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The Perilous Sea (The Elemental Trilogy, #2)

Sherry Thomas

This book is the sequel to The Burning Sky.

Iolanthe Seaborne and Prince Titus are back from the summer break to resume school at Eton College (Iolanthe remaining Archer Fairfax) and training to hopefully defeat Bane, the supposed greatest elemental mage of all. Before the summer, Titus killed the Inquisitor and Bane with the help of Iolanthe. The Inquisitor stayed dead (I never liked her anyway) while Bane was resurrected, looking younger than before. Coming back to Eton, their focus is to take down Bane ensuring that he stays dead. Although the Blood Oath between them was finished, Iolanthe was more determined than ever to resume her training and see the friends she has made before the summer. Guided by Titus’s mother’s visions, Titus discovers something so shocking that it breaks his relationship with Iolanthe and changes his perspective of his mission and life altogether, concluding that maybe he won’t be able to take out Bane.

The Perilous Sea was a very interesting book. Continuing the same storyline as the first book, some events were expected while others were unforeseen. The relationship between Titus and Iolanthe took an astonishing turn that I was shocked me, but I enjoyed as it progressed through the major events. The novel is one that doesn’t seem to stop surprising me. I did, however, get slightly bored in the middle of the story as it almost went stale, almost making me stop reading the book or I would have given it five stars. As always, the story picked up again, leaving me breathless at the ending. A wonderful job, but could have done a bit better. I expect The Immortal Heights to do better and end the series right. – Celine J.

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Finish the series with: The Immortal Heights

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The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy, #1)

Sherry Thomas

Iolanthe Seabourne can channel three of the four elements, Fire, Earth, and Water, making her an elemental mage. She was raised up by her guardian Master Haywood. Elemental mages are very rare nowadays and if they are powerful enough, the agents of Atlantis take them away. Iolanthe has always embraced her powers, and decides that she will put on a show for her friend’s wedding. Something as simple as putting on a show turns her life upside down, revealing that Iolanthe has a destiny that will alter the future forever.

Prince Titus is the Master of the Domain. His Destiny was to find the greatest elemental mage of all time, protect and train them to remove another mage who doesn’t deserve to be in that position. Prince Titus must risk his life to ensure that this happens as that is his sole purpose. As Prince Titus and Iolanthe cross paths, they realize that their missions are life-threatening and they have no choice but to complete their destinies together no matter what.

The Burning Sky is an excellent book by far. It keeps readers’ hearts pacing at every page. This fantasy was very creative and personally I enjoyed it in a way I can’t explain in words. The Burning Sky is the beginning of a trilogy, making sure readers will pick up the next book and the final book with excitement. This book also carries a romance making you scream “Why?!” out your window… it did for me. Just an amazing book you must pick up! – Celine J.

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Continue with: The Perilous Sea, The Immortal Heights

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Zenn Diagram

Wendy Brant

Eva Walker is a math genius, who sees everyone and everything in her surroundings as explosive bombs filled with emotions. Eva possesses the ability to read all the secrets, insecurities and fears that individuals hold by simply touching someone or something that belongs to them. As this power becomes beneficial towards her math tutoring sessions with struggling students by touching their calculators, she also sees it as a curse where she learns that it is just best to keep her hands to herself to stay away from all the trouble. That is until she meets Zenn Bennett, who makes that nearly impossible. With Zenn giving Eva violent and dark visions, Eva cannot suppress her curiosity but to take risks to uncover Zenn’s past.

This book is of nothing more than forbidden love, inexplicable natural powers and dark pasts. It started off with such a casual encounter between the two main characters, but ended with a modern happy ending after facing their biggest hardships. I thought it was such a great book because the conflicts that Eva were encountering were so relatable to me and I love the connection between Eva and Zenn. The tension starts to build when the truth unfolds, as always, and it was so unexpected creating major plot twists. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and would recommend to other youth or young adults out there. However, I would like to give out a warning that there are graphic and inappropriate scenes for those of certain age (14 or under). Aside from all that, the plot is well put and it has a solid ground for the settings, characters and their backstories, and the little bits and pieces that help make the story flow. Overall, Zenn Diagram is great choice to read. – Angie C.

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One Dark Throne

Kendare Blake

The battle for the Crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?

With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent. In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.

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The Last Magician

Lisa Maxwell

 

Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.

In modern day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.

Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.

But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.

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Spellbook of the Lost and Found - Moïra Fowley-Doyle

Spellbook of the Lost and Found

Moïra Fowley-Doyle

 

The highly anticipated new book from the acclaimed author of The Accident Season is a gorgeous, twisty story about things gone missing, things returned from the past, and a group of teenagers, connected in ways they could never have imagined.

One stormy Irish summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hairclips and jewelry, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something much bigger, something she won’t talk about, and Olive thinks her best friend is slipping away.

Then seductive diary pages written by a girl named Laurel begin to appear all over town. And Olive meets three mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel, and her twin brother, Rowan, secretly squatting in an abandoned housing estate. The trio are wild and alluring, but they seem lost too—and like Rose, they’re holding tight to painful secrets.

When they discover the spellbook, it changes everything. Damp, tattered and ancient, it’s full of hand-inked charms to conjure back things that have been lost. And it just might be their chance to find what they each need to set everything back to rights.

Unless it’s leading them toward things that were never meant to be found…

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Three Dark Crowns - Kendare BlakeThree Dark Crowns

Kendare Blake

Three dark queens are born in a glen… this fantasy novel takes place on the isle of Fennbirn, where every generation the queen gives birth to triplets, each one possessing a different powerful magic. But only one can become heir and rule the island, so on their sixteenth birthday, the young queens are unleashed upon each other in a fight to the death for the crown.

Mirabella is an elemental, able to control the winds and fire. Katharine is a poisoner, trained in crafting poisons and immune to them herself. Arsinoe, a naturalist, can command the plants and animals. Raised apart from each other in three cities of magic, the queens have not met since they were children. But as their sixteenth birthday and the presentation ceremony approaches, it becomes apparent that the rise to power of the next queen is dependent on a lot more than their natural gifts, as some of their natural gifts are lacking. Mirabella is the most talented and has the support of the Temple, but Arsinoe and Katharine each have powerful friends and allies willing to risk themselves for the queen who shares their magic.

While the beginning of the book can be a little slow, it builds a world of politics, romance, and danger as you learn about the inhabitants and history of Fennbirn – perhaps though, for those people who like detailed worlds, it is not as fleshed out as we’d like. The love triangle is the most frustrating part of this book, as its intention is unclear. Nevertheless, the story grows towards a climax and cliffhanger that will make you want to read the sequel, One Dark Throne, which will be published in late 2017.  — Lisa WM

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