Liviania’s review of The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy, Book 1) by Sherry Thomas
Young adult historical fantasy published by Balzer + Bray 17 Sept 13
I was quite excited when I learned Sherry Thomas had a YA fantasy novel coming out. She’s a wonderful romance writer, and one of her greatest strengths has always been her descriptive, flowing prose. I could see how her style would fit well into a fantasy world, although I wasn’t so sure about a Thomas book without a romance. Thankfully, The Burning Sky adds magic without dispensing with the romance.
The heroine, Iolanthe, is the usual sort of chosen one. She’s got a great deal of power, but she’s untrained and can’t grasp Air magic at all. She’s been kept in the dark about the extent of her abilities all her life, and is not prepared to be suddenly hunted. The hero, Titus, is also a take on a familiar figure: the prince who pretends to be unintelligent and harmless. Meanwhile, he’s quite the schemer. I like that Iolanthe and Titus do not get along at all in the beginning. She quickly realizes that she’s being manipulated and refuses to trust him or go along with his plans without question. He’s been planning for so long that he doesn’t know how to treat Iolanthe as his co-conspirator rather than a pawn, but she demands concessions from him and escapes the role Titus expects her to take.
Still, she must hide from their enemies in plain sight as a male classmate of Titus in Oxford, where he goes to school in *our* world. (Albeit our world quite awhile ago.) I love crossdressing hijinks, but they’re in sadly short supply. But the opportunities presented by the school aren’t entirely wasted. Titus and Iolanthe’s relationships with their peers are quite illuminating. I particularly like Kashkari, an Indian student who befriends Iolanthe. It’s not a great time period to be Indian, and his feelings on oppression and colonialism reflect Titus’ and Iolanthe’s. You see, they’re both from a little country being controlled by the Bane, a seemingly unkillable magician. (Obviously, Iolanthe is the one foretold to kill him.) One bad thing about most of The Burning Sky is that there’s very little sense of what life is like in their country. Obviously, being ruled by a foreign power is bad . . . but it stays at that level of obvious evil.
The climax of The Burning Sky is fantastic. It pulls together several different happenings early in the novel, provides plenty of action and hints of what’s coming next, and leads to the first moments of the novel where the protagonists seem to really, truly be in danger. Until the climax, the novel does have lulls – there is quite a bit of training. The story glides along Iolanthe’s and Titus’ growing affection for each other, which is usually enough to carry the slower parts. They each have very valid reasons to hold back, but at the same time they are attracted to each other, in close proximity, and know one another’s secrets. I like that Titus is an unconventional hero. He’s often unlikable in the extreme measures he takes to control situations, but at the same time it’s easy to empathize with him, since he just wants to rescue his people.
I think The Burning Sky is beautifully written, with just the right amounts of romance, excitement, and intrigue. It reminds me a touch of Juliet Marillier’s ongoing Shadowfell trilogy. It has that same throwback to the classic traditional fantasy feel. A chosen one, a prince denied his throne, an immortal emperor. All classics, deployed well. I’m looking forward to the second book of the Elemental Trilogy.
Grade: B
Summary:
She can deny her powers. But she cannot deny her destiny.It all began with a ruined elixir and an accidental bolt of lightning…
Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she’s being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.
Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he’s also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to revenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.
But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life.
Read an excerpt here.
