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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
I'm too stressed to write a full review, thanks to the impending doom of finals, but I'll just say that The Burning Sky was a quick, fun read.
This book was enjoyable enough, but the world building was a bit confusing. There were definitely the segments that the author would explain that I just had no idea what she meant. I enjoyed it enough but won't continue the series.
*1.5/5 stars*
“A messy business, rescuing princes.”
This book was so slow for me. So. Slow. Very little happened for most of the book and everything was packed just in the last chapters. And I just did not care. I didn't care about the story. I didn't care about the characters in the slightest.
The story is alternately told from two POVs: Iolanthe - The Chosen One elemental mage, and Titus - scheming prince of the realm. While Titus's character had some personality at least, Iolanthe was entirely one dimensional. Most of her character consisted from being the future powerful elemental mage and being the Chosen One for defeating the Bane - usurper and the story's bland (practically missing) villain. Sadly, I felt very detached from the story because of my lack of connection with the characters. Also, the characters felt quite a bit childish to me, I don't know why exactly, but this novel felt a bit more like a middle grade read - If the author only switched the age of the characters three or four years younger, I wouldn't think this was a YA.
The world building was practically like a mix of Harry Potter and Narnia... In an overwhelming way. The Burning Sky was simply overfilled with magic, magical objects and beings to the brim. There was way too much magical elements and it just didn't work for me. The world building was overstuffed and confusing and while some magical objects were an awesome idea, I found myself uninvested.
The writing style felt stylish: like a historical fiction and it may seem a bit dense to some, but it was actually one of the things that worked for me. Though I had problems with how the story was told - mainly that there seemed to be way more telling than showing and the plot really dragged.
I absolutely did not care about the romance, which despite being hate to love (one of my favourite tropes), felt like just another bland insta-love with no spark.
The thing about The Burning Sky for me is that while I didn't hate anything about this book, I didn't love any aspect (except being interested in parts of the world building) of it either. It mostly hit the mark between 'it was bland' and 'it was ok'. So here you go two stars. I'm going to continue the sequel sometime mainly because I want to see it the story improves for me later on.
“This is the story of a girl who fooled a thousand boys, a boy who fooled an entire country, a partnership that would change the fate of realms, and a power to challenge the greatest tyrant the world had ever known.
Expect magic.”
I don't even know why, but I had very high expectations from this one and sadly ended up being disappointed.
****************************************
Pre-review:
Because I obviously need to read yet another series about elemental magic after Air Awakens!
“A messy business, rescuing princes.”
This book was so slow for me. So. Slow. Very little happened for most of the book and everything was packed just in the last chapters. And I just did not care. I didn't care about the story. I didn't care about the characters in the slightest.
The story is alternately told from two POVs: Iolanthe - The Chosen One elemental mage, and Titus - scheming prince of the realm. While Titus's character had some personality at least, Iolanthe was entirely one dimensional. Most of her character consisted from being the future powerful elemental mage and being the Chosen One for defeating the Bane - usurper and the story's bland (practically missing) villain. Sadly, I felt very detached from the story because of my lack of connection with the characters. Also, the characters felt quite a bit childish to me, I don't know why exactly, but this novel felt a bit more like a middle grade read - If the author only switched the age of the characters three or four years younger, I wouldn't think this was a YA.
The world building was practically like a mix of Harry Potter and Narnia... In an overwhelming way. The Burning Sky was simply overfilled with magic, magical objects and beings to the brim. There was way too much magical elements and it just didn't work for me. The world building was overstuffed and confusing and while some magical objects were an awesome idea, I found myself uninvested.
The writing style felt stylish: like a historical fiction and it may seem a bit dense to some, but it was actually one of the things that worked for me. Though I had problems with how the story was told - mainly that there seemed to be way more telling than showing and the plot really dragged.
I absolutely did not care about the romance, which despite being hate to love (one of my favourite tropes), felt like just another bland insta-love with no spark.
The thing about The Burning Sky for me is that while I didn't hate anything about this book, I didn't love any aspect (except being interested in parts of the world building) of it either. It mostly hit the mark between 'it was bland' and 'it was ok'. So here you go two stars. I'm going to continue the sequel sometime mainly because I want to see it the story improves for me later on.
“This is the story of a girl who fooled a thousand boys, a boy who fooled an entire country, a partnership that would change the fate of realms, and a power to challenge the greatest tyrant the world had ever known.
Expect magic.”
I don't even know why, but I had very high expectations from this one and sadly ended up being disappointed.
****************************************
Pre-review:
Because I obviously need to read yet another series about elemental magic after Air Awakens!
Maybe I would have enjoyed the book more if I had it as a physical copy? I needed something to listen to at work and this book was immediatly available so I downloaded it.
I feel like I didn't understand what was going on half the time and what needed to be going on. The plot felt a little flat to me and the character development one dimensional. So, not my favorite. The premise was really interesting and I was actually kind of excited to read it but. . .
I feel like I didn't understand what was going on half the time and what needed to be going on. The plot felt a little flat to me and the character development one dimensional. So, not my favorite. The premise was really interesting and I was actually kind of excited to read it but. . .
I enjoyed this but would have liked it much better without the love story, especially because Titus gets super creepy sometimes and the book doesn't seem to think his behavior is a problem. There are, however, footnotes and I love footnotes in a novel.
Am Anfang war es schwer in die Geschichte einzutauchen, da vieles nicht erklärt wurde. Sobald man verstanden hat was genau vor sich ging, wurde es wirklich gut. Das Ende war ein schöner Abschluss. Ich bin mir unsicher ob ich die nächsten zwei Bände noch lesen werde, da eigentlich alles aufgelöst wurde und der dritte Band auch noch nicht übersetzt ist.
4 TURTLES: A great read, I definitely recommend
Fun Fact: Gilbert and Sullivan’s Operetta, Iolanthe, premiered one year before this book takes place. Coincidence?
I picked this one up at ALA this summer, and I am sure glad I did! As soon as I knew there would be a good chunk of the book set in Victorian England I knew I would be set. Add in a lonely prince and a girl who has to pretend to be a boy, and those pages just kept a-turnin’.
I really liked both of the MC’s. Both Iolanthe and Titus were strong and I loved the banter that went on between them. Titus has a book called the Crucible that is more or less a virtual world for learning and practicing magic. I really liked how it played into the story, and how the Crucible contained both familiar fairy tales and made up one’s from Titus’ world.
As you can see from the synopsis, the plot is similar to ones we’ve all seen before, but I thought that Sherry Thomas added her own twist to it, so the fact that it wasn’t the most original story in the world didn’t bother me all that much. One thing I would have liked to see more was the development of Titus’ and Iolanthe’s relationship. Not to spoil anything, but it did follow some formulaic patterns, and I wasn’t really sure how things stood between them at the end of the book. I guess that’s what sequel’s are for, right?
Taking all that into consideration, it was one of the better fantasy books that I have read in a while and I am super excited for the sequel! It may be 450+ pages, but it is a fast read. It is a perfect escapist read for a sick day (I should know), or any other type of day. I highly recommend it!
Fun Fact: Gilbert and Sullivan’s Operetta, Iolanthe, premiered one year before this book takes place. Coincidence?
I picked this one up at ALA this summer, and I am sure glad I did! As soon as I knew there would be a good chunk of the book set in Victorian England I knew I would be set. Add in a lonely prince and a girl who has to pretend to be a boy, and those pages just kept a-turnin’.
I really liked both of the MC’s. Both Iolanthe and Titus were strong and I loved the banter that went on between them. Titus has a book called the Crucible that is more or less a virtual world for learning and practicing magic. I really liked how it played into the story, and how the Crucible contained both familiar fairy tales and made up one’s from Titus’ world.
As you can see from the synopsis, the plot is similar to ones we’ve all seen before, but I thought that Sherry Thomas added her own twist to it, so the fact that it wasn’t the most original story in the world didn’t bother me all that much. One thing I would have liked to see more was the development of Titus’ and Iolanthe’s relationship. Not to spoil anything, but it did follow some formulaic patterns, and I wasn’t really sure how things stood between them at the end of the book. I guess that’s what sequel’s are for, right?
Taking all that into consideration, it was one of the better fantasy books that I have read in a while and I am super excited for the sequel! It may be 450+ pages, but it is a fast read. It is a perfect escapist read for a sick day (I should know), or any other type of day. I highly recommend it!