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ally4sonlang 's review for:
Air Awakens
by Elise Kova
More like early 2000s YA fantasy than what I was expecting based on all the “criminally underhyped” attention this has been getting. Vhalla Yarl is a 17 year old basically slave labourer from a rural part of the kingdom working from like age 10 in the palace library. One night the prince is brought injured by a magically poisoned knife from the battlefield and the librarians are asked to search the books for any hint of a cure. Somehow her margin notes contain traces of magic which heals the prince and creates a blood debt bound between them. Also, she’s the first windwalker in 150 years. The previous ones were all enslaves and kind of died out. The firebearer prince tries to be so mean to her that she will do what he wants and join the hated order of Sorcerers and harness her power for unknown reasons to use in unknown espionage. Hmmm, yes, all very mysterious. He pushes her off a roof to get her to manifest which causes her to like break every bone in her body. There’s grump/sunshine romance and then there’s this.
Things I didn’t like, which just didn’t need to happen:
- Unexplained hatred towards sorcerers and yet they are secretly wealthy from their alumni
- She’s 18 and petite and small and also powerful and so obviously we need to hear in detail how she gets brutally beaten up by rat and mole
- Why does the senator hate her? Just because she’s a commoner?
- Why the pseudo-enmity between the Princes Aldrick and Beldair
- Why the weird best friend love triangle?!?
- This guy straight up just does not like her, despite his desperate little monologue at the end. He is mocking and rude. Refuses to acknowledge or stand up for her. Uses and manipulates her at every turn. What must happen here?!
Things I didn’t like, which just didn’t need to happen:
- Unexplained hatred towards sorcerers and yet they are secretly wealthy from their alumni
- She’s 18 and petite and small and also powerful and so obviously we need to hear in detail how she gets brutally beaten up by rat and mole
- Why does the senator hate her? Just because she’s a commoner?
- Why the pseudo-enmity between the Princes Aldrick and Beldair
- Why the weird best friend love triangle?!?
- This guy straight up just does not like her, despite his desperate little monologue at the end. He is mocking and rude. Refuses to acknowledge or stand up for her. Uses and manipulates her at every turn. What must happen here?!