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pagesihavenotyetread's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yuzujam's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: Although I have read many books, I am not used to reviewing books and apologize if my review is inelegant and rambling. However, I will try my best having been given a Advanced Reader's Edition.
When I received an e-mail from Goodreads notifying me of my luck for having won this book, I was ecstatic. I had not imagined winning any of the giveaways, and I was happy.
A few weeks after the e-mail, my book arrived. My sister looked at the summary on the back and scoffed, a girl? a prince? falling in love? Granted, she is not into romance... Regardless, I left the book on my table for some time before beginning. I had read the summary and knew what it was going to be about but somehow still felt less inclined. But! I did want to read it and so started.
Now then, I wish that I had read the book in one-reading rather than over several days (though less than a week). I mention this because today when I picked it back up, I found myself into it more than the previous days. And who knows whether that was due to the quality of the book or due to other variables that may have risen because of me reading it in multiple sittings (variables such as my mood, the weather, my desire to read, etc).
Keeping that in mind, I would like to say that the beginning was difficult for me to get into. Small things kept bothering me. What was with the first page? Why did the author use rather simple and unimaginative words like "the Great?" Enough times that I had to ask myself what age group the intended audience was... younger than young adult? How young was young adult? Anyhow, now that I have finished the book, I guess that the word choice was fine.
In addition to the small details, there were quite a few things going on that kept me frowning and trying to make sense of things. Events that I now see were pretty informative and important. However, it was confusing because I think that there had not been enough world-building (when I say world-building, it is both the creating of the world as well as the execution in describing it. The world she is creating is fascinating and wonderful, but the way she does it with words was somewhat lacking for me at the beginning). The author may have been using those scenes in the world-building, but for me it was too much. Really, the pieces of information for the foundation such as that this takes place in a Harry Potter like world where there are mages and non-mages, what the Crucible is (seriously, we suddenly get introduced to the prince who's in the Crucible, so confusing!), etc. was taking too long to be strongly placed (or at least seep into my brain).
I finally got the hang of things around the middle of the story where I soon began to be engrossed by the Inquisition and all events that followed. So I had read the first half over 2-3 days, and then finished the rest in about three hours today after lunch. Which is one reason why I thought that what was preventing me from getting into the book was my challenge in figuring out the world.
For some reason that reminds me of other things that bothered me about the book. The two protagonists are both good looking and are attracted to each other from basically the beginning. Also, one's a prince and the other is a powerful mage... Somewhat fairy-tale/cliche-like. I wish there had been more depth. Not that they weren't fascinating people! They were (I enjoyed the prince's act), but...
That then leads me to how I thought that the world was not built as well as it could have been, with greater coverage of its history, lands, culture, etc. Just enough for the book to work. Yes, that did bother me. There was so much potential! The world in the author's mind must be pretty incredible, but it's not described enough. The characters could also be further developed, hopefully in the next book. I understand world-building can be tedious to both the author and reader, but it's really important! I think the most well-thought place might have been the Crucible, which is not even the real world (in the book)!
However, I think that this is a good book. I would really like to read the sequel but am not dying for it to come out. Now that I figured out the setting, I am going back and rereading, at least up until the Inquisition.
Thank you Goodreads and Harper for this book. It was a interesting read, and I really enjoyed the latter half. I will reevaluate the first half when I reread it. Although I complained a little about a-girl-and-a-prince story, how the focus might be on the relationship more than the story... it was cute. I really liked the sleeping beauty concept that was carried throughout the book, that was well done. The potential for the story is great, and I look forward to the second book.
Recommended for young adults into worlds with mages and non-mages as well as the four elements as powers. --090313
When I received an e-mail from Goodreads notifying me of my luck for having won this book, I was ecstatic. I had not imagined winning any of the giveaways, and I was happy.
A few weeks after the e-mail, my book arrived. My sister looked at the summary on the back and scoffed, a girl? a prince? falling in love? Granted, she is not into romance... Regardless, I left the book on my table for some time before beginning. I had read the summary and knew what it was going to be about but somehow still felt less inclined. But! I did want to read it and so started.
Now then, I wish that I had read the book in one-reading rather than over several days (though less than a week). I mention this because today when I picked it back up, I found myself into it more than the previous days. And who knows whether that was due to the quality of the book or due to other variables that may have risen because of me reading it in multiple sittings (variables such as my mood, the weather, my desire to read, etc).
Keeping that in mind, I would like to say that the beginning was difficult for me to get into. Small things kept bothering me. What was with the first page? Why did the author use rather simple and unimaginative words like "the Great?" Enough times that I had to ask myself what age group the intended audience was... younger than young adult? How young was young adult? Anyhow, now that I have finished the book, I guess that the word choice was fine.
In addition to the small details, there were quite a few things going on that kept me frowning and trying to make sense of things. Events that I now see were pretty informative and important. However, it was confusing because I think that there had not been enough world-building (when I say world-building, it is both the creating of the world as well as the execution in describing it. The world she is creating is fascinating and wonderful, but the way she does it with words was somewhat lacking for me at the beginning). The author may have been using those scenes in the world-building, but for me it was too much. Really, the pieces of information for the foundation such as that this takes place in a Harry Potter like world where there are mages and non-mages, what the Crucible is (seriously, we suddenly get introduced to the prince who's in the Crucible, so confusing!), etc. was taking too long to be strongly placed (or at least seep into my brain).
I finally got the hang of things around the middle of the story where I soon began to be engrossed by the Inquisition and all events that followed. So I had read the first half over 2-3 days, and then finished the rest in about three hours today after lunch. Which is one reason why I thought that what was preventing me from getting into the book was my challenge in figuring out the world.
For some reason that reminds me of other things that bothered me about the book. The two protagonists are both good looking and are attracted to each other from basically the beginning. Also, one's a prince and the other is a powerful mage... Somewhat fairy-tale/cliche-like. I wish there had been more depth. Not that they weren't fascinating people! They were (I enjoyed the prince's act), but...
That then leads me to how I thought that the world was not built as well as it could have been, with greater coverage of its history, lands, culture, etc. Just enough for the book to work. Yes, that did bother me. There was so much potential! The world in the author's mind must be pretty incredible, but it's not described enough. The characters could also be further developed, hopefully in the next book. I understand world-building can be tedious to both the author and reader, but it's really important! I think the most well-thought place might have been the Crucible, which is not even the real world (in the book)!
However, I think that this is a good book. I would really like to read the sequel but am not dying for it to come out. Now that I figured out the setting, I am going back and rereading, at least up until the Inquisition.
Thank you Goodreads and Harper for this book. It was a interesting read, and I really enjoyed the latter half. I will reevaluate the first half when I reread it. Although I complained a little about a-girl-and-a-prince story, how the focus might be on the relationship more than the story... it was cute. I really liked the sleeping beauty concept that was carried throughout the book, that was well done. The potential for the story is great, and I look forward to the second book.
Recommended for young adults into worlds with mages and non-mages as well as the four elements as powers. --090313
livgomersall's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
hyphenating's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
2.75
squish93's review against another edition
4.0
I was hesitant after reading some of the reviews about reading this book--people described it as clunky and messy, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I will admit the first part of the book was a bit difficult to bear with. In time, it made more sense but it was confusing at first why the characters were doing what they were doing or who they were.
I will completely agree with others that the characters in this are marvelous. They feel like real people whereas in other fantasy books they often feel like too-perfect heroes or whining cowards before they decide to be too-perfect heroes. I truly related with and loved Titus and Iolanthe! I also loved that their motivations were very clear and their personalities totally open to the reader. The action was not the greatest--lacking description and sometimes very short. However, the mystery and character development of this story will have me anxiously waiting to read the next one!
I will completely agree with others that the characters in this are marvelous. They feel like real people whereas in other fantasy books they often feel like too-perfect heroes or whining cowards before they decide to be too-perfect heroes. I truly related with and loved Titus and Iolanthe! I also loved that their motivations were very clear and their personalities totally open to the reader. The action was not the greatest--lacking description and sometimes very short. However, the mystery and character development of this story will have me anxiously waiting to read the next one!
aepstone's review against another edition
5.0
Truly excellent. I loved the characters, the world, the plotting -- all of it. Can't wait for the next one! Highly recommend it for fans of Tamora Pierce, Diana Wynne Jones, etc.
saranies's review against another edition
4.0
A fun fantasy story. Pretty classic: colonized country has child born into it that is the prophesied one, but there are a few twists. The main character is mad about getting manipulated
The ending felt a little like it wrapped up too easily, as though the author was nearing the end of her page count and needed things to be over. I do have questions about the Bane and the Inquisitor (although some things seem obvious, like). Looking forward to finishing out the trilogy and spending more time in the worlds.
I might like this book more than I otherwise would because a throwaway character has the same name as my cat: Alcyone.
The ending felt a little like it wrapped up too easily, as though the author was nearing the end of her page count and needed things to be over. I do have questions about the Bane and the Inquisitor (although some things seem obvious, like
Spoiler
Titus is the Bane's son and Iolanthe is somehow related to the royal familyI might like this book more than I otherwise would because a throwaway character has the same name as my cat: Alcyone.
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
The Burning Sky is the story of a young prince (Titus) trying desperately to save his country from an evil magical overlord and the young woman (Iolanthe) who is destined to help him in his quest. To protect Iolanthe from the evil forces threatening their country, Titus enrolls them both at Eton, and Iolanthe has to pretend to be a boy.
I'm sure this book will have people comparing it to the Harry Potter series because of the concept of a magical world co-existing with our world and the scary magical villain (and the characters "vaulting" between various locations is reminiscent of apparating), but I was reminded more of The Prisoner of Zenda for some reason (maybe it was the 19th century setting) and also of Jaclyn Moriarty's A Corner of White (Sherry Thomas' Atlantis reminds me a bit of Moriarty's kingdom of Cello).
I enjoyed this book very much. Thomas does a great job with world-building. Atlantis felt very real to me and I loved the concept of the Crucible, where the characters could enter stories (and meet Titus' ancestors). The parts that were set at Eton were equally interesting to me, and I enjoyed the contrast between the two worlds.
Titus and Iolanthe were both very strong characters. I felt a lot of sympathy for Titus, whose life is basically a lie. And Iolanthe is a strong, smart young woman who faces her destiny with courage. I loved how she was able to adjust to having to pretend to be a boy while at Eton. I enjoyed the other characters as well, particularly the Inquisitor, who was really frightening. Her scenes with Titus were very tense.
My only complaint about this book is that I felt that the romance between Titus and Iolanthe developed a little too quickly. But this is only a minor complaint, and the things that I liked about the book far outweigh this concern.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
I'm sure this book will have people comparing it to the Harry Potter series because of the concept of a magical world co-existing with our world and the scary magical villain (and the characters "vaulting" between various locations is reminiscent of apparating), but I was reminded more of The Prisoner of Zenda for some reason (maybe it was the 19th century setting) and also of Jaclyn Moriarty's A Corner of White (Sherry Thomas' Atlantis reminds me a bit of Moriarty's kingdom of Cello).
I enjoyed this book very much. Thomas does a great job with world-building. Atlantis felt very real to me and I loved the concept of the Crucible, where the characters could enter stories (and meet Titus' ancestors). The parts that were set at Eton were equally interesting to me, and I enjoyed the contrast between the two worlds.
Titus and Iolanthe were both very strong characters. I felt a lot of sympathy for Titus, whose life is basically a lie. And Iolanthe is a strong, smart young woman who faces her destiny with courage. I loved how she was able to adjust to having to pretend to be a boy while at Eton. I enjoyed the other characters as well, particularly the Inquisitor, who was really frightening. Her scenes with Titus were very tense.
My only complaint about this book is that I felt that the romance between Titus and Iolanthe developed a little too quickly. But this is only a minor complaint, and the things that I liked about the book far outweigh this concern.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
kimu23's review
2.5
Technically, this should get lower rating. The worldbuilding and the magic system are a mess, BUT the romance is great. I like the main characters and as expected of Sherry Thomas, she ate with the romance scenes.
Personally I have always been a characters > worldbuilding truther. I can ignore terrible magic system or worldbuilding full of holes as long as I love the characters. In this case, I love the romance so I’ll be reading the rest of the series
Personally I have always been a characters > worldbuilding truther. I can ignore terrible magic system or worldbuilding full of holes as long as I love the characters. In this case, I love the romance so I’ll be reading the rest of the series