Firebug by Lish McBride (review)

Ava is a pro at starting fires just by imagining them, but she’s not so great at controlling this ability yet, especially in stressful situations. Unfortunately, being roped into a contract with a supernatural mafia who kills the disobedient is a pretty stressful situation. After she refuses to take out a family friend, Ava and a very small group of allies have to go on the run, trying to stay alive, right some wrongs the evil Coterie have done, and, for Ava at least, find a balance between the horrific things she is capable of and the ways in which her powers can be beneficial. Ava is intriguing, and though her fiery methodology is dramatic, most teens will be familiar with many of the inner demons she battles. She’s also surrounded by a complex cast of allies and enemies, all of whom McBride carefully develops; any one of these characters could have their own spinoff novels. Clever chapter titles, an overlapping setting, and a snappy, world-weary teen narrator hearken back to McBride’s equally sharp Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (BCCB 12/10) and the sequel Necromancing the Stone (BCCB 11/12).