Soldier… Sorcerer… Savior… Who is Vhalla Yarl?Vhalla Yarl marches to war as property of the Solaris Empire. The Emperor counts on her to bring victory, the Senate counts on her death, and the only thing Vhalla can count on is the fight of her life. As she grapples with the ghosts of her past, new challenges in the present threaten to shatter the remnants of her fragile … of her fragile sanity. Will she maintain her humanity? Or will she truly become the Empire’s monster?
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Follows up Book 1 (Air Awakens) with an action-packed sequel. I had no trouble turning the pages and enjoyed Vhalla’s journey in becoming a soldier. However, this book was a little dark for me. Vhalla and her friends keep getting beat up with some devastating results. Pro: I felt so bad for the characters throughout this book! I cared deeply for them. Con: This book was a little depressing for me right now, and I almost had to pause reading the series after it. But if you can handle a little darkness in your books (or even like it!), I recommend checking this book out.
***REREAD REVIEW 01/20/2019***
Holy Mother, I was unprepared for how much this book affects me. I first read this book in July 2016 and rereading it brought me to my knees. I am such a mess right now, and rightly so. This series is something special.
The romance, oh my god, the romance!! Elise Kova can write a love story better than Aphrodite herself. She is so gifted in creating relationships in her books. (Not only romantic ones either.) The slow-burn romance in this book is all-consuming. The chemistry, backstory of the characters, and the way the characters come together is so tantalizing that your heart will want to beat out of your chest. And it just might. The romance is so well written that it will stay with you long after you’ve put the book down.
I absolutely love the character progression in this book. The characters are figuring things out and trying to find their place. The relationships that are forming and growing between the many characters are so incredible and written masterfully. The reader cares about each relationship created in this story, and for various reasons. The relationships are meaningful and written with purpose.
I truly love the plot of this book in the series. I love how it progresses the romance in the story and also sets other things in motion for the rest of the story. While the romance is a big part of this series, it does not dominate or control the story. Things are happening outside of the romance, but the romance is blending into the plot seamlessly.
The world is definitely expanded upon in this book. I love how very real everything in this book feels. Kova is skilled in making the reader feel like they are inside the story living alongside these characters.
While this is my second time reading this book, I have no dount that I will read this story again and again. These characters will lodge themselves into your heart and you won’t be able to let them go. I recommend this series to all young adult fantasy fans! My excitement for Vortex Visions, the first book in the Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles series, is palpable. I can’t wait to revisit this amazing world with new characters and a new story.
**ORIGINAL Review**
OH. MY. GOD. OMG. The feels! OMG. So many feels! I feel like I am crumbling into pieces. There is just so much going on in my head and my heart right now that I don’t quite know how to proceed. Let’s see now…
Elise Kova wields magic not just in the pages of this story, but with mere words. She has such a talent for creating a story that is held so close to my heart.
The characters are growing so much. I love how close Vhalla is becoming with her friends. It is just so touching. I am happy for her and it gives me so much hope for her. I love the new friendships that she forges as well. Vhalla and Aldrick’s relationship evolves so much. There is so much tension, and it’s the good kind. They go through so much and find themselves growing together and apart. I loved Baldair much more in this book. I liked his character in the last book, but now that like has turned to love. I adore him. I can’t wait to see what the series has in store for all of these characters.
The plot thickens in this follow-up. With everyone marching off to the warfront, there is so much going on. There is a lot of personal growth for the characters, but it feels like the story grows as well. Between both there is never a dull moment. We learn more about the war going on, and the political intrigue is escalating. I am just foaming at the mouth with anticipation for what comes next in this series!
The pacing is comparable to the first book. It may seem faster since you already know the characters, but in reality it is still evenly paced.
The romance seemed to take up a large portion of the book. The story definitely does not lack because of this. The story goes right along with no disruption. The romance grows around the story. It’s perfect, actually. I loved it!
The ending of this book will rip your heart out and flay your soul. I’m not joking. It’s that intense. You will feel, you will cry, and you will fall to the floor begging to the gods for mercy. It’s that kind of ending. It will change you.
Please do yourself a favor and read this series. Just do it. There is so much to love about this series. The engaging plot, the complex fantasy elements, and a budding romance that will fill your heart up to overflowing. This series has become one of my favorites, and I have no doubt that it will be one of yours as well!
This is the second book in the Air Awakens series. This book begins just 5 days after the trial in the first book. I really like how the author handles the emotional trauma is from the first book, it is not glossed over like nothing ever happened. I love how Vhalla comes out so much stronger in the end. As a whole, this book was an emotional rollercoaster ride with an angst level of 10. I spent the majority of the book in this state.
No No No No
No character is safe the author has no issues toying/destroying them all in one way or another. As much as it wrecks me I have to say I love the way she does it.
I can’t wait to pick up the next book in this series and I promised myself that I would get to read it in February. I waited way too many months between the first and the second one and I just can not do that to myself after that ending.
I know that this is a very vague review, but that is because I want to say so many things that I have thoughts on and they are all spoilers and I think that you just need to pick this up yourself without knowing how this begins coming together.
If you enjoy angst, having your emotions toyed with. or your heart ripped out you should read this series.
This book was great. As much as I loved the first, Fire Falling topped it. You learn so much more about the characters and become more invested in them. It was face paced and kept me reading. I recommend this series to everyone who loves fantasy.
Oh my gersh that ending!
I may be late getting on the bandwagon, but this book is amazing! That ending! I am loosing it now!
Actual rating 4.5 stars
This book was better than the first book. Vhalla is having to march to the north with the Empire’s army. The will be trials that will make her or break her.
The growth of Vhalla’s character through the progression of the book is amazing. She goes from mousy scared library apprentice to a warrior. Her growth is amazing. Same with Aldrik. Now I am still on the fence with him because of some actions he does when it comes to Vhalla. By the end of the book though he starts to redeem himself.
There are new characters that were introduced in the first book but not getting to really see what they are like till now. I like Daniel. He is awesome. If Aldrik wasn’t in the picture I would want Daniel with Vhalla. Of course new characters are introduced in this book as well. Such as Elecia. At first I didn’t like her but as the story progressed she became tolerable.
Now the ending. Holy hell. I was shocked at how that ended. I couldn’t wait to read the third book to find out what happened. As I am writing this I am 30% through the third book. I have the fourth book already. I’m starting to gobble up this series.