From Breath and Ruin - Elements of Five #1
by Carrie Ann Ryan
What they say: In her YA debut, New York Times bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan dives into a world with magic and sacrifice with the Elements of Five.
Five hundred years ago, the Maison Realm was shattered, divided into warring kingdoms of elemental Wielders with fate and truth shadowed and uncertain. Now, factions of both the light and dark venture into the human realm in search of the prophesied Spirit Priestess who is said to Wield the Elements of Five to bring the two fractured kingdoms together.
Lyric has no idea that there's a realm outside the human one she lives in. When fate and circumstances are pulled from her hands after an accident, she finds out that nothing is as it seems.
War is raging around her, and when Lyric realizes that they are searching for her, she must rely on those she once trusted as she trains: a boy who isn't who she thought, and a new realm of warriors who have come to protect her.
For the darkness is coming, and the Queen of Obscurité wants to ensure that the King of Lumière can't get his hands on Lyric. And the only way to ensure that is if Lyric herself is no more...no matter the cost to prophecy.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!
What I say: I went through a range of emotions reading From Breath and Ruin. I started off distracted by some of the characters immaturity and 'young' language - The beginning is slow. We get detailed descriptions of things like the main character, Lyric's, favourite running outfits and a lot about the usual teen relationship drama, but after this initial slow pace, the action picks up and the characters all go though huge changes. They find the missing maturity and become more developed characters. As a result the narrative improves and I could understand their 'voices' more.
I found Lyric difficult to like at first because she's full of doubt and lacks confidence - I blame a lot of this on Emory (more on her later). I did warm to Lyric throughout the story as I began to empathise with her struggle and the huge revelations.
I really liked Braelynn. Kind characters are often underrated in stories but I appreciated the support she provides and the balance she brings to the plot. Emory - ugh! I know we're not supposed to like her, but I really wanted her to disappear and never be mentioned again. I kept thinking she can't be that selfish all the time.
Oh Rhodes! I liked him and wanted to see his confidence grow. I liked his badassery (yep I know it's not a word) and did find him charming. My suspicious mind kept expecting him to do something terrible - no spoilers here!
Once the story gets going, it's an engaging read and I like how everything is set up ready for the next book...!
4 Stars in my Sky!
Author Spotlight:
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.