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A review by stjehanne
Water's Wrath by Elise Kova
3.0
A huge improvement, in my opinion. Much more exciting plot, characters seemed a bit better developed.
However, the weird pacing is still there. At this point, it has become Kova's trademark for me. The issue is that things just... happen. No real build-up, no real cause & effect. Important plot points simply float by, leaving me a bit lost.
Just think of Baldair's death. Sure, it is a sad moment, yet only for a few pages. Yes, people mention him now and then but to me, it felt like there was no real payoff for the character death. Nothing really changes (after the grief was sorted through in the span of a couple of hours). We don't even see the proper reaction of his friends.
So why kill him off? This thought could be applied to most of the character deaths in the series.
Since the majority of the side characters are as flat as they can be, their untimely demises did not evoke any long-lasting emotional reaction on my end. Kova's series focuses too much on the fate of the main couple, to the point where nothing ever happens unless it leads to a scene in which they bond yet again. Perhaps this would work a bit better if both Vhalla and Aldrick were... a bit more interesting.
Still, 3 stars for actually entertaining me for a few hours without making me want to hit things (looking at you, [b:Earth's End|26760091|Earth's End (Air Awakens, #3)|Elise Kova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1447570143l/26760091._SX50_.jpg|46785371]).
P.S.: Actually had to laugh out loud when Vhalla mentions that she is worried about her friends who are still in the city towards the end. Girl, what other friends???
However, the weird pacing is still there. At this point, it has become Kova's trademark for me. The issue is that things just... happen. No real build-up, no real cause & effect. Important plot points simply float by, leaving me a bit lost.
Just think of Baldair's death. Sure, it is a sad moment, yet only for a few pages. Yes, people mention him now and then but to me, it felt like there was no real payoff for the character death. Nothing really changes (after the grief was sorted through in the span of a couple of hours). We don't even see the proper reaction of his friends.
So why kill him off? This thought could be applied to most of the character deaths in the series.
Since the majority of the side characters are as flat as they can be, their untimely demises did not evoke any long-lasting emotional reaction on my end. Kova's series focuses too much on the fate of the main couple, to the point where nothing ever happens unless it leads to a scene in which they bond yet again. Perhaps this would work a bit better if both Vhalla and Aldrick were... a bit more interesting.
Still, 3 stars for actually entertaining me for a few hours without making me want to hit things (looking at you, [b:Earth's End|26760091|Earth's End (Air Awakens, #3)|Elise Kova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1447570143l/26760091._SX50_.jpg|46785371]).
P.S.: Actually had to laugh out loud when Vhalla mentions that she is worried about her friends who are still in the city towards the end. Girl, what other friends???