Book 1: Steel Lily (Periodic #1) by Megan Curd
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: August 12th 2013
She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.
Or so she thinks.
That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.
…Which means digging deeper.
When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.
-Goodreads Description
As you can tell, it took me a while to get my hands on this book and after spending a short time deliberating, I came to this conclusion - I like it but I wanted more. This, to me, is the worst kind of reaction. You can almost feel the awesomeness in your grasp...just a little bit further..but it just.. never quite gets there. The plot was intriguing and the characters were a bunch of fun but I just couldn't develop a connection to either the book as a whole nor the main character, Avery. It's one of those where everyone seems to like the protagonist in some way or the other and you're just sitting there thinking 'really? this bitch got nothing special'. Perhaps that seems a little harsh but that's just what I got out of her character. She also lets most things get to her on a highly emotional level which just didn't click with me because I have a pretty tough, macho exterior and feelings like that just...no. Don't even go there. Despite finding the book mediocre at best, there are still a few parts I liked. Jaxon, for example, was H to the O to the T, HOT. It didn't hurt that he was also sarcastic which me likey! I also really enjoyed the ending where I feel like Miss.Curd was finally getting into the zone. Unfortunately, just a little to late. Whilst I would recommend it as an enjoyable read, I am in no rush to read the sequel Iron Pendulum anytime soon.
P.s. this is only get three stars because of Jaxon *swoon*
P.s. this is only get three stars because of Jaxon *swoon*
Book 2: The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy #1) by Sherry Thomas
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Publication date: September 17th 2013
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. -Goodreads Description What's with all these books from 2013? I guess I must have spaced out a little to miss this many new releases which I guess now came out two years ago (anyone else having problems remembering that 2014 was last year?). Anyway, on to the actual review. It was refreshing to read onto this book after a rather dull start to my reading adventure of the month with Steel Lily. Burning Sky definitely raises the standards in almost every aspect. The characters, Iolanthe and Titus, are so well developed that you can really engage in the story. They aren't a flat surface with nothing desirable underneath. What I liked most however was that there were things that even they didn't know about themselves which when discovered, brought along a new barrage of emotions, actions and ultimately, development of the character and the plot. Additionally, it wasn't a case of either protagonist wanting pity as they were very open and mature about details that perhaps Avery from Steel Lily would have found shameful or too personal to share.
It is also evident that Thomas has had a lot of experience with forging bonds between her characters and doing so subtly yet effectively. Iolanthe and Titus shared a chemistry and an understanding that is just very hard to deliver smoothly yet the author did so perfectly. What I would have like to have seen more of was world-building and expansion of the plot itself as half the time, I felt like I wasn't exactly sure what the hell was going on. I swear, at one point, I was just thinking to myself ' Does my copy have pages missing or what?'. There is quite some action in this book but without the necessary means to decipher them, you might find yourself in the same predicament that I found myself in numerous times throughout this book. While I do think that it is better than Steel Lily, I still do not think it contends with some of the other 4-star rated book I have read.
Book 3: The Perilous Sea (The Elemental Trilogy#2) by Sherry Thomas
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication date: September 16th 2014
After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.
-Goodreads Descirption
Yay! Finally, a book that has come out semi-recently that doesn't make me feel like I've been living in a cave for the last couple years. As you can see, this is the sequel of The Burning Sky which I didn't give the most amazing rating to. However, I'm not someone who gives up that easily on a series that I can see not only being salvaged but actually having a really good run. So, here I am with the next book in review. If you haven't read The Burning Sky, this review will be mostly spoiler free so feel free to read this one as well before you decide to start the series. To begin, I really want to say that whilst the array of characters and their progression were on point as always (thank you, Miss.Thomas), this book seemed to focus a lot more on the strategic aspects of the plot rather than the action adventure side that it tried (but failed) to do in the first book. I found that it really excelled in this prospect as all details were well calculated and clever. In truth, half of the things that you discover in this book, I had literally NO idea would come up. Yet after, when I truly thought about it, it made complete sense that that would be the outcome. In this way, Sherry Thomas has really shown her craft by impressively shaping these events. Nevertheless, the world-building is something that still needs a lot of work and although it was practical for the author to stray towards her forte, it was still in dire need of some action. Definitely a good read for any time of year!
