A Review of A.M Vergara's "Firefax" (audiobook)

A.M. Vergara’s “Firefax” is a bit hard to find on Amazon. Search for the author’s full name: Amelia Maria Vergara. Every time I attempted to search by the title, Amazon would autocorrect to “Firefox.” The extra work to find this title is worth it, however, if you are a fan of a certain sort of retro adventure story.

The Firefaxes are assassins. Some work for the family business; some work for spy networks on both sides of the Revolutionary War. One of them knows the secret of the island where the family has been hoarding its spoils of war for centuries, and another spy wants that gold for himself. The rest of the Firefax family must follow their eldest brother to the island, both to save one of their own and to protect their fortune from potential thieves.

This reminded me a lot of the book “The Twenty-One Balloons,” as well as quite a few other novels from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: “Herland,” “The Mysterious Island,” “The Lost World.” When the earth wasn’t completely mapped out by satellite and there was the possibility of hidden lands full of wealth and adventure. If this is a subgenre of fantasy/ adventure you like, then this would be a good fit for you. I was a bit put off by what sounded like perspective changes in the middle of paragraphs, but maybe on the written page, there are better clues for the readers that a POV switch has arrived.

The narrator did a good job bringing all the characters to life. It was a fun, action-filled story with a good amount of tension and a kick-butt heroine. I would definitely like a follow-up with more adventures from the survivors. I received this book from NetGalley.

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