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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
medium-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Good idea, but it was pretty confusing at times. Ended up skimming a majority of the book, which may have lead to my confusion.
New favourite! Oh the romance. My heart is in tatters. Fantastic!
Probably more like 3.5 stars, actually.
I love Sherry Thomas. She writes the best, most emotionally intricate historical romance novels out there. She's an insta-buy author for me.
But...her foray into the fantastical YA world with this book didn't quite wet my whistle.
Iolanthe Seabourne is this fabulous elemental mage living with a ne'er do well mage-guardian who she is desperately trying to save from the poor house.
One day, she decides to call down lightning to fix a botched spell, and garners the attention of the mage overlords of Atlantis, as well as the attention of the Prince of her realm, Titus, whose whole life has been lived waiting for the prophesied elemental mage to appear.
Somehow, Titus must hide Iolanthe (which he does in our world's Eton) and also foil the attempts of the Inquisitor (Atlantean mind mage) to find out what he knows about Iolanthe. Hijinks at school and in the fairy-tale world of the Crucible (a book you can enter and experience the stories of).
We get both Titus and Iolanthe as our POV, and somehow I felt closer to Titus than I did Iolanthe. This is a common trope of adult historical romances, but for YA, I wanted more of Iolanthe's flavor. I wanted more of her reactions to being a boy scholar at Eton, her reactions to the Inquisitor threatening them, and her reactions to Titus' attitude towards her as she slowly realized an attraction.
Maybe it's just me, but I wanted the YA heroine to be the main focus of the book. Didn't know I had that prejudice in me.
So while alot of the ideas in this book (mage realms coexisting in alternate dimensions with our world; the Crucible providing training grounds for mages; the AWESOME end notes adding a touch of historical/dry flavor to the fantastic) amused me, since I never connected with Iolanthe too much, I kind of got a bit bored at the end of the book when Titus confronts both the Atlantean overlord and the Inquisitor.
Epic battles on wyverns shouldn't be boring, yeah?
So cool ideas, didn't keep my attention because I wanted to be more in Iolanthe's head. Romance level is only a bit of a kiss, so entirely suitable for elementary school readers.
This Book's Snack Rating: Baked Lay's for having cool YA fantasy ideas that lacked a bit of the YA heroine crunch of a normal chip
I love Sherry Thomas. She writes the best, most emotionally intricate historical romance novels out there. She's an insta-buy author for me.
But...her foray into the fantastical YA world with this book didn't quite wet my whistle.
Iolanthe Seabourne is this fabulous elemental mage living with a ne'er do well mage-guardian who she is desperately trying to save from the poor house.
One day, she decides to call down lightning to fix a botched spell, and garners the attention of the mage overlords of Atlantis, as well as the attention of the Prince of her realm, Titus, whose whole life has been lived waiting for the prophesied elemental mage to appear.
Somehow, Titus must hide Iolanthe (which he does in our world's Eton) and also foil the attempts of the Inquisitor (Atlantean mind mage) to find out what he knows about Iolanthe. Hijinks at school and in the fairy-tale world of the Crucible (a book you can enter and experience the stories of).
We get both Titus and Iolanthe as our POV, and somehow I felt closer to Titus than I did Iolanthe. This is a common trope of adult historical romances, but for YA, I wanted more of Iolanthe's flavor. I wanted more of her reactions to being a boy scholar at Eton, her reactions to the Inquisitor threatening them, and her reactions to Titus' attitude towards her as she slowly realized an attraction.
Maybe it's just me, but I wanted the YA heroine to be the main focus of the book. Didn't know I had that prejudice in me.
So while alot of the ideas in this book (mage realms coexisting in alternate dimensions with our world; the Crucible providing training grounds for mages; the AWESOME end notes adding a touch of historical/dry flavor to the fantastic) amused me, since I never connected with Iolanthe too much, I kind of got a bit bored at the end of the book when Titus confronts both the Atlantean overlord and the Inquisitor.
Epic battles on wyverns shouldn't be boring, yeah?
So cool ideas, didn't keep my attention because I wanted to be more in Iolanthe's head. Romance level is only a bit of a kiss, so entirely suitable for elementary school readers.
This Book's Snack Rating: Baked Lay's for having cool YA fantasy ideas that lacked a bit of the YA heroine crunch of a normal chip
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very jumpy climax. Interesting mix of Narnia like doors and elemental magic. Not enough villain development.
I really do love a good fun fantasy book! And I found a lot of fun in this one! Enchanting magical realms (and a made up place with stories to hop into!), various magical creatures (dragons!), our heroine in disguise at an all boy's school (She's The Man style), a cunning and burdened prince (and yes you will fall in love with him), an ancient and unbeatable tyrant to defeat, a destiny of peril and no guarantee of victory, and a romance with all the feels.
Now you can see it this isn't my most organized review, but just my ramblings on the book.
Something about the writing gripped me from the start. But from the half point onwards, I could not tear my eyes away from the pages. I just kept reading. I love that feeling. I felt like a kid completely absorbed in a magical fairytale, or rather like a teenager again, swept away by the adorable romance. (Btw, no triangle at all!)
I like and was surprised that this is set in the 19th century, but with their being hidden magical realms with castles and its own political conflicts and way of life. The Crucible with various and challenging fairtytale-like scenarios that Titus uses for Iolanthe's (why a name so hard to pronounce?) battle practice is my favorite setting in the novel.
I would have given this five stars just for the sheer enjoyment I had reading. But as it neared the end, when things are supposed to be the most intense, the book felt a bit rushed and that's why I'm taking down a star.
If you like YA Fantasy when it's light and fun with likable characters and a plot that builds slowly (I'm expecting the third book to hold the epic showdown this promises), then I would recommend this!
I'm already on book two with no plans to stop!
Now you can see it this isn't my most organized review, but just my ramblings on the book.
Something about the writing gripped me from the start. But from the half point onwards, I could not tear my eyes away from the pages. I just kept reading. I love that feeling. I felt like a kid completely absorbed in a magical fairytale, or rather like a teenager again, swept away by the adorable romance. (Btw, no triangle at all!)
I like and was surprised that this is set in the 19th century, but with their being hidden magical realms with castles and its own political conflicts and way of life. The Crucible with various and challenging fairtytale-like scenarios that Titus uses for Iolanthe's (why a name so hard to pronounce?) battle practice is my favorite setting in the novel.
I would have given this five stars just for the sheer enjoyment I had reading. But as it neared the end, when things are supposed to be the most intense, the book felt a bit rushed and that's why I'm taking down a star.
If you like YA Fantasy when it's light and fun with likable characters and a plot that builds slowly (I'm expecting the third book to hold the epic showdown this promises), then I would recommend this!
I'm already on book two with no plans to stop!
adventurous
emotional
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
I adored this book. The plot kept me intrigued, the characters were colorful, there was plenty of humor injected inbetween the thrilling moments (fans of Terry Pratchett should appreciate this aspect), and the footnotes derived from various mage books and periodicals I found absolutely charming. The mage universe overlapping with our own makes it all the more interesting.
I really liked this book, even though it has been on my to read shelf for a while. There is a lot of adventure and quite fascinating magic. I liked the kind of back and forth almost romance that came between the two main characters. Usually I don't like too much romance but here it was kind of funny, they were jammed into a situation with eachother. They kept thinking i like you, which is ridiculous because i don't know you, oh now you're annoying again. It felt more realistic than two people who fall in love at first sight or something. These guys kind of hated each other, then sort of became friends, then the kind of friend who risks their life to save yours. My only complaint is because i did the audio book I was never sure who the narrator was because it would jump back and forth in the middle of chapters. I love it when there are a female and male narrator, that might have been better for this book.