Asha is fire.Every generation four sisters with power over earth, air, fire, and water are born to fight against a fanatical, secret faith. The Order exists only to sacrifice the sisters for their power. With each success their strength and control grows. They have never failed, for their rule depends on it. The sisters, separated at birth, are unaware of what hunts them…but they are coming.A … are unaware of what hunts them…but they are coming.
A handsome stranger discovers Asha in hiding, and swears allegiance to her cause. She falls for him; though he is not who he says he is. Betrayed and imprisoned inside the Order, Asha is without her power for the first time in her life.
As the war heats up haunting secrets and true motivations are revealed, but the sisters must unite and override their instincts and trust the untrustworthy if they are to fight their terrifying destiny.
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I love stories with elemental magic and this book did not disappoint in that department. I loved that the four elements were represented in the sisters (and later brothers). I also loved that the sisters did not grow up together and that you could see a glimpse of how their different upbringings shaped them. (You see this strongest in Asha)
As a fast paced novel, there were some places I would have liked to see the plot slow down just a bit. The scene breaks worked and I never had a problem of knowing who’s POV I was in. However, at the beginning of the book I was introduced to a lot of characters very quickly and I would have liked to expand on them a bit more upfront. I did learn to care for each of them as the book progressed and I differentiated them better.
The ending was exciting and a bit of a twist. A part of it left me confused but that could be the author’s plan since this is the beginning of the series.
Overall, I loved this book and the storyline and would recommend it to any fantasy reader. I will for sure be keeping an eye out for the next in the series!
Teeny spoiler alert
I voluntarily read a copy of this book provided by NetGalley for review purposes.
Four sisters, holding immense power over the elements chased through time by four monsters in the guise of men and the religious zealots they have created. Can they survive this time? Can anything change their fates of horrid, vile deaths at the hands of their villains? Since I don’t believe in spoilers, I’m not telling! So there!
But the beginning of the novel with a deeply disturbing re-enactment of the Burning times that flips to the new life of Asha in 2004 as she acts as a super-spy-guerilla before she goes rogue – that grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go.
Nor did the introduction of the other sisters, the silly, the serious and the mild mannered.
Okay, one spoiler. There are four hunks, who are part of the religious organizations are after them as well, the drag them back. But as always in urban fantasy novels, things never go quite the way the villains want.
The writing is spectacular, tense and descriptive. The plot is tight, every plot hole is filled almost instantly, including how villains could exist in the Burning Times and in the 2000’s. The female characters are well-crafted, each has her own strength, ranging from the good humor of an Australian surfer to a cold, near Swiss sociopath flutist. The best of the sister’s character is Asha, the guilt she carries, her tactical mind, all off it.
Scenery around the world, and the girls do go everywhere you can think of from the Vatican to the South American jungle is gorgeously and authentically created. I could feel both the sweat of the jungle and the chill of the snow.
I really hope that this becomes a series and soon!
More than Book Nerd Approved – this book is Book Nerd Applauded
5 elements out of 5
https://www.amazon.com/Unbalanced-Courtney-Shepard-ebook/dp/B00Y6A2RVU/