Reviews with content warning for Death - Air Awakens

I don't really have much to say about this book unfortunately. It was a pretty middle-of-the-pack book. Did I have enough fun reading it that it was worth finishing? Sure! Do I intend on finishing the series? Probably not, especially considering Elise Kova always says it's not necessary to read her earlier series in order to enjoy the late series in the same world.

The story is very typical "Girl doesn't know she has magic, ends up accidentally using it and a magic-user discovers it, takes her away from her old life in order to train her, etc". One thing I did like; in the Tower of Sorcerers (I might be recalling the name wrong, anyways this is the place where Vhalla is taken to learn how to use her magic), all the different types of magic users get their own differentiating uniforms based on what element they control, similar to Shadow & Bone with the Grisha and their keftas. I just think it adds a small fun detail!

A lot of the characters felt pretty under-developed, other than the main character Vhalla, her love interest, and like one other person who I'm pretty sure is going to be an antagonist of some sort later on.

One of Vhalla's childhood friends dies, and since his only personality trait is "childhood friend" the author didn't really expand on why Vhalla is so sad about losing him or why we should be sad too.

Another thing I disliked was that the love interest is described as being "no more than 10 years older" than the MC. Vhalla is 17, turns 18 on page. So "no more than 10 years older" could mean that the love interest is 26, flirting with a minor. I know this is a fantasy book and in ye olde times people married minors all the time but it still makes me uncomfortable.

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ednam0dewannabe's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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delvie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It was alright. I feel like the main character is a little flat, and her love of books being her only personality trait seems like a cheap gimmick to get readers to like her quickly. It took a minute to get into, but I'll pick up the second book sometime soon.

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pagebypaigereviews's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book quickly found a way into my heart!

"The girl in her who had never amounted to anything other than an avid reader, now had something that kings killed for."
--Air Awakens

Vhalla Yarl was living her ideal life: apprenticing at the library, surrounded by her beloved books. Those employed at the library are charged with researching potential cures for a poisoned prince. Vhalla works longer and harder than anyone else, and her efforts help spare the prince from certain death. Only, she didn't save the flirtatious, charming prince she imagined she was helping, rather, it was his dark, brooding brother. And now he knows something dangerous about her that she could never be prepared to hear.

Air Awakens is the first book I've read by Elise Kova, and I must say that I am thoroughly hooked! This book kept me up reading late into the night on several occasions. The writing is so easy to read, and whenever I wasn't reading, I was longing to go back into the magic of Vhalla's world. I found Vhalla to be a highly relatable character, and I adored her dynamic with prince Aldric. There are so many lovable (and loathe-able) characters!

The only thing that bothered me was that there were several times that I found the wording a little awkward, but I was so enthralled by the story that it wasn't a huge concern for me. If this book is any indication, Kova is quickly joining my list of favorite authors! I can't wait to read the rest of the series! The best part? They are all free on Kindle Unlimited!

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