Fall of the Fireflies
Seasons of Sisterhood #1
Twin sisters embark on a mission to save their father’s soul in Guadalupe García McCall’s fantasy novel Fall of the Fireflies.
When their father is injured in a mysterious attack, Delia and Velia set out to find the evil spirit that is draining his life force. On their quest, they encounter several figures from Mesoamerican mythology, including Mictecacihuatl, the goddess of death, and the twin gods Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl. The gods aid them, but also encourage them to step into their destined roles as divine warriors.
The chapters alternate between Delia and Velia’s perspectives, allowing equal space for both and establishing their distinctive voices in clear terms. Delia is fiery, passionate, and always ready to jump into action, while Velia is reserved and cautious, wanting to weigh the risks of each decision that she makes. Their differing approaches lead to conflicts: though Velia is not ready to accept the offer from the gods to become warriors in their service, Delia runs after the gods and is captured by the evil spirit they are hunting.
The prose, often fast-paced and pithy, incorporates creative similes into scene descriptions, such as a younger sister’s cries “trailing behind her like an invisible kite string.” And the magical elements of the story highlight the interpersonal conflicts within the family well. The sisters’ struggles mirror those of the twin gods Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl, who are associated with the opposing forces of light and dark and life and death. Delia and Velia’s father is targeted by the evil spirit because of his weakness of character, and the sisters confront their fraught relationship with him as they try to rescue him.
Fall of the Fireflies is an adventure-filled, emotive fantasy novel in which sisters find strength in their differences.
Reviewed by
Julia Dillman
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
