Synopsis:
It all began with a ruined elixir and a bolt of lightning.
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.
The Burning Sky—the first book in the Elemental Trilogy—is an electrifying and unforgettable novel of intrigue and adventure.
It all began with a ruined elixir and a bolt of lightning.
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.
The Burning Sky—the first book in the Elemental Trilogy—is an electrifying and unforgettable novel of intrigue and adventure.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Don't be put off by the 3 stars!
“This is the story of a girl who fooled a thousand boys, a boy who fooled an entire country, a partnership that would change the fate of realms, and a power to challenge the greatest tyrant the world had ever known.”
This is a very, very light YA epic fantasy. It reads like a middle grade book.
I'm pretty sure this was her first take on epic fantasy, having only written historical fiction before, and it shows. The world building was severely lacking. It wasn't explained thoroughly and at times it was just right out confusing. The story includes footnotes at the end-more like strenuous info dumping, about 15 pages of it (which I completely ignored)- that in my opinion were details that needed to be interwoven into the story. Losing mayor points there. As for the plot, it was kind of messy. It lacked a climax and was slow paced through out the entire story.
These characters are living in a realm that has been oppressed for centuries(I'm not exactly sure how long-another thing that isn't mentioned) under a tyrant, named The Bane, that we know nothing about and we're just thrown carelessly into this new world expected to understand it's complexities. The writing really mastered the "telling" and completely forgot about the "showing". We're told these are ruthless and cunning tyrants but we're never shown their cruelty. We never feel the dangers of their world, the hopelessness or devastation. You never feel the bleakness. Here, the sun is shinning and people are having parties and getting married. Where is the oppression??. I think the only ones losing is the royalty because, apparently, they can't do as they please. Boo-freaking-hoo!
I also felt the magic was really open ended with no rules and we're never told who can use it and who can't. I mean, is everyone living in a mage realm a magical mage? Can they all use magic? And what in the world is this "subtle magic"? Who can master it and who can't? All I'm saying is it left a lot to be desired.
While the magical realm was poorly detailed, the non-mage realm in a Victorian era was great. It was crafted beautifully and you could really tell this is her forte.
As for why I read this...
The characters were the saving grace of the book. They were complex and layered. No doubt about it, they were what kept me reading. At times I felt it was more character driven than anything else. What made them lovable characters or at least the type you can root for is that their actions rang true. Their reactions, their doubts, their fears, everything was believable and relatable.
We have Iolanthe, a 16 year old girl, who is running for her life. All she wants is to survive, to live the life she's always dreamed of and worked for but destiny has a way of messing with her plans and boy do I love that she wants to leave dear ol' destiny dry and high.
"You are asking me to give up everything for a cause that isn’t mine. I don’t want to be part of any revolution. I just want to live.”
“To live like this, never knowing what it is like to be free?” His voice was tight.
“I will know nothing when I’m dead!”
She has one hell of a sense of preservation that is just refreshing. Honest and believable is what she is. She doesn't believe herself to be heroic, some savior from a fairytale. She's honest with herself to a fault and I love her for it! I also love her amazing character growth. Despite her fear her desire to be free is greater. She forces herself to face her fears for she will not become a slave of them.
Then we have Titus, the Prince and Master of the Domain. He's smart and cunning. He knows what he wants and goes for it, everyone else be damned and I loved him for it.
These two characters is where Sherry Thomas excelled. Their dynamics and banter is a thing of wonders and their growing friendship is what dreams are made of( yes, I am a bit over the top). Truly, I can not stress about it enough: They made the story
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