Balzer + Bray The Burning Sky

I've read all the books she has written. Her characters have depth, her story lines are fresh her books have heart and humour. This is a departure from her usual subject but it is still a good book for the simple reason that she is a great and engaging writer. She could write a phone book and that would be an entertaining read. In conclusion I will buy book II and book III of this trilogy. In fact I wish she could write them faster. Fantastic fantasy novels are not my usual fare, In fact I will not read another one after the Elemental Trilogy ... unless Sherry writes it, of course.

I first read this when I borrowed it from my library. After reading I didn't think much of it, to be honest. I thought it was just a very average YA fantasy book. However after I put it down I realised I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and what would happen next, so I ordered a copy for myself and also ordered the other two books in the series so I can binge read them all.PLOT: Duel perspective. We follow our two main characters, Iolanthe and Titus. Iolanthe has been told she is the greatest mage of her generation, that she will change everything. She is tasked to defeat the Bane (the villain). After everything is set in motion, we are introduced to Prince Titus. He is the one to guide Iolanthe and help her defeat the Bane after his mother prophesied it.The plot is slow moving in some places and there is definitely not enough romance for me yet (hopefully that will be in the later books). There is nothing really that special or different about this book but I enjoyed it and I can't wait to read the rest!Overall I would definitely recommend giving this series a go.

It's never a real question when it comes to me reading YA fantasy, as it will always happen. And when April said that I would enjoy the book, I immediately decided to push it up on the TBR pile. End verdict? The Burning Sky is a strong new addition to the ranks of fantasy YA, bringing elemental magic, a She's the Man twist and fairytale-esque plot.The beginning of this book was quite slow. It was difficult for me to summon interest as we were taken through the day-to-day life of Iolanthe, and I wasn't particularly invested yet in her character. But once the action kicks off, there's no turning back. Even though there are occasional lulls, the plot keeps moving forward until we reach that crucial, if slightly painful ending.Elemental magic (!) is an essential part of this book, as it's really what sets this story in motion. Iolanthe and Titus meet because of her errant, surprise use of elemental magic, and the rest becomes a series of plot turns and twists that involve intense training, Iolanthe disguised as a boy in Eton and a series of showdowns that leave the reader on the edge of their seat with bated breath.Iolanthe is someone who I'd like to be, mostly because she's brave and capable and smart. While her hot head and stubborn nature occasionally gets her into scrapes, she manages to demonstrate a sense of loyalty and camaraderie that simply moved me. She certainly has a way to go before she's fully in control of her abilities, but that's something I can't wait to see happen when her journey continues. Plus, she's a freaking elemental Mage, which is already pretty awesome in itself!Titus, however, is immediately the character for me in this book. By that, I mean that from his very first appearance, I already adored him. It appears that he's part of a privileged family, with duties and obligations to keep. And the boy is just so gosh darn responsible, taking on the weight of the world and then some. His courage, determination, intelligence, cunning and just being plain boy really worked for his character, and I was pretty much in love with him by the time the book came to an end.Together, these two jump through what feels like a billion hoops, all with the goal of keeping Iolanthe safe and undetected. It seems like every time they relax and let down their guard, something new happens to make them wary again. While the incidents start out smaller, they escalate until we hit the final confrontation. And that confrontation just broke my heart! I certainly had all the feels -- and you'll know why when you read it.There is one bit of the book that I found really fascinating: the Crucible. Seriously, that thing is wicked awesome and scary at the same time. But the invention of it is so simple, so well done that I must applaud Thomas for creating this item that I am now kind of obsessed with.The Burning Sky wowed me, though it did start off a bit clunky and slow. It's such a subtle woven fantasy read, drawing me in close in a fashion that I don't notice until I'm finally enmeshed and invested. It will certainly be interesting to learn more about Iolanthe, Titus and the world they are fighting to protect in the sequel, and I look forward to more swoons and feels in the next book!

This was an easy and fun read. Titus and Iolanthe are very likable characters and the plot is strong enough. They are so damn cute. Going to keep reading the series. The world building can be a little confusing at the beginning but it comes together.

It is easier to suspend disbelief if you have anchors. Solid, concrete evidence to support the world you are immersing into. By tying her story, teeming with complicated magic, to 1880's England Thomas achieved the opposite. The result was that I spent the first 10 chapters trying to wrap my head around the hundreds of abstract concepts this book offered searching for a sensible explanation. I felt like I began a marathon a mile behind everyone else. The run was exhausting. The beginning chapters of a book are crucial to character development and they were wasted. Characters trump environment. I felt like Thomas put so much into this book that she forgot the basic building blocks that she built her name on. Generally, Thomas is good at creating unforgettable personalities. I would have loved to see Thomas fully exploit her talented skills in this one. I read Thomas' first book when it was first published and immediately knew that I would buy everyone single one of Thomas' books from that point onward, and I have. I love to see her change genre's and enter the world of fantasy which is my preferred genre. So it's probably safe to say that all the previously stated combined with months of waiting for the release led to unrealistically high expectations. Perhaps I'm a predispositionist but her books are gold and she would have to truly disappoint me for me to give her anything other than 5 stars.