Fire Colour One was an interesting read - there are some sections I really liked and some that needed to be thought through a bit more.

The plot was decent, it was quite jumpy and found it difficult to digest some parts, although I admire were it was trying to go with this. There were flashbacks/memories being respondents but the issue for me that there were too many of them... it added to why the plot was so jumpy.

The characters were fabulous and I favoured Thurston due to having a quirky personality: his perception on life was really fascinating. Iris's obsession with fire was quite strange however, I felt it gave the book a different aspect to dawn upon.

Overall, it was hard to comprehend because I really liked the character and parts of the plot but on the other hand, it seemed rushed and it hasn't fulfilled it's possible best; I am in the middle with my opinions.

I fairly enjoyed Fire Colour One. The plot was different, with its unique characters and the fantastic relationships between those characters. Although the storyline was quite jumpy, I thought that made it all the more interesting. Despite it being hard to follow sometimes, the beauty of the story was clear; I especially liked the peculiar interests of the characters, what with Iris and fire, her father with art, and Thurston with his unusual yet very entertaining take on life. Overall, I would say I quite liked my time-though it took me a while, it let me fully indulge in the book-reading Fire Colour One.

I loved the characters in this book because they weren’t stereotypical. I also loved the ending because it was funny and it made me laugh. However, I didn’t like this book because it didn’t have much plot and the plot it did have was boring and uneventful. In addition, I thought bit was to jumpy, there were loads of flashbacks- to Ernest’s past as well as Iris’- which interrupt the flow of the story with details that are unnecessary. Also, I don’t understand Iris’ obsession with fire, it is really weird and is not explained very well.

Fire Colour One is a strange book which was quite hard to follow at some points. It is not my favourite book in the shortlist, but I still quite enjoyed reading it and certainly found it interesting.

I liked how the bond between Iris and her father, Ernest gets stronger throughout the book and I also liked the character of Thurston because he is quirky, a good friend and doesn't care what people think about him.

Overall, I quite liked this book and am going to give it 3 out of 5.

I found this book to be rather tedious and uninteresting. I struggled to keep reading it and only the approaching deadline kept me from putting it down and picking up a half-decent one.

The plot was barren and not a lot actually happened. The book was mainly composed of flashbacks and memories, little anecdotes to fill you in on the events that led up to the current situation. This meant that the book jumped from place to place in no sort of chronological order.

I could visualise the outside of most of the characters but I found the way they think to be incomprehensible and, to be frank, unnatural. They did not hold my interest in the slightest.

The whole fire theme that ran throughout the book was clever. Fire symbolises love and destruction and anger, which were the feelings that featured heavily.

In short, I wish I hadn’t had to waste my time reading, for I gained nothing through it. I will give it 2 out of 5.

This book was an odd one, but I felt that it thoroughly deserved its place on the shortlist. It was definitely a marmite book. As more people read it, I think it will be interesting to see what they think of it.

I have to say, however, that it didn't really cut the mustard. I didn't quite get the book. Perhaps it was a little bit rushed for my taste. I wasn't quite "feeling it". I say that it is like marmite, and yet, I seem to be stuck in the middle.

This book was very interesting and the ending was very well thought out, I never would have guessed that it ended the way it did. Although, this book for me just wasn't really one of those books that i couldn't wait read more of. That's just my opinion, it doesn't mean it was a bad book it's just not my type. But still... Good book.

This book was amazing I loved it so much and thoroughly enjoyed reading it! really loved the characters of Iris, Ernest and Margo, I hated Hannah (Iris's mother) as she was horrid and only had her eyes on money. I really liked reading about the care-free aspects that both Iris and Margo share. It inspired me to be more adventurous and wild!

I really loved how the story was told, the way it kept flicking between tenses and moments was like memories and I thought that was very cleverly done. It helped make the story more realistic too as you do not often remember things in the correct order. Also everything all tied together in the end- after a fabulous plot twist! I would really recommend this book to anyone as it puts a different perspective on the world and teaches us important lessons as well as being a superb story.

The main character is teenager, Iris, who is dragged back to England from America by her mother, when news arrives that Iris’s father is dying. Iris doesn’t care much for her father who, she believes, abandoned her as a baby. Her mother, Hannah, doesn’t care much for him either, and has only hot-footed it back so she can stand over Ernest, vulture-like, while waiting for him to die. Ernest, it comes to light, is a multi-millionaire, his greatest passion and asset being art, with works adorning the walls of his house from the greats such as Picasso, Renoir, Vermeer and many more.

I found this book quite lifeless in sense because, although it had a good plot, the actual way in which it was written (from structure through to characterization) had no excitement. I felt like the characters had false relationships, Including Iris and her best friend. He (Thurston) didn't feel like he was real at all, as you would just never see anything like him in real life.

I struggled to properly plough into this book, taking me 2 weeks to read the first half, as I just couldn't form a bond between any of the characters or even feel anything for them. Unfortunately for fire colour one, that is what I seek most in books and with the characters in this book all the 'good guys' and 'have guys' have the same features.

If I could describe this book in one word it would be: Unrelatable.

In my opinion , I didn't find this book very interesting and I figured that it was hard to keep track on who was telling the story. Also, this book isn't really my type of book that I would like to read . However, I likedthe storyline because it showed a strong connection between the daughter and the father.

This book is about quite a complicated girl who is obsessed with fires. Abandoned by her dad and neglected by her mum she has no one to talk to but her best friend Thurston. Until the life that she thought she knew is going up and burned into flames. Her dad is dying and he wants to leave having said goodbye.

I loved the ending, I really liked how it all sorted itself out at the end and her mother got what she deserved. The beginning is a little difficult to get into and drags out quite a bit but otherwise it's okay

I think anyone who enjoys stories that start off pretty troubled but having a worthwhile conclusion would enjoy this book.

I would recommend this book but I would say that it is a bit tricky to get into.

This book really surprised me, as when I read the synopsis it didn't catch my eye straight away, and moved onto it after reading some of the other books. When I started to read it, it took me a while to adjust to the writing style as it is very different to the books I would normally read, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed learning about the secrets and tales of Iris' life and how she had been affected by them. I loved the character Ernest, he was interesting and you didn't know the plot twist until the very end. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good read.

I loved this book because it told the story of a father / daughter relationship that was heartwarming but also sad because the two characters don't have the time together that they both want. The focus on love and art interweave seamlessly and I would recommend everyone read this novel it's that good!

I really enjoyed this book! It is about a girl called Iris (who is a pyromaniac) who lives with her mum; Hannah, and her partner; Lowell. They are both obsessed with money and are desperate for some. They come back to England from LA to find that Iris's rich dad (Ernest) is dying and thirsty for money they visit him hoping everyday that he dies and that they will inherit his fortune. Even though this book may be slightly harder to understand I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought that Valentines descriptions were extraordinarily artistic and the book was filled with plot twists and mysteries. I am looking forward to reading more of her books!

Jam-packed with mystery and secrets, Fire Colour One is the story of a young arsonist who has grown up being told by her harsh mother that her father left when she was young. Forced to leave her only friend, Iris must travel back to England and meet the man who is said to have caused her family so much heartbreak. This is the story of what happens next and is filled with little twists throughout. If you cease to be focused on the book for one minute, you might lose some vital information which could mean you are very confused. In this way, you are kept fixed on the plot throughout, until you reach the climax – the biggest twist of them all. So well done Jenny Valentine, and thank you for such a thought-provoking read and for not reducing me to tears on the final page.

I found this book quite hard to follow in a lot of places, especially when Iris has flashbacks about Thurston and other memories. Iris was an incredibly easy character to follow, know her thoughts etc. I liked the fact it was easy to hate her Mum (Hannah) because it comes on familiar ground in other books too. I found myself liking Ernest quite a bit as he reminds me of family. Ernest was very clever yet running out of time which I found upsetting. This is one of the good qualities in this book which is why I gave it a 3/5.

Didn't finding it very intresting at all, I like a book that you can get stuck into, which you read one chapter and then you have to read another, but this book wasn't like that. Iris (who is the main character)is easy to understand and you understand what she is doing, but I found it quite hard to follow her family and friends.It is the book that has taken me the longest to read because I wasn't really bothered what was going to happen next, so I wasn't focusing on reading. This is just my opinion so to others this migtht be the most intresting book.

Iris is facinated by fire. She has never really fitted in with the outside world but she dosen't care. I loved the decription of a burning newspaper in this book, as"a rainbow of greys" as it shows that in Iris' mind, the melting grey ink is beautiful like a rainbow. My favourite character, was her best friend as he knew he was an outsider but never even tried to fit in; he viewed the world like a lab where he could experiment and see people's reactions. In one scene, as something precoius burnt down Iris could feel her pain and anger gradually fade away, the more it burnt. Then she thought that burning things gave her true peace. This gave me an insight as to why people start fires as a way to cope with painful emotions. The book made me question my own life and made me have a greater understanding of people who like to start fires.I read it within a day because I so absorbed in the story. The thing that most fascinated me though, was how the whole story was carefully knitted together with the theme of fire. I'd recommend this to 14 to 17 year olds as there is one adult scene but it is generally quite accesible for most readers during this age group. Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider can probably relate to it.

it was ok not very interesting