Heather
Like most reviews here, there were things I liked and things I didn't. I thought the characters were good and the possibilities of the magic system were interesting. My two main issues were the worldbuilding and the pacing. This book was very hard for me to get into at the beginning, and I nearly didn't pick it up again after putting it down. I had several major unanswered questions - not the fun kind that keeps you reading, where you can't wait to find out how the author answers it later, but the kind of question where you think: "I must've missed something because this doesn't make any sense." It took far too long to find out how the magic system actually works (If you can use multiple elements, why bond with just one and limit yourself? Because you don't actually *get* magic until you bond... but that wasn't explained, just referenced later in the book as if we were already told that.)
Second issue was pacing. The stakes are made so high, so desperate, the time is so short for the protagonist to save the day... then the brakes are put on. It could've been an interesting quest, but because of the tension/time limit, I just kept wanting to hit Fast Forward, or jump to the end, making the bulk of the book uncomfortable to sit through despite relatively good writing. I agree with others who say this reads much more YA than adult, and does okay at that, but I do plan to continue the series, hoping some of the major pieces that are lacking for me improve now that the world itself is established.
Overall, this book reminded me a bit of Tamora Pierce, both her Circle series and Immortals/Wild Magic series, though not nearly as strong. Highly recommend those books if you reading this and wanted more. (Note: The romance didn't bother me as it did some other readers, but I get it. Similar element occurs in Immortals, though much later in the series.)
Like most reviews here, there were things I liked and things I didn't. I thought the characters were good and the possibilities of the magic system were interesting. My two main issues were the worldbuilding and the pacing. This book was very hard for me to get into at the beginning, and I nearly didn't pick it up again after putting it down. I had several major unanswered questions - not the fun kind that keeps you reading, where you can't wait to find out how the author answers it later, but the kind of question where you think: "I must've missed something because this doesn't make any sense." It took far too long to find out how the magic system actually works (If you can use multiple elements, why bond with just one and limit yourself? Because you don't actually *get* magic until you bond... but that wasn't explained, just referenced later in the book as if we were already told that.)
Second issue was pacing. The stakes are made so high, so desperate, the time is so short for the protagonist to save the day... then the brakes are put on. It could've been an interesting quest, but because of the tension/time limit, I just kept wanting to hit Fast Forward, or jump to the end, making the bulk of the book uncomfortable to sit through despite relatively good writing. I agree with others who say this reads much more YA than adult, and does okay at that, but I do plan to continue the series, hoping some of the major pieces that are lacking for me improve now that the world itself is established.
Overall, this book reminded me a bit of Tamora Pierce, both her Circle series and Immortals/Wild Magic series, though not nearly as strong. Highly recommend those books if you reading this and wanted more. (Note: The romance didn't bother me as it did some other readers, but I get it. Similar element occurs in Immortals, though much later in the series.)