The story of the destruction of Pompeii is one that has always fascinated me, which is surprising given my lifelong interest in natural disasters. A Day of Fire tells the story of six citizens of Pompeii, all from different walks of life, as they experience the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. This is a series of six stories by six different authors, but they are all interconnected. I've read two of the authors before (Kate Quinn and Stephanie Dray) but each story flows seamlessly into the next. I was drawn in to each story, with some survivors and some not so fortunate. This is one I will definitely reread and now I want to find more stories about Pompeii, as well as other books by these authors.

Not a time period I've read about before, I enjoyed this story of ancient Pompeii. The stories overlapped in an engaging way, and I'm not sure I could say I had a favorite. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

To know me is to know that I am obsessed with Pompeii and I really loved these short stories about that fateful day. I loved how the stories and characters are connected. Even though you knew how the stories were going to end, it was still exciting to read and there were some surprises along the way. I really enjoyed this one!

Wow! Thanks to the publisher, authors, and NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I of course grabbed this title because one of my favorite authors, Kate Quinn, was listed as being a part of this work. I was so pleasantly surprised and drawn into each author's work and how the stories intersected. This was a brilliant, well plotted, well-organized anthology, and has now given me a couple more authors to add to my collection of interest. We all know what happens at Pompeii, but to see it from the "ground level", so to speak, and to see how this horrific, memorable event impacted people from all walks of life was eye opening. Some of these stories and people will stay with me for quite a long time.

A Day of Fire is a historical fiction anthology featuring six semi-connected stories taking place during or before the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii. Through the eyes of many different figures, both entirely fictional and fictionalized-biographical accounts, readers are taken into the heart of the city, where people in the midst of their lives face unspeakable tragedy.
When a story revolves around a known tragedy, one of the main goals of the story should be to get the reader to care deeply for the characters who we know are in harm’s way from the beginning, something each story failed to do. I was carried to the end through the moment-in-time setting, and the often poetic prose—which made for an interesting read—but the story overall fell short.

I requested this book because I love Kate Quinn books and saw that she was one of the authors featured in this collection. A Day of Fire is a collection of short stories taking place in Pompeii during the eruption of the Mount Vesuvius. There are six stories in this book, each with a different main character, although several characters make an appearance in multiple stories. I really appreciated the variety of characters during the whole book and the way the authors connected the stories. I also appreciated the fact that the authors did not give all the stories a happy ending and stayed true to the fact that the majority of the town was destroyed and citizens died.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book, but I definitely seem to gravitate to the stories that didn’t end well. The authors did a great job making me care about the main character and feel connected to them, although they often did not have much more than 50 pages to do so.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy!

Six of the most beloved authors from the historical fiction genre have come together to produce an unforgettable anthology that gives new life to the days surrounding the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of the city of Pompeii. We see characters from all walks of life, from a common tavern whore all the way to a lauded senator, none of them imagining what may be waiting for them. We see a son yearning to be a real man, an heiress whose wedding day will hold surprises she could never have imagined, an ex-soldier trying to build back his fortune on the fate of a gladiator whose last match will never be finished, a senator who welcomes the death that seems, finally, to creep up on him, a young mother-to-be who must make an impossible choice as the impending arrival of her child coincides with the storm of ash and poisonous gasses, and two sisters, both prostitutes, who seek to find salvation in the arms of a city slowly dying. Each story more moving and unforgettable than the last, "A Day of Fire" is a beautiful tribute to one of history's most enduring mysteries.

The mystery of Pompeii still fascinates readers because it is such a human tragedy. To see the plaster casts of its victims, to interpret the positions in which they fell and how they spent their final moments is as heartbreaking as it is fascinating. There is so much that we don't know about its nameless, faceless victims, and the six authors who collaborated on this anthology have done an incredible job putting stories and names to the people of Pompeii. Each story tugged at the heartstrings and was vividly imagined. I rejoiced with the survivors and wept at the loss of the less fortunate. Of the six chapters, The Heiress, The Mother, and the Whore were the stories that touched me most deeply. These stories of women from all walks of life so intricately told and closely woven together were a treat to read.

"A Day of Fire" is a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in the history of Pompeii. It would also be a strong read for anyone who loved the "Dear America" series as a child and has struggled to find adult historical fiction with the same tone. A, excuse my pun, sure-fire winner, in this year's historical fiction catalog, you won't want to miss this collection. Special thanks to NetGalley and to William Morrow for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of "A Day of Fire" in exchange for an unbiased review. This story will haunt me long past the final closing of its pages in the way that only the very best literature can do.