The Fire Sermon; by Francesca Haig

In this post apocalyptic tale, everyone is born with a twin.  The catch is that one twin is born with a deformity of some sort.  Soon after birth the deformed child, known as an Omega is branded on their foreheads and sent to live with their Omega family.  If one is hurt, the other is hurt as well, one dies, the other dies; that is their curse together. Omega's are ostracized a treated poorly, while their Alpha twins live in luxury.  Cass is a rare Omega, in that her deformity is that she is a seer.  She was able to hide her "deformity" from her family for years until she is discovered and sent away.  Her twin, Zach, gains power within the government and Cass dreams of equality between the two.  Cass is held prisoner at Zach's request in order to keep others from attacking her to get to him.  She manages to escape while rescuing a boy from a tube.  Together they embark on a quest for survival and to discover a legendary island where Omegas live in peace and harmony.

This dystopia novel is perfect for fans of the genre.  Haig's debut novel is difficult to put down.  The world she builds within  "Fire Sermon" is spellbinding and full of imagination. There isn't a point where the book felt like it was generic or full of clichés.  It gives Hunger Games and Divergence a run for the money. 

Cass is a great character,  she accepts her "deformity" and becomes a powerful woman because of it.  She strives for equality even if it is an idea that seems foreign to everyone else. The other characters are just as strong.  Her traveling companion (his name escapes me..Kip maybe) despite not only missing an arm, but also his memory fights the Alpha mindset and displays intelligence and a strong will.  I actually wanted more from his character.

Haig does deal a lot with disability discrimination and how the Alphas try to find ways to eliminate their deformed twin.  It puts into perspective about how people honestly treat those with disabilities.  Too often people get the mindset that because someone has a disability they are incapable of things.  This book takes that idea and expands on it, and turns it around to show strength and perseverance.

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, but I am glad I picked it up.  I cannot wait to pick up the next installment in the series.  I would recommend this to fans of dystopia type of novels and I give this a 4.5 out of 5.  Great job Francesca.