The Burning Sky
Ratings14
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings14
Average rating3.6
Magic, romance, and intrigue combine in this extraordinary novel—the first in the Elemental Trilogy—for fans of Cinda Williams Chima and Kristin Cashore. Publishers Weekly called it "a wonderfully satisfying magical saga" in a starred review, and Kirkus Reviews said it "bids fair to be the next big epic fantasy success." Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's been told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of the Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the most powerful tyrant and mage the world has ever known. This would be a suicide task for anyone, let alone a reluctant sixteen-year-old girl with no training. Guided by his mother's visions and committed to avenging his family, Prince Titus has sworn to protect Iolanthe even as he prepares her for their battle with the Bane. But he makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the tyrant closing in, Titus must choose between his mission—and her life.
Reviews with the most likes.
I was hesitant after reading some of the reviews about reading this book–people described it as clunky and messy, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I will admit the first part of the book was a bit difficult to bear with. In time, it made more sense but it was confusing at first why the characters were doing what they were doing or who they were.
I will completely agree with others that the characters in this are marvelous. They feel like real people whereas in other fantasy books they often feel like too-perfect heroes or whining cowards before they decide to be too-perfect heroes. I truly related with and loved Titus and Iolanthe! I also loved that their motivations were very clear and their personalities totally open to the reader. The action was not the greatest–lacking description and sometimes very short. However, the mystery and character development of this story will have me anxiously waiting to read the next one!
This is a fun book about magic and standing against evil. I enjoyed it and would like to see more like it.
3.5
At the moment I loved the writing and the story. However, it's been a few days and I can't remember all of the details of the story. I'm really not sure if it's because I'm not in the mood to read YA these days or if it is just the alternative.
Read it slow and annotate.
