Duga’s Glow of the Fireflies is a magical tale of nature’s wonder, and the true connectedness underlying all things. When Briony’s Gran breaks her leg, Briony ends up returning to her childhood home in the quaint Firefly Valley to care for her. It is a place Briony doesn’t remember, thanks to retro-grade amnesia after an accident that also leaves her phobic of fire. Her friend Izzie goes along to help with moral support. However, Briony isn’t prepared for the emotions the valley brings. And when she meets Alder, the confusion only grows. She (re)learns just how special the valley is and learns how to restore perhaps the greatest loss of all, if only she can pay the price.

This may seem like a straightforward quest tale with teen romance. However, I found so much under the surface. It delves into the spiritual notion of layered existence, looking at not just our physical realm, but the energetic layered realms of which the physical is the last and densest. This thinking is part and parcel to my spiritual beliefs, and jibes with what physicists are slowly learning about quantum mechanics.

Interacting with the spirit realm was neat. The ethereal bridging realm to the pure energy astral was so cool. It mirrors our own but contains wonderful critters, and fantastical plants. The region also contains energy gates to the elemental realms. Each has a kick-ass guardian. Briony’s tasks to find keys to the gates so made me want to go play one of my Final Fantasy games! 

I loved Ashka, the spirit cougar! I felt for her, and her pain at the destruction humans had wrought on the Smokies and on her physical world counterparts. I’m a sucker for big cats of any flavour. We have mountain lions on the mountain abutting our tiny village, and sometimes they come down off the mountain. It is mentioned that this is just one of many points where the spirit realms are strengthened. I’d love to see others, in other countries, with the different spirits that must surely be there. I’d have to also guess that each area has its own gates and guardians and links to its own culture specific elemental deities. (I could be overthinking this -_-)

Briony and Alder were pretty cool characters. Each is hurting, missing something precious. Loss is a big theme in this story. Loss and longing. The need everyone has to feel connected and valued, as they are. I can so grok the sentiments. I really felt for one major special character whose disconnect was just so sad because it seemed mainly due to fear on others’ parts. 

However, I found her friend Izzie my favourite, followed by Bruley. Izzie is just so bubbly, and so willing to help and trust her friend. Bruley was a spirit black bear. It was so funny that he pretended to be unable to talk for a long time. Briony ended up telling him all kinds of personal things, thinking he was a sprite and not a spirit. Briony’s Gran was cool too. She was more in sync with the nature of the valley than most. Then there was Raysh. He actually annoyed me. The spirit fox was to be Briony’s guide to finding the keys, but ended up with his own deadly agenda. 

Highly recommended! 

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing/ EntangledTeen for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for the FFBC blog tour.