Book Report 1: “Mortal Fire”

In the book “Mortal Fire”, written by Elizabeth Knox, we learn about how if you want things to go well in life, then you must remain determined to do so, no matter the risk it might hold for us, and no matter what it means in the short-term. Elizabeth Knox displays this message by writing Canny’s journey through learning magic, and of the learning of the valley’s even darker secret. This being that leaders of the family had created a magic charm that drained all that came there of their magic, and memories of the magic. Once Canny discovers this, and the fact that the longer she stays, the more of her life force she loses, she immediately begins to try to find a way to survive with her memories intact. Determined to find a way, she discovers more about magic than thought possible, and then takes a risk that could mean being lost in time forever. And yet, through pure luck at one point, she survives the great risks involved with her plan. The problem with her plan is that she had no idea if a ‘broken’ her could accidentally happen upon a little magic charm that allows her to remember everything, and regain her old life. In fact, it was such a close call that after 10 or so years, she was about to leave the magic charm behind forever. That is how Elizabeth told us of how even the greatest of risks might need to be taken in order to survive.

The reader picks up on this message as they read through what Canny had to do in order to discover what she was curious about. This is because of the way it is played out. As the reader goes through the story, they gain more and more information, at the same rate as Canny. Elizabeth also uses the language feature of “Atmosphere” where from the beginning she as creating an air of curiosity and danger. By doing this, the reader will begin to wonder more and more about what is happening, and realise how dangerous the things that are happening are. The reader, like Canny, realises that the only way to properly live life and gain anything is to take a risk and then work to make your life great!

 

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