#elementae

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In @acgaughen's YA fantasy, REIGN THE EARTH, magic is outlawed and the Elementae--those who can control earth, air, fire, and water--are in hiding. But at the Bloomsbury offices, the Elementae have fun using their powers!

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Book Review - Reign the Earth

Details:

Reign the Earth ( The Elementae #1) by A.C. Gaughen 

Pub Date 30 Jan 2018

This was an early read of the novel, and I was lucky to be able to read this early in exchange for a review for the publisher. Thank you!

4 out of 5 Stars - I Would read this book again.

I would definitely recommend this book but its not a story about bunnies and fluffy chickens, it has some heavy topics. So be aware before you start. Even with all I have said below I'm really looking forward to the next book and I did enjoy this book.

I just finished Reign the Earth and I was very impressed. It was easy to read and follow the main character as she learned about a new place and how to adapt in the world. It pulled at my heart strings constantly and I have to admit I shed a few tears, but it was worth it. The characters are lovable and you want the best for them, feeling their fear and hopes throughout. Shalia is a calm rock as everyone else moves around her and she seems stable and sensible. She is an easy character to love.

The novel does have some darker themes - that I would normally shy away from - and that I found hard to handle (one is physical/emotional abuse and manipulation embedded in the story and another is to do with pregnancy) but that could be a personal sensitivity I have to those issues. It is so well written and the emotions I felt as I read were akin to the main characters feelings herself.   I have to admit that I did want to stop reading about a third of the way through because of this. It was very hard going to push past these themes and read more. I had to stop twice and talk myself into continuing to read because of the emotionally dark themes and I was unsure there would be a redemption. So I will say to be careful reading this if stories with abuse are too hard to read. When I had an hour left in the book (i'm a kindle reader) I really thought I was going to be left unsatisfied with the ending, but I wasn't. It all managed to wrap up nicely and set up the story in future books.

A fantastic read and I am so excited for the next book in the series... however I hope it has more fantasy than this book did because I live for that and it felt lacking. It read almost like a historical novel with an arranged marriage and overbearing husband, with a girl who was beyond her time and wanted to do things she shouldn't. I'm lucky I like these types of books too, so it did not ruin my reading experience. I just wish there was more of a fantasy element or a quest element for the main character - but I suppose that is possibly where this story is heading in the future.

Also you know a villain is written well when you want to see him dead every time they enter a room.

4 out of 5 Stars

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Learn how to pronounce all the character and place names from @acgaughen‘s REIGN THE EARTH!

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Review: Imprison the Sky by A. C. Gaughen

Review: Imprison the Sky by A. C. Gaughen

Imprison the Sky A. C. Gaughen Bloomsbury YA Published on January 22, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads About Imprison the Sky Stolen from her family as a child, Aspasia has clawed her way up the ranks of Cyrus’s black market empire to captain her own trading vessel–and she risks it all every time she uses her powerful magic to free as many women, children, and Elementae from slavery as she…

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Never so excited to see an envelope thank you @bloomsburypublishing and @acgaughen for my signed bookplate #reigntheday #elementae! #bookaddict #bookaholic #reading #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #bookdragon. Fingers crossed that Maybe i can review for @bloomsburypublishing one of my favorite publishing houses

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