REVIEW: Air Awakens
Air Awakens by Elise Kova
Page Count: 330 pages
Release Date: August 27, 2015
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond... The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war. Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.
My Review:
I found this book to be good. I overall enjoyed it--mostly--and I think one of the best things about it is the POTENTIAL. There is so much potential in the world-building, the plot, the characters...however, for me this first book fell short of the potential it had.
The main character is Vhalla, and I simultaneously liked her (she's a library assistant, after all) and was annoyed by her. The main thing was that a lot of her actions and choices seemed very strange/immature/questionable, which made it hard to connect with her as a character. That said, by the end of the book there was some character growth, and the possibility that in the series she might really come into her own. I hope so, because half the time her choices had me like:
There's great potential in the plot, too: one can't go too far wrong with warring kingdoms and elemental magic. I think the best books make you feel like you aren't just a reader, but are fully in the world itself. This book never seemed to fully explore the worldbuilding, so I always felt like a reader.It never got to the point was I was emotionally invested in the characters or world. The writing wasn't the best at times, and sometimes pulled me out of the story. The pacing/flow seemed slightly off as well--there was a long chapter where nothing happened except letters were passed back and forth. Despite all this, the last ten pages or so upped the stakes of the plot, so I think I will continue with the series in the hope that the potential becomes realized!