Friday, June 14, 2019

Review - The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas


The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy, #1)
Series: The Elemental Trilogy #1
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Hardcover - 449 pgs
Source: Purchased
Published- September 2013

Rating: 4/5

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's been told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the most powerful tyrant and mage the world has ever known. This would be a suicide task for anyone, let alone a reluctant sixteen-year-old girl with no training.


Guided by his mother's visions and committed to avenging his family, Prince Titus has sworn to protect Iolanthe even as he prepares her for their battle with the Bane. But he makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the tyrant closing in, Titus must choose between his mission—and her life.


Honestly I think this series is unrrated and undrread. This would be a great introduction to fantasy for young adult readers or for people who enjoy romance. This book also only uses two perspectives unlike some adult fantasy books that use many perspectives. The blurb at the beginning of the book is a fantastic hook and I consistently use it to describe this book because it hooked me so thoroughly the first time I heard it.

“Just before the start of Summer Half, in April 1883, a very minor event took place at Eton College, that venerable and illustrious English public school for boys. A sixteen-year-old pupil named Archer Fairfax returned form a three-month absence, caused by a fractured femur, to resume his education. 
Almost every word in the preceding sentence is false.” 


The writing style is very easy to read. It is light and fast paced. I think it is a great blend of the romance and fantasy genres. It takes the readability of romance and combines it with the magic and world building of fantasy.  Even though I enjoyed the writing style in general, the world building was lacking in the geography area. At the very beginning of the book we are thrown into a world that is similar to ours, but with some major differences especially in geography that are glossed over. Even though we are thrust right into the thick of the magical and political situation, I was able to keep up with the story. However, a map in the front of this book would not have gone amiss.

One of my favorite things about this series is the magic and the magical creatures. Magic is used often throughout this book. I loved how we didn’t just hear about the magic. It was on the page. There are dragons and literal fairytales to explore. I also absolutely adore the characters and I can’t wait to see where some of the relationships go in the next book.

Overall there is a lot to love about this series and I really enjoyed this first installment. There are things to be improved, but it is a fun fantasy that would be a great introduction to the genre.


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