Review: Air Awakens

22718738Release Date: August 27, 2015
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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.

 

 

Air Awakens has been popping up a lot lately in my Twitter feed, and I knew that I wanted to see what it was all about. When I noticed a review tour was going to happen, I signed up right away and was excited to be accepted on it.

Air Awakens begins with Vhalla, a library apprentice, saving the crowned prince’s life without her knowing. While researching books for a cure, she left traces of her magic in her notes, which saved the prince’s life and formed an unbreakable bond between the two. Finding out that she has magic, let alone the extinct, elemental air, is a shock to her. She refuses to believe it until Prince Aldrik helps awaken her abilities. Aldrik then becomes Vhalla’s teacher and helps her understand magic better.

Let’s start with the characters. I enjoyed reading about Vhalla a lot. She is very innocent and naive in the beginning, but I liked how by the end of the novel, she was already transforming into a strong warrior. I’m excited to see her develop even more as she goes off into war. A few of the minor characters I loved and wanted to see more off, but there were two that I sadly disliked. These two characters were Vhalla’s friends that she worked with for years, and I hated what went down between them when they found out about her magic. Also, I was frustrated when one of them expressed his feelings for her and that whole situation.

Moving on, though, I loved Aldrik. I mean, who doesn’t love a mysterious, dark prince? I especially loved watching Vhalla and Aldrik’s relationship transform from apprentice to friendship to even something more. I’ll admit it, I definitely fell fast and hard for this ship, and I am a fan of the romance in this book. Although, I do wish it progressed more than it did in Air Awakens, I am excited to see it where it will go in Fire Falling.

There were a few slower parts of the novel, but that is to be expected when being introduced to a new world. Parts of the pacing made the story hard to follow at times as well as the world building being a tiny bit confusing, but I was never completely lost while reading. A map would be very helpful with this world. This book takes place only at the palace in the capital city, so I am looking forward to exploring this world more in the sequels as Vhalla ventures away from the capital.

Overall, this is the start to a very promising series, and I’m excited to pick up the sequel, Fire Falling. I recommend this to fans of elemental magic fantasy stories.

My Rating: 4 hearts

*This review copy was provided to me by the author through YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for a honest review.*

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  • Ah, I’ve had my eye on this book for a while and so many bloggers that I follow have written such positive reviews, so after reading yours I’m convinced – I definitely need to pick up a copy of it soon! 🙂 Great review!

    • Thank you! I hope you love it when you get the chance to pick it up! You’ll definitely have to let me know what you think! 😀

    • I hope you love it when you read it! I’ll be interested in reading your review after to see what you thought of it! And thanks! 🙂

  • I have been dying to read this book since forever. I want to gush about it so bad but I cannot find the time to finish it. I just hope our bookstores have a physical copy of it soon. I love your review! 🙂

  • Oh, that synopsis! I am caught! I love magic and all aaaaaand it’s a librarian apprentice! Who would not love her? Anyway, it has never been on my Twitter radar, unlike you. + I do not like that there is even more to Aldrik and Vhalla’s relationship? But maybe, I might enjoy their romance once I have read this. Lovely review, dear!

  • Ohh, I’ve heard so many great things about this book! I’m glad you enjoyed it … that gave me enough reason to ad it to my “to-buy-soon” list, haha. I’m super curious about Prince Aldrik … like, I LOOOOVE princes and if they’re dark and mysterious? HECK YES! <3 Great review!!

    • Thanks! I hope you love it when you get the chance to read it! And I definitely agree to loving the dark mysterious princes!! <3

  • I’ve been hearing about this one a lot and I plan on reading it at some point this year. I’m glad you liked it! The characters sound excellent, though other reviews have also complained about Vhalla’s friends. I suppose I’ll just have to see for myself! The discovers-powers-and-trains is one of my favorite storylines, especially seeing just how the magic works. The cover for this book is gorgeous too!
    Wonderful review!!

    • Ooh, I hope you enjoy it when you get the chance to read it! The main characters are great, and I have to agree that the discovers-powers-and-trains is one of my favorite storylines, too. And yes, the cover is absolutely gorgeous! <3

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