Fans of Sarah Lark can expect a good, emotional historical novel and this is no exception. I liked this for the characters and for the insight into the early days of New Zealand. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Armchair Travel to 1800s New Zealand

One of the things I absolutely love about books is their ability to transport us to different times and/or places. This book does both in an immersive fashion. The author makes me feel like I am right there with these courageous women as they try to make the best out of their lives in New Zealand. The Maori even enter into this, and the author does so delicately. Unfortunately, the treatment of them at this time seems parallel to what was happening with the Native Americans in the US. I hadn't drawn those parallels before. This is historical fiction and also women's fiction because the story centers on some very strong ladies from very different backgrounds but who still form a friendship that endures through everything that they must go through. I like stories of strong women who bond into supportive friends. There's also a religious bent to this, as one of the women migrated from Germany from a very strong religious sect. (Interestingly, I had never considered that Germans and other Europeans might settle in Australia or New Zealand; I always thought of the early days of these countries as being home to British citizens.) All in all, I found this to be a well-written story with fascinating characters I couldn’t help but care about, with enough tension and conflict to keep me turning the pages.

A wonderful read an author who wove a story that drew me in.Characters that come alive.It felt like had gone back in time and was living in this town with these people.#netgalley#Thefireblossom,

A good example of historical fiction set in early 1800s New Zealand. Two culturally different young women come to New Zealand basically to marry and find a good life (not necessarily in that order). As the two become friends and start to depend on each other, the differences in their outlooks become very apparent, but the friendship endures, despite their sometimes dismaying experiences.

The Fire Blossom begins the Fire Blossom Saga. I thought this book was phenomenal. I highly recommend it and give it a well deserved five plus stars.

This story is set in New Zealand at a time when people were just discovering life in that country and struggling to make a living raising sheep. I have read this author's novels before and have always enjoyed them and found her to be a wonderful storyteller! The history was fascinating and the research was on point. As this is book 1 in this saga, I look forward to more. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an epic tale of the early days of settlement in the South Island of New Zealand. At a time when Europe was experiencing the Industrial Revolution the European settlers of the 1840's were living like their counterparts on the frontier in the USA. They were also dealing with the natives, in this case the Maoris, and treating them much the same as the Native Americans.

The Maori culture is lovingly described and contrasted with the settlers, both religious and non-religious. At the heart of the story are three women trying to find their way in the new land - Cat, Ida and Jane. They come from different backgrounds but each have challenges to overcome. The commencement of sheep farming on the South Island is the turning point for them all.

This is a fantastic read and highly recommended.

The Fire Blossom by author Sarah Lark was a gritty tale of German immigrants to New Zealand. The author had done extensive research on the immigrants as well as the natives. This was a subject I knew nothing about and now feel like I have a better grasp of the situation.

The characters were well defined. My heart went out to poor Ida and Kitten. Both women were strong and developed a friendship that made them even stronger. Some of the men were horrible and abusive, even rapist. Others were kind and just.

In this book I found a lack of genuine faith which bothered me. The religious men were not really men of faith. Even the minister of the village visited the prostitutes. There is idolatry, adultery, thievery, fornication, murder, drunkenness, but also lessons in forgiveness, adventure, and survival.

The book was well written and for the most part held my attention. Some parts I did skim over because they were mundane or against my own religious beliefs. I would rate this a 3 out of 5 stars.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

I absolutely l9oved this book! Can't wait for #2
I would recommend this book.
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

What a fantastic book! I actually came upon Fire Blossom in a very roundabout way. I have been a lover of Sarah Lark for a few years now and I've read two of her series, so I looked her up at my library and they only had one audiobook for her. And it was in German. Hmm. So I try to figure out what the title of this German book might be, and what do I find? This book has only recently been translated into English and it's available through Netgalley right now even though it hasn't officially come out yet. A quick rearrange of all the books I was planning to read next to make way for this and I'm glad I did.

This book is similar in many ways to In the Land of the Long White Cloud. It is about early white settlers to New Zealand and all the drama that goes along with trying to make it in a (mostly) virgin land. It is, above all, a romance novel, though the lyrical writing/translating and the obvious research make this book virtually unputdownable. Every time I tried to do something with my life that wasn't read, I caught myself thinking of Cat, Ida, and Jane, and wondering how they were going to get out of their predicaments. I hope the sequel has already been translated so I don't have to wait too long to revisit all my favorite characters!

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book that i have read by Sarah Lark and once again, it was a book that i thoroughly enjoyed reading from start to finish. Usually i am not fond of stories that is told from different viewpoints, but this story is so well written that it didn't matter. I am not going to write what the story is about as i prefer one to read the story for themselves, but i do highly recommend. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.

My rating:

Story: 5 out of 5 stars
Writing: 5 out of 5 stars
Character development: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Historical fiction
Family Saga

Review:

This book takes you on an epic journey to 19th century New Zealand. On the journey you meet Ida and Cat two women from different social backgrounds who along the way become friends and support each other through the trails and adversity that live throws their way. The book is very vividly written and captures you almost from the start and it soon becomes difficult to put down. You find yourself wanting to know what happens next. The landscape and the scenery are described in great detail, it feels like you are actually there. The characters are depicted realistic; they are not perfect and make mistakes which make them very realistic and above all human. The book is based on real historical facts and feels well researched. Overall and fascinating story set in an interesting time and place.

I received an ARC through NetGalley at no cost to me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sarah Lark and Amazon Crossing for giving me the chance to read: The Fire Blossom.

It's a story about how two brave young women struggle to survive in the new colony of New Zealand, they come from very different back grounds and become best friends.

Ida Lange is a young girl who lives in a Lutheran community in Prussia ( Germany) and she has been looking after her younger siblings since her mother passed away during childbirth. She's friends with a boy at school, Karl Jensch's family are poor and her father doesn't approve of their friendship. Both teenagers are forced to leave school, Ida is needed at home. Karl's father can't afford for him to stay at school and he needs to start work. Both Ida and Karl are bright, eager and keen students and it's a shame when they're forced to leave school.
A few years later, the opportunity arises for the Lutheran community to emigrate to New Zealand, Ida's father is very keen, he wants Ida to marry Ottfried Brandmann, he's the local bully, they become engaged and they're families plan the journey across the ocean to their new home.

Karl is a hard worker and he manages to find a way of being able to be on the same ship as Ida, her family isn't happy about it and he moves to New Zealand.

Kitten is a young girl who's struggling survive living in a remote area in New Zealand near a whaling station, she runs away from the local tavern where she has been living, she's concerned that she will be made to work as a prostitute, and finds a new home with a Maori tribe. Later she is forced to leave when the tribe decides she has betrayed them. Eventually, Cat and Ida meet and become best friends.

I enjoyed reading about New Zealand, Maori culture, language, beliefs, herbal medicine, food, and how they lived.
The author has done a lot of research into how Maori people lived at the time and also about Lutheran settlers leaving Prussia to live in New Zealand.
The book is a long one, the main part of the story is really a saga, it's about how Ida and Cat struggle to live in a male dominated world where women are not treated as equals and both women suffer terrible abuse in the story.
I really didn't like that most of the book and story was based around domestic violence, drinking and rape.
I have read other books by Sarah Lark that I have really enjoyed, this one was only ok and I gave it 3 stars.

I loved the unusual New Zealand setting in The Fire Blossom and can't wait to read more in the series!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for ARC. All opinions are my own.

What do you know about New Zealand? To be honest, I did not know much. I could find it on a map and most of my knowledge came from behind the scenes specials on Lord of the Rings! So, I really enjoyed reading the story of the German settlers and their journey to New Zealand. I knew nothing of the settlement of the country and it was fascinating to read this historically based fiction account of one group. I especially loved that the author had a nice section in the back of the book to explain what was fact and what she had added. This has definitely sparked my interest in learning about this beautiful country and its history.

This novel follows a group of German settlers from Germany to New Zealand and all of the hardships that were experienced on all sides, including those already in the country and how the joining of several cultures is no easy task. It mainly follows two women as they work to navigate this new world. There are a lot of hard things to stomach, but it is accompanied by a lot of beauty. You will get wrapped up in their story and will not be able to turn the pages fast enough. There are a few slower parts in the story, but overall I really enjoyed the book and was able to finish it quickly. I do not think I would read it again, but it is a great onetime read. I highly recommend it.

This book is a saga in itself. It details a group of Lutherans who travel from Germany to New Zealand to try to make a place in the world for themselves. There is much hardship. Now, don't get to thinking this is a calm, religious story. There is a lot of rape, alcohol use and domestic abuse in the story. There is some history wound around the plot. I did like the story and would read more from this author. The story is told from several different viewpoints which makes it more interesting as well.