Publication Date
3rd December 2019
Genre
YA Fantasy
Star Rating
ššš
Blurb
Talise has a gift that could save her life.
In an empire divided into three rings, seventeen-year-old Talise is from the outer ring. This dangerous and crime-laden land has one constantā¦ death.
Her only chance for escape is to become Master Shaperāan honored position in the palace court and military. Each year, the emperor chooses one student to receive the title.
After ten years of training at an elite academy, Talise clearly has a gift for manipulating the elements of water, air, earth, and fire. But Aaden, a handsome student from the privileged inner ring, is poised to steal the title away from her.
When they come before the emperor, he is impressed with the great skill both Talise and Aaden possess. He presents them with a set of trials, and she knows this is the chance she needs to prove herself. As long as Aaden doesnāt ruin everything.
But secrets hide in every corner of the palace, masking a conflict far more dangerous than her previous home in the outer ring. Now, she must play along with the emperorās lies and games, or else she will lose her life to an enemy she never expected.
This book includes novellas 1-4 of The Elements of Kamdaria: Ice Crown, Wind Crown, Dust Crown, and Flame Crown.
Nobody ever leaves the storm. Itās a place where criminals are thrown to live out their days in poverty before they finally die of malnutrition. But Talise, who shows a lot of magical promise, has a chance at escaping that fate when she gets accepted to āThe Academyā to become a āMaster Shaperā.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. Sure, it needed a little more fleshing out and there were plot holes here and there. Talise isnāt always that likeable, sheās a little childish at times. And while those things may have dented my enjoyment at times, it wasnāt enough for me to dislike it, because so many things have been done well.
I personally enjoyed the writing, the pacing was good so I never once felt bored. I appreciated the twists, although Iād figured them all out before hand. I actually donāt mind that because, to me, it means that the plot is solid and clues were left for us to piece together.
Iām glad I read this as a bind up of the first four books. The books donāt really end off in satisfying places and I feel like I would have been really disappointed if Iād have read all the books separately. If you want to read these books, the bind up is definitely the way to go. Unfortunately, because this isnāt the complete series, it still left me unsatisfied. The ending literally goes from super fast paced, to āThe Endā, but oh wait, hereās a cliffhanger for good measureā. I didnāt like that at all, and ultimately that is what really spoilt it for me.
Nienna Reads 