Air Awakens: The Complete Series

My thoughts: I stumbled upon this book totally by chance, and I’m so happy I did. I’d like to think I’d find it sooner or later anyway, but you never know, and to think I could’ve missed this!I love Vhalla. The main character, Vhalla, is great. She is an apprentice in the library at the palace, and she loves reading. She has great respect for books, and she likes to read while she’s pretending to work. When she finds out she’s a sorcerer, she immediately turns to books to find out more. I really liked that, as that’s exactly what I’d do. Whenever something happens, doesn’t matter what it is, I turn to books. It was fun to read about another booklover like me.Vhalla is a relatable character, and not just because of her love for books. Her reactions, her actions, it all feels very realistic and relatable. I loved reading about her. She’s smart and rarely makes hasty decisions. Instead, she tries to learn more about it in order to make sure she makes the right decision. She’s nice and selfless, and the last thing she wants is to hurt someone, physically or otherwise. She’s just a great character, and I’m looking forward to reading more about her.Enough about Vhalla. As much as I love her, I must say, I love prince Aldrik more. He is really good-looking, with high cheekbones and blue eyes, and that’s enough to make me a happy fangirl. But that’s not all. Believe it or not, I’m not that shallow. He’s sarcastic and can be cold at times, but there were some moments (few, but they were there) when he showed a different side to Vhalla, a sweeter, protective side, that just made me fall for him even more. He’s mysterious, definitely, but there are enough nice moments to keep me interested in learning more.Kova balances perfectly between fantasy and reality. In High Fantasy, it’s important that the reader gets introduced to the new world in a good way. Elise Kova did it perfectly. She added glimpses of the world every now and then, but she didn’t write a full history of the world in the first part of the book before getting into the plot. No, she added small facts in conversation between the characters, or by Vhalla learning something new. That way, there was more focus on the plot, and less focus about learning everything about this new world in the first fourth of the book. Nothing ever felt over-explained, which was great. This made the book more enjoyable, and balanced perfectly between fantasy and reality.I’m not sure what to say about the ending, other than it was awful, and that I’m scared to start Fire Falling after that ending. But there is great potential for the next book, so at the same time, I’m really excited to start reading and see what happens with Vhalla and Aldrik. So if you don’t mind, I’ll just finish this review and start reading Fire Falling now.To sum it up, this book was way better than I could’ve hoped for. With great, relatable characters that will be impossible not to love, amazing fantasy, and an ending that will make you want to read the next book immediately, this book was exactly what I want from a Fantasy book. This book, and the entire series, has gained a special place in my heart.

“I love you,” he repeated, a determined fire lighting his eyes. “It is one of the worst things I could ever do,” Aldrik confessed. “I swear to the Mother, I have tried not to damn you with it. But you’re a rather persistent, beautiful presence in my life. And, for once, the silver-tongued prince is tired of pretending.”☀️Slow-burn romance☀️Elemental magic☀️Found familyRATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟MY REVIEW:The entire Air Awakens series does not disappoint. It single-handedly revived my love for reading and escaping to fantasy worlds."Even something very small can cast a large shadow when it is close to the sun."Elise Kova has the innate ability to showcase raw human emotion within her characters. Because of the length of the series, we as readers get the opportunity to witness Vhalla Yarl's journey from sheltered naiveness to shattering vulnerability to unwavering courage. This series with its story and characters will honestly take you on such a rollercoaster of emotions that will leave you wanting more. It's a fantastic immersion of legends, magic, and adventure. And my favorite part of fantasy stories: world building.The world of Air Awakens, while it does have me reminisce on worlds of Avatar: The Last Airbender or that of the Grishaverse (book series by Leigh Bardugo), it stands alone in its uniqueness. This is not the first fantasy world to use the magic and powers of the elements, but the way that Kova has presented it is fascinating and intriguing. I love that each type of sorcerer has its own affinity of the element and affinity of self (eg. Windwalkers have an affinity for air and an affinity for the mind, while Firebearers have an affinity for fire and an affinity for foresight). Its history connects itself to the legend of how the entire world was built and I love that we get to explore that within the series.It's important to mention that Kova's characters are strong in their own right, but are also full of flaws/imperfections. Aldrik, for example, is known as the most powerful Firebearer in history, even nicknamed the Fire Lord (lol at the A:LTA reference), but he’s often weighed down by his own insecurities and inner darkness. It’s something that’s sprinkled throughout the series and eventually gets pieced together as you read each book. You get to see how this impacts his own character growth and the growth of his relationship with our main heroine/his love interest, Vhalla. Kova has this ability to naturally develop her characters and their journey through each major event, and I’m here for it!But fair warning, this is the first of many series in the world of Air Awakens. It is a slow-burn and book one will leave you with some unanswered questions…and a little bit of confusion of why a character is the way they are. I promise that it’ll all make sense eventually!! You gotta work for those answers! I also highly recommend continuing on to the Vortex Chronicles that continues the story of the Solaris family.In conclusion, the Air Awakens series is something you're not going to want to put down. I find myself, months and months after finishing my first read through, re-reading it all the time. I absolutely loved the series and the world, and it’s a great intro to Elise Kova books!

4.5/ 5⭐1/5 🌶️I loved the ending and final book of this series! Every book had twists, turns, and a roller coaster ride of emotions! But this book is what I had been waiting for all along! Great read! And a great conclusion!The epilogue is what pushed me to the 4.5 star for this series! So good! And worth itAir Awakens ★★★★ | 4.5 starsFire Falling ★★★★ | 4.5 starsEarth's End ★★★★ | 4.75 starsWater's Wrath ★★★★ | 4.5 starsCrystal Crowned ★★★★ | 4 starsQuotes:“Every chance worth taking will make you a little scared. That means you’re taking a risk. And where there is risk, there is reward.”“The woman sitting in the saddle now had to find a heart crafted of black steel. She had to survive if for no other reason than to spite the world.”“Love is far better to know, even if it slips from your grasp or doesn't bear fruit like you'd hoped. People who say they regret love, true love, are just bitter liar.”“It would be torture. But it would be the most beautiful torture they had ever known.”“I wish I could hate you, you frustrating man,” she breathed hopelessly. “And I wish I could stop loving you, my frustrating woman.”“She was tired of being a symbol. Symbols were stagnant, frozen, representative, and spurring of action but never the action itself.”“She was drowning, and they all still thought she was breathing.”“Vhalla held her tongue that "backward and barbaric" were often times only used when one culture didn't properly understand another.”