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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks, NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press, for the eARC for my honest review!
So, this book's all about the four elements, and that's what made me want to read it!
When Blaze was born, she flooded the world—yep, she's the Rain Singer, so they hidden her away. Until... she and her brother Flint get an invitation to compete to become rulers of the empire. It's a battle not just for the throne, but for her heart too.
I love that the fmc doesn't have fire powers, and the mmc isn't fiery either! That already gives the book some points.
I was getting all the chills, like wow, the descriptions pulled me right into the story, and I was worried about everyone!
It's got vibes of The Hunger Games for the throne, the four elements like in Avatar, and the main girl reminded me of Katara. I liked how Flint treated his sister; his lines were awesome—I need more of him!
The love triangle, not typical ? I don’t remember seeing twists like these before, and I liked it since I'm not a huge fan of triangles.
Overall, it was an easy and enjoyable read, and I'm curious about what happens next.
• Sibling relationships (huge plus, total shock)
• Grief/loss (from multiple viewpoints)
• Four elemental powers
• Competition for the throne
• Love triangle
So, this book's all about the four elements, and that's what made me want to read it!
When Blaze was born, she flooded the world—yep, she's the Rain Singer, so they hidden her away. Until... she and her brother Flint get an invitation to compete to become rulers of the empire. It's a battle not just for the throne, but for her heart too.
I love that the fmc doesn't have fire powers, and the mmc isn't fiery either! That already gives the book some points.
I was getting all the chills, like wow, the descriptions pulled me right into the story, and I was worried about everyone!
It's got vibes of The Hunger Games for the throne, the four elements like in Avatar, and the main girl reminded me of Katara. I liked how Flint treated his sister; his lines were awesome—I need more of him!
The love triangle, not typical ? I don’t remember seeing twists like these before, and I liked it since I'm not a huge fan of triangles.
Overall, it was an easy and enjoyable read, and I'm curious about what happens next.
• Sibling relationships (huge plus, total shock)
• Grief/loss (from multiple viewpoints)
• Four elemental powers
• Competition for the throne
• Love triangle
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hamilton Murray is a solid writer, clearly possessing a strong understanding of the fundamental elements. Each line works, and I never once found myself pulled from the story due to an awkward sentence or an odd phrase/word. I didn’t even put the book down once.
Content-wise, I think this is a strong YA fantasy with a well-rounded plot and world building elements. Sure, it contains widely popular tropes, including trials, but because of the solid foundation (i.e basic proper good writing) it has legs to stand on and grow.
I think this is a book that is good for someone looking to dip a toe into fantasy, and even those like myself, who have read the “Greats” and seen/read many of the same books and tropes ten times over.
I truly have no real issues with this book, and I’m excited for the next installment.
Content-wise, I think this is a strong YA fantasy with a well-rounded plot and world building elements. Sure, it contains widely popular tropes, including trials, but because of the solid foundation (i.e basic proper good writing) it has legs to stand on and grow.
I think this is a book that is good for someone looking to dip a toe into fantasy, and even those like myself, who have read the “Greats” and seen/read many of the same books and tropes ten times over.
I truly have no real issues with this book, and I’m excited for the next installment.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content considerations: no spice, descriptive kisses, death, LGBTQ+ representations
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I absolutely HATE love triangles, and this story apparently featured a prominent one, but I disagree In reality, the "love triangle" is more so a "I have a crush I'm trying to ignore and another crush on someone who isn't interested in me so that was an unexpected happy surprise. I really liked this story, and I look forward to continuing the series. The only thing I didn't like/understand was Blaze's uncharacteristic hate of Fox. You mean to tell me after she's been judged her whole life for the "horrible deed she did" that she's immediately just going to hate someone based solely on other people's opinions of them? It just seemed outside of her character/did not align with what you would assume she would think. It seemed forced to encourage a future "'enemies to lovers" troupe
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail