Air Awakens

“Fire needs air to live. Air fuels fire, strikes it, and makes it burn brighter and hotter than it ever could alone. But too much air will snuff it completely, just as too many flames will consume all the air. They are far greater that the sum of their parts together, but are equally as dangerous to each other's existence.”

3.25 STARS

That was fun. That was flawed and I had some issues with it, but it was fun. It was a little heavy on the romance, but the simple story flowed beautifully (except for something I'll get to in a minute), and I found myself blushing about the love growing between our two main characters. But do I think that this book was wonderful material? Eh. Our heroine somewhat grated on my nerves. I went in hoping to love her, as I love many high fantasy heroines, but I for some reason couldn't quite connect with Vhalla. I loved that she was a library apprentice (which, let's face it, we would all be if we were in this world), and there were many sweet qualities about her, but her naïvety really bothered me at times. I understand that she wasn't brought up in a world of darkness like many of the stories I read, hell many of the stories I write, but I was just hoping for some more realism to the book. The plot flowed well, albeit a bit juvenile for my tastes with the prince's love affair and moody melodrama that consumed a large portion of the book. Don't get me wrong, a good, easy fantasy is always fun to fall into for a day, and that's exactly what I did, but I didn't find myself loving it as much as some of my fellow reviewers. Sorry guys!

But there were many good qualities to the book. I liked that the magic aspect of this book was divided geographically and that there was mystery shrouding the Windwalkers and many questions surrounding their near extinction. I also found it really interesting that there was such a schism between the sorcerers and the common, non-magic wielders. Usually in high fantasy books, those with magic are revered, but that seemed to be very rare in this book. Sorcerers were feared and rather than revered, often seen as freakish or creatures that should be kept under lock and key. This played well into one of themes of the book: social and personal acceptance. This theme was weaved very well through Vhalla's struggles, both through her social status as an apprentice and then coping with being a sorcerer, as well as simply accepting herself for who she is. It is a struggle many of us face and the magical scenario seemed only an allegory for a common problem of reality. But back to the story. Now, like I said, this was a romance heavy book. Normally I don't love to have such a heavy dosage of mushy feelings, especially when it's instalove, and this book certainly had some of that. Now, let me clear. Was there love within the week? Hardly. But because of the way the book progresses with up to several weeks passing in such a short chapter it seemed like a very rushed romance. However, that could also be because I pretty much sat myself in my windowseat to read this book and didn't leave there until I was done, even when my cat starting trying to eat my toes (she's got a crazy craving for fuzzy socks it seems). My main problem with this book was the ending. After the big battle where Vhalla's powers are tested and the fate of the capitol held in the North's hands, I expected the book to wrap up in about a dozen pages or so. But...it didn't. A trial ensued that I won't spoil you about, but it dampened my feelings about the book because it, to me at least, seemed way too drawn out. My heart was speeding along with the battle and then all the sudden we're back into court politics for another fifty pages. Maybe it's just me, but I think I would have liked the book better if it had ended neatly shortly after the battle, but that's just me being nitpicky. Overall, this was a fun, fast read that, while not being very original as a story, had some great unique qualities and moments. I'm debating reading the next book in the series, so I'll leave that up to you to help me decide! Share your thoughts!