Review Detail

The Burning Sky has all the elements a great fantasy novels should have-magic, unique world building which is convincing at the same time, a dashing hero, a bad ass heroine, wonderful romance and more than 400 pages. The last one is a joke but I do love it when they're longer. Even though I rarely read books over 360 pages.

You know those books where someone close to our heroine promises her they`ll always be there for her but when the time comes she`s forced to act alone without anyone`s help? Well, in this book, our heroine, Iolanthe, does have help from someone and that person is Titus, the prince of her Realm(or whatever you call it) who`s actually by her side every step of the way and is not afraid to get hurt as long as she stays safe. Now, that`s admirable! Titus even falls for her even though she`s dressed as a guy and has to cut her hair. He tries to keep it under wraps since everyone he cared about ended up dead. He obviously fails and doesn`t hide it well. But by this point I was sold due to Titus`awesomeness! He`s a real man who isn`t actually fearless and yet he would do anything to keep Iolanthe, or Fairfax(her boy name) safe. He will protect her from dragons, mean old ladies, their dangerous inquisitor even from herself.

Iolanthe has her doubts in Titus especially since she found out he lied to her and tricked her into a blood oath. She finds out she`s a rare elemental mage who isn`t yet convinced she`s all that. But she doesn`t complain even though she goes through so much in such a short period of time. She`s ready to fight and learn. To be better and to strive. Plus, she can play a great boy. It`s not easy being around them 24/7.

Romance was surprisingly well done. Well, I shouldn`t be so surprised. After all, Sherry Thomas did write a bunch of historical romance novels. But she obviously knows how to write one for teens so I applaud her for that. And that world building! Just marvelous!

I can`t wait to get my hands on the sequel. Too bad it`s coming out next year. Oh, the dreaded wait! And people will surely tease me with their ARCs while I sit and mope in my room.