Mindfire

By: Allen Steadham

Narrated by: Jillian Yetter

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required."

Leia Hamilton can move things and set them on fire with her mind.

Leia's father and step-mother tried to hide their past: a time when they were part of a team of superheroes. But despite being disbanded for over 20 years following a series of tragedies, their problems were passed to their children, and Leia finds that her future collides with their past.

In the diverse world of human and superhuman, heroes and villains, friends and enemies, some of Leia's choices have terrible consequences. For Leia, this leads to a personal crossroads and a search for redemption.

Not your normal superhero novel, Mindfire isn't about secret identities, costumes, or evil plots endangering the world. Instead, self-discovery and adaptation is at the forefront as the listener follows the lives of the characters who are unafraid to show love and explore spirituality.

Can redemption and renewed grace weather the flames of absolute power and superhuman strength?

©2019 Emerald House Group, Inc. (P)2019 Emerald House Group, Inc.

A GOOD SUPERHERO DRAMA- ADVENTURE

STORYLINE IS FUN, FUNNY AND FULL OF LAUGHS, FAMILY DRAMA AND LOVE LOSS & FOUND. ALSO IS VERY WELL WRITTEN AND EASY TO FOLLOW WHILE BEING VERY ENJOYABLE.
ACCOUNT FOR TEENS AND OLDER. MOSTLY CLEAN WITH SOME SUGGESTIVE CONTENT.
NARRATOR IS GOOD AND EASY TO FOLLOW.

Transformational Superhero Fiction

As an up and coming Narrator of up & coming authors, I enjoy the opportunity to network with others in a similar situation. I love the creative process and seeing how different minds explore it. Part and parcel of mass consumption of beginner's work is the inescapable reality that it is just that - beginner's work. Some will be brilliant, some, may need some more polishing before it achieves the level of quality & cohesion that makes the best art stand out.

Why do I start a review with such a "disclaimer?" When I began listening to Jillian Yetter's narration of Mindfire by Allen Steadham, I was a little worried that it was on the needing polished side of things. The first couple of chapters just seemed pretty cliche to me. I'm not saying that by the end, it still couldn't have used a little more polishing. But I am saying that it only took a few chapters to really draw me in to where I was invested in the characters and their stories. I should also add the disclaimer that I was given this audiobook via storyorigin, but my opinions are my own.


The main character of the book - Leia Hamilton - Begins the story by:

1. Finding out she has pyrokinesis (what a fun word) & other powers

2. Finding out she is pregnant, and

3. Finding out her parents were superheros/villains 'back in the day.'


Mildly cheesy, but in our day of Marvel or DC Superhero movie of the week, I'm willing to run with it. This is definitely not Marvel or DC here though.



More in the vein of Sky High, but a little more mature. Leia is in college and pregnant. It was apparent fairly quickly that this is a book by a devout Christian as well, but I didn't find his references to faith such that it became a "preachy" book. Perhaps in part because the overtly Christian characters in the book themselves do not come across as preachy, but more as wanting to share how their lives had been transformed by their faith with those who were in similar circumstances.



The transformational nature of the story is what kept me coming back to it though. And nearly all of the characters in this story experience some kind of transformation, often in unexpected ways. Their interaction with each other and sharing of their personal struggles with each other makes this superhero book a very HUMAN book. Society is full of mixed families, parents who have made serious mistakes, children who have to come to terms with the imperfections of their parents and of themselves.


Some things I particularly liked about Mindfire - Steadham essentially has 2 plots going - one from 20 years ago, and one in present day. The "flashback" portions of the story are done in such a way that helps you understand more about the depth of the many characters & is woven through the story just enough to keep you interested in the growth of the older characters & a better understanding of where they are at today. The "romance" element. Some people I'm sure would find the romance elements of this novel a little juvenile, but I appreciated that it was mostly wholesome, but also didn't paint a picture of perfect people, and even of people who's feelings may change, but the feelings they may have once had for someone still inform their actions. I also enjoyed that there was no one in this story who was "all good" or "all evil." But they were all flawed, just like normal people. And they each had to deal with their flaws. I enjoy stories that encourage us to look inward at what changes we may need to make & see others through the lens of realizing that we never have the whole picture


And the cover - It's really simple, but it definitely caught my eye to begin with & made me curious about the book. It freaked my wife out a little, but I like it.


I also enjoyed Jillian Yetter's performance of the book. Probably one of my favorite characters she voiced was Josh Manning. I just really liked her accent for him & how genuine he felt (ok, maybe he was an "all good" character). Leia is also done very well. Malevolence/Angela also has a fairly distinct voice. I did find Yetter's performance of especially the female characters when they were worked up, all sounded fairly similar. Also, there were several occasions throughout the book where there were repeated phrases.


Writing wise - I would rate Mindfire at 4 stars. Story at 4 stars as well. Performance - 3.5 stars, probably rounding up to 5. This is my first experience with both author & narrator. I'd gladly check out more material from either of them.

OK story

This story was not one of my favorite listening experience, particularly because I Really did Not like the narrator's voice. The story was alright I guess but never really grabbed me and when I had things to do was not motivated to start listening again. Storyline was a interesting concept but to me personally it failed.

Soap Opera Super Heroes

This is a Christian-based Soap Opera with Super Heroes narrated by the voice of a 13-year-old girl. It has its moments, but I could only get through 60% when I could take No More... I can normally find something good to say about and read or listen and will finish it no matter what. Not this one!

Suer heros, super lessons

Wow. A superhero book with Christian teachings. I didn't see that coming, and yet it worked beautifully. No loss to the super hero fun. If you are thinking of passing this up because of the religious aspects, don't. They don't detract from the story at all. If you like religion in your books, but are leery about the superheroes, this author makes them fun. Give it a try. Great book. I received a free review copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good story

Mindfire follows the story of Leia, a woman who discovers she’s got special powers and her parents were part of a band of superheroes. I like that the author isn’t afraid to explore a different side to the typical superhero storyline. This story addresses issues of faith and identity, along with having an interesting main character and plot line to the book.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator, unfortunately. I feel like maybe the wrong file was uploaded: there were repeated phrases, awkward pauses, and perhaps the editing wasn’t unfinished. But the story was good and the writing superb. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more reading instead of listening.

interesting story

The story line has a pretty interesting plot line, there are some parts that seemed to have issues with the past and present at least with what I was following. If I was reading the book itself and not listening I think it could have been easier to follow, which isnt an issue with the book or the narrator.

This is the first time I have heard this narrator, she sounds very young, and personally would be excellent for a childrens book. She did quite a good job on the different character voices and bring them to life for you.

I got this book free and these are my own personal thoughts on the book.

not an enjoyable listen

the story is confusing and has mixed too many time layers to the point that past present become are very hard to discern. The Narration does not help sadly it is a rather amateurish attempt. I seldom find a listen totally hard ti follow but unfortunately this story lost me.
Forgive the hard review but perhaps it may help you with stories in the future.