A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond...

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined

mild spoilers, nothing that'll ruin the book.




Read this book!

I'm so happy I started Air Awakens. It was just a spur of the moment 'I might try this, it's worth a shot'  when I randomly found it on Goodreads, and I was won over when someone called it a 'masterpiece'. So, I got myself a copy of the book and dove straight into it, and it didn't disappoint! It was amazing! Although it was a slow start into the story, I hung in there and I was super happy that I didn't give up,  as I know fantasy books do tend to have a lot more world-building.

The book has so many characters that are interesting, different and enjoyable to read about. We have our protagonist Vhalla, who is a library apprentice who discovers she is actually a sorcerer and needs to be trained to control her magic. But it's not just that she's a sorcerer, she's a rare one.

At the start, Vhalla seemed quite closed-minded about having magic, and I did find that a bit irritating. I guess it is something that humans tend to avoid talking about, sorcerers and magic, but still. But she embraced it and she became accepting of who she, so off the story goes.

And we're introduced to the Crown Prince Aldrik. 


Aldrik!

Now, I'm not entirely sure if he's supposed to be a character we'd end up swooning over, but I do have a very big soft spot for him. Like, he's usually not my type at all, with his long black hair (which is definitely not something I like in a man. At all. Cut it off!), which screams Severus Snape to me. He has a stern and put together attitude, and he's quite blunt, but he still made me happy whenever he showed up. And when he does enter the room, he just sneaks up on everyone. You hear him talk before you see him, as if he lurks out of the shadows like some kind of creeper.
But I am looking forward to seeing more of him (of course) in the rest of the series. I do sense some romance for Aldrik, so I hope he gets some love because he gives me the impression that he's been alone for some time. I guess he can be quite intimidating, not just how he is as a person, but because he's also a Prince.  

And although he does have his reputation, we have his brother Prince Baldair, the resident castle man-whore. Of course he is, but he wasn't a huge d-bag, I actually really liked him. His charming and confident personality really brightened up the pages, and I definitely look forward to learning more about him. I can tell he will have a bigger part in the next book, considering what is going to happen, and I can just tell he is a talented fighter as well as a nice young man.

Now let me just do a disclaimer for this while I remember, because I've seen people tag this as 'love triangle' but....there is no love triangle. Don't let that tag put you off. There's none at all. Shall we move on? Yes, lets.


There is a character in this book that I found quite irritating, and that was Sareem. Although he is quite a nice guy, near the middle to end, I found that he was rather clingy and very judgmental on Vhalla's part. The more I read about him, the less I liked. It's a shame really.

I also have a note written in my notebook for Air Awakens, and that note says 'Egmun can suck a dick' so that's obvious that I was angry when I wrote it. I do, however, agree with past-Natalie on that note, so yes. Me no likey.

Also, Fritz, Craig and Daniel. Whenever they're on the page I'm like

I love you, my darlings. You are cute, adorable, and you made me smile through this book. They were also little rays of sunshine that really brought the book out of the sad places.
If books like this don't have characters like them, it's just not worth reading. I really hope they stay perky and positive, and that they don't get killed off because my creys!

Moving on..

The story was very interesting, and having gotten into fantasy a lot more lately that usual, this was the type of book I was really looking for. It was full of so many wonderful elements of magic, it was gripping and it was full of some very colourful and intriguing characters. 
I've already started on book two, Fire Falling, and I'm super interested to see how much Vhalla develops as a character, as she really does grow up from the start of this book to the end. She really takes some punches and she stands up for herself, and she learns a few lessons that needed to be learnt. I was a bit proud of her by the end, she really does toughen up, and I can guarantee that she'll kick some arse in Fire Falling, as well as the future books. 
I'm also intrigued to know more about the different parts, like the North, South, East and West, and the various other kinds of sorcerer. They're each unique with such powerful and kick-ass abilities, and I know we've only just scratched the surface of what Kova has planned for us readers. 

I don't want to spoil anything, so I shall end this review on the positive note of - JUST READ IT. Do it. 
Sadly, the books are fricking expensive on Amazon, and any other bookshop for me, so I can't afford to buy the paperbacks (and definitely not the hardbacks. £22 for a hardback? No can do). But I recommend getting the ebooks and reading Vhalla's story, it's a good one so far!

Liked this book far more than I expected, so I'm going to carry on with Fire Falling - which is just as awesome!



GoodReads:

Air Awakens
Fire Falling 
Earth's End
Untitled #4
Untitled #5


Anyone else been in a fantasy mood lately? Us too. We're always open for suggestions if you have any, and mine this week is this book. Elise Kova did a great job, and her writing is wonderful.
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