists and turns of their journey to discovering their love for each other, it was the scenes with the King that captivated me. I just can't praise Gloria Clover's writing enough. She has brilliantly captured the heart of Science Fiction and Fantasy and wrapped it around a message that is as True today and is was over two thousand years ago and just as relevant. I strongly urge you to immerse yourself in this series. You won't regret it.

The romance sparking between Princess Amaryllis Filippopoulos and Prince Valryan Molan makes this book a delightful read from start to finish. The Fire Starter is one of my favorite Gloria Clover books. If you're looking for a fun read, this book is for you.

These books just get better and better. Can wait to read the next one.

I liked this book almost as much as the first book. Gloria has a unique and successful way of portraying the 'King's' love and our relationship with him. She uses a lot of imagination and creativity to spin the futuristic tale of the 'King' finding us again. I highly recommend it, especially for tweens and young teens.

Excellent read! Loved the story from start to finish!

This story blew me away. I found myself engrossed to the point where I thought about the book all the time. The story was achingly beautiful. The heroine Amyaryllis was strong, yet vulnerable in that she feared any kind of weakness. The hero was similar, but in a very masculine way. Valryan was probably the most heroic character I've read in the past year. I loved how the author showed his struggle to follow the King in everything that he did, from his gut-wrenching honesty, to his complete humanity. He was by no means a feminine-thinking man, which I think made me love him more... because he thought like a man would think. Too often we female authors soften our male heroes up to the point that they are not realistic. This author created a spiritual man in Valryan who was thoroughly lovable and very masculine.The way Valryan talked to himself and cried out to the King when he struggled was especially powerful. I loved how he sought the King to help him have more faith and to believe that the King's Word to him would work out in the end. His desire for everyone to know the King was heart-warming and enviable. I loved how he nick-named his wife sparky and how he used that to tease her in a loving way. Their growing relationship was breathtakingly beautiful.I loved the faith aspect of this book and how the author showed the progression so beautifully. She touched on the heart of humanity and the desire for purpose and meaning. She also touched on the fear that often keeps people from the truth and how loving someone like Christ loved us does indeed -- over time -- draw the lost to the King. We just need to be patient, consistent, and genuine in our relationships with those we love. Of course, we can only get that kind of strength through constant communication with the King.The message about marriage was especially strong as were the truths that the hero learned through the King about how loving Him first made everything else the way it was intended to be. I found their joining prior to his wife knowing the King to be especially powerful since it reflects on the human love that often leaves us very insecure and dissatisfied in marriage. With the King's presence in marriage, however, the is beauty of marital love is beyond description and His presence is indeed with us. We need to use that reality to give us courage and strength. We need to be willing to trust the King completely. The way the author showed how the hero being trustworthy increased the heroine's ability to trust the King was incredibly insightful. So was the way salvation was described to someone who didn't even believe in God, and the revealing of the Scriptures. Awesome, awesome book. I'd give it ten stars if I could.

I enjoy the author's transparency in her note at the beginning of the book. However, I don't find too much "speculative" about this story. It has a touch of fantastical elements, but mostly it is just a story of an island that has walled itself off from technology and adopted agnosticism.This book felt much less allegorical than the first in the series, but I didn't enjoy it any less.The reason it didn't earn five stars from me is because I couldn't accept Amaryllis' misconception. Once it was pointed out to her, even she realized it was something she should have questioned earlier. So why didn't she? It made her seem stupid and she was portrayed as quite intelligent about everything else.I do enjoy how the author highlights the weaknesses in her characters. I especially loved how Valryan came face to face with how God can use those weaknesses for His glory. Very poignant and pertinent.This doesn't read like a series. If there is an overarching series goal, I would guess it has to do with the pirates who attacked the islands in each book. We spent even less time learning about them here, so if there is something that ties the books together, I hope the author will emphasize that more in the next book.