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Elemental
Night has fallen across the galaxy and Fire rages, uncontrolled.
An army marches, killing in the name of their god.
A forgotten girl sits alone in a dark cell aboard an interstellar prison ship, traveling through space, never stopping. Until one day.
Now the Destructor roams and a prophecy is fulfilled. But the one thing no one expected was that their longed-for savior just might be their own undoing.
An army marches, killing in the name of their god.
A forgotten girl sits alone in a dark cell aboard an interstellar prison ship, traveling through space, never stopping. Until one day.
Now the Destructor roams and a prophecy is fulfilled. But the one thing no one expected was that their longed-for savior just might be their own undoing.
180 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2011
10 people are currently reading
4592 people want to read
About the author
Emily White
6 books399 followersEmily White is a nerd.
She prefers her men fully clothed and donning bowties, her commas British, her books cheesy with big, overly-dramatic explosions, her characters awkward and endearingly real,* and watching her movies in authentic turn-of-the-century theaters. When not exposing her nerdy self to the world, she's creating her own friends and putting them in horrible, yet sometimes humorous situations.
Check out her YA Space Opera series starting with Elemental (Spencer Hill Press, 2012), continuing with Fae (February 2014), and ending in 2015 with DESTRUCTOR. She's also authored a collection of Steampunk (zombie, werebot romance) flash fiction, if you're into those kinds of things, titled "To Love or Die in a Steamy-Reamy World." Her YA Contemporary Fantasy, ALMOST NIGHT, will be out May 2014.
She prefers her men fully clothed and donning bowties, her commas British, her books cheesy with big, overly-dramatic explosions, her characters awkward and endearingly real,* and watching her movies in authentic turn-of-the-century theaters. When not exposing her nerdy self to the world, she's creating her own friends and putting them in horrible, yet sometimes humorous situations.
Check out her YA Space Opera series starting with Elemental (Spencer Hill Press, 2012), continuing with Fae (February 2014), and ending in 2015 with DESTRUCTOR. She's also authored a collection of Steampunk (zombie, werebot romance) flash fiction, if you're into those kinds of things, titled "To Love or Die in a Steamy-Reamy World." Her YA Contemporary Fantasy, ALMOST NIGHT, will be out May 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
July 4, 2012
Ugh. Nope. Can't do this.
It's like watching a Star Trek episode blindfolded. In Chinese.
It's like watching a Star Trek episode blindfolded. In Chinese.
May 2, 2012
I'm calling it right now. Elemental is the beginning of the next big YA series. And here's why:
Does Elemental have a strong female voice that young women can admire?
Check.
Romance?
Check.
Is it nauseating and cringe-worthy romance?
Heck no. I can safetly say that I could give a copy of Elemental to my guy friends without
fear of getting punched in the nose
Thorough world-building?
Double Triple Quadruple Check.
A kick-ass plot?
Check POW!
Seriously, this book is great and you should most definitely CHECK it out.
Does Elemental have a strong female voice that young women can admire?
Check.
Romance?
Check.
Is it nauseating and cringe-worthy romance?
Heck no. I can safetly say that I could give a copy of Elemental to my guy friends without
fear of getting punched in the nose
Thorough world-building?
Double Triple Quadruple Check.
A kick-ass plot?
Check POW!
Seriously, this book is great and you should most definitely CHECK it out.
might-read
April 19, 2012One question: where are her ears?
May 28, 2011
Elemental is a wonderful story--an original and haunting tale filled with deeper meaning that resonated in my heart. I'm looking forward to reading more books from Emily White.
Read
September 28, 2022Humpf.
Un univers sci-fi/ fantastique.
Un début qui ressemble à Shatter Me de Tahereh Mafi avec cet aspect d’emprisonnement.
L’univers est complexe, mais très peu expliqué. Tout va très vite. Les noms de certaines personnes et peuples sont pas tant faciles à lire ou juste étrange (Meir Groff c’est moyen fluide) 😅.
J’aurais aimé qu’on ait plus d’explications sur le monde puisqu’en plus de l’univers d’origine, un en rajoute un autre, celui des Auris.
La protagoniste n’est pas tant agréable ou aimable. On pourrait expliquer bien des choses par son emprisonnement de 10 ans, mais elle a des comportements plutôt étranges, très intenses. J’avais de la misère à comprendre son attachement à Meir même si le livre nous le redit a plusieurs reprises qu’il lui fait penser à un père, il manquait quelque chose.
La fin… il y a un élément surprenant qui est possiblement assez prévisible, mais que dans mon cas je n’avais pas vu aller. Je ne sais pas où ça s’en va dans le tome 2, mais je dois que je vais vouloir continuer/terminer cette série.
Un univers sci-fi/ fantastique.
Un début qui ressemble à Shatter Me de Tahereh Mafi avec cet aspect d’emprisonnement.
L’univers est complexe, mais très peu expliqué. Tout va très vite. Les noms de certaines personnes et peuples sont pas tant faciles à lire ou juste étrange (Meir Groff c’est moyen fluide) 😅.
J’aurais aimé qu’on ait plus d’explications sur le monde puisqu’en plus de l’univers d’origine, un en rajoute un autre, celui des Auris.
La protagoniste n’est pas tant agréable ou aimable. On pourrait expliquer bien des choses par son emprisonnement de 10 ans, mais elle a des comportements plutôt étranges, très intenses. J’avais de la misère à comprendre son attachement à Meir même si le livre nous le redit a plusieurs reprises qu’il lui fait penser à un père, il manquait quelque chose.
La fin… il y a un élément surprenant qui est possiblement assez prévisible, mais que dans mon cas je n’avais pas vu aller. Je ne sais pas où ça s’en va dans le tome 2, mais je dois que je vais vouloir continuer/terminer cette série.
March 27, 2012
I would like to Thank Kate at Spencer Hill for sending me an ARC copy fo Elemental. When I first read the blurb and saw the book cover I was excited to read it. I knew I had read very limited books about about faeries, so I was excited to read this book. With that being said I have to say that the book and I did not connect. I tried very hard to keep reading it but I was so lost and confused. I think the problem is that I have never really read anything like this where you are in space on minute and then somewhere else the next.
I did skip around and try reading bits from the other chapters and some things were really good and others I could not follow. I did however enjoy the space opera theme and the fae. I have promised myself that I am going on the hunt to read more fairy books and then come back and try and re-read this book. I really enjoyed the beginning so I am going to try and re-read it soon. I think I need to read some more books in this genre and then I can judge the book once again.
Emily has done a fantastic job describing the worlds and this book has lot's of action in it. So if you have read other fairy books and you like the other outer world theme this book is for!
This book is due out for release on May 01, 2012 keep your eye out for the book! Happy Reading! Go on a wonderful adventure to a new world where things are not always as they seem!
I did skip around and try reading bits from the other chapters and some things were really good and others I could not follow. I did however enjoy the space opera theme and the fae. I have promised myself that I am going on the hunt to read more fairy books and then come back and try and re-read this book. I really enjoyed the beginning so I am going to try and re-read it soon. I think I need to read some more books in this genre and then I can judge the book once again.
Emily has done a fantastic job describing the worlds and this book has lot's of action in it. So if you have read other fairy books and you like the other outer world theme this book is for!
This book is due out for release on May 01, 2012 keep your eye out for the book! Happy Reading! Go on a wonderful adventure to a new world where things are not always as they seem!
September 29, 2011
This book is amazing, it will not disappoint. I'm greatly anticipating it's official release.~Elizabeth
January 7, 2012
JUST SO GOOOD.
Look out for this one, 2012.
Look out for this one, 2012.
February 27, 2012
Couldn't put this one down! An absolutely fantastic story. Already itching to get my hands on Book 2!
January 13, 2015
I had a hard time picturing what was happening in many of the scenes in this story. Lots of potential but I felt lost far too often.
April 27, 2012
Elemental, by Emily White, has a very tantalizing, yet not overly detailed blurb, so I honestly did not know what to expect when I started this book. What I got was a very intriguing story that packs quite the punch and boom.
Ella has been held prisoner aboard Sho’ful, a starship in space, for ten years, until the day the ship mysteriously docks and she is able to escape. Free, but with nowhere to go, Ella ends up meeting a kind stranger, Meir, who protects her from her captors, the Mamood. Ella and Meir soon learn that the Mamood believe she is the prophesied Destructor who will destroy their god Manoo. Ella also discovers that she possesses dangerous abilities and control over certain elements. With the help of an old friend and his son Malik, the two are able to flee from the Mamood, but danger follows them. Ella struggles with control over her abilities and is haunted by the memory of a boy with green eyes. The only thing Ella knows for sure is that she needs answers.
Elemental is a quick, exciting read that took me on an unexpected and surprising journey. Emily White has certainly crafted a sci-fi story that is original without being too Out There in the realm of unbelievable. The story itself is captivating, but not without its faults.
Instead of providing backstory in the beginning of the book about Ella and why she’s a prisoner or where she’s from, this is instead sprinkled throughout much of the book. At first, I found this lack of information and backstory to be a bit distracting and even disorienting. I spent much of the first few chapters focused on all my questions that weren’t being answered. But the more I allowed myself to simply fall into and get caught up in Ella’s story, the more I realized that White disperses info, backstory and revelations at the perfect times. And falling into and getting caught up in Ella’s story is super easy because the mysteries surrounding Ella and the fascinating sci-fi elements White has created are addicting. I HAD to know where Ella’s journey began and how it would end.
I don’t read much sci-fi and Elemental is very sci-fi-ish (that’s totally a word, right?), with its starships, interplanetary settings and wicked cool advanced technology, but I found that I really enjoyed the sci-fi elements. The world(s) that White has created is fantastically vivid, rich, layered and varied. And impressive, seeing as she had to develop (and develop well) several different planets, cultures and religions.
The story is told from Ella’s perspective and I liked being privy into her immediate and intimate thoughts. I have a sort of love/hate (but not really hate, more like the way a big sister “hates” her annoying little sis when she does dumb stuff) relationship with Ella. She is certainly a complex and dimensional character whose story I was completely invested in, but at times I found her completely frustrating. I love her determination, curiosity and uniqueness. In a way Ella is like many other YA heroines in that she is gifted/cursed with dangerous abilities and must fight to control them. Yet, unlike many of those other heroines, Ella actually openly and honestly explores her dark side. I love that she often straddles that thin line between doing what’s right and doing what feels right/good, and White does a superb job of exploring this part of her character. What I found frustrating about Ella is her lack of self-confidence and self-worth. The girl constantly wants to run off and sacrifice herself and I just want to smack some sense into her…lovingly of course.
Is there romance? Yes, yes there is. Did I love the romance? Nope. Did I hate the romance? Nope. Am I seriously conflicted by the romance? Fo’ sho! I’m one of those readers who usually ends up falling for or rooting for the wrong potential love interest and getting mad when the main character ends up with someone else, even when they kinda sorta belong together. <= Did this happen while reading Elemental? Yep. BUT, I will say that I am certainly interested to see where Ella and ?’s relationship goes.
Ella’s journey literally takes readers all over the universe and ends with a showdown, a kaboom, a surprise reappearance and a betrayal. Now, I must talk about this betrayal, which comes in the form of a twisty character revelation, because honestly it wasn’t just a slap in Ella’s face but it felt like a punch in my gut as well. A part of me wants to applaud White for being able to craft such a clever and devious character twist, while the other part of me either wants to sit and scowl at her or fall at her feet asking “Why?” with a full on lip wobble…perhaps I shall do all three…I’m looking at you Ms. Emily White.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS: In a galaxy far, far away lives a girl named Ella who is kicking godly butt and taking names…in this *gestures wildly around* galaxy you can read all about Ella’s story in Elemental, an enthralling and refreshing YA sci-fi that has me hooked. I will definitely be continuing this series!
Ella has been held prisoner aboard Sho’ful, a starship in space, for ten years, until the day the ship mysteriously docks and she is able to escape. Free, but with nowhere to go, Ella ends up meeting a kind stranger, Meir, who protects her from her captors, the Mamood. Ella and Meir soon learn that the Mamood believe she is the prophesied Destructor who will destroy their god Manoo. Ella also discovers that she possesses dangerous abilities and control over certain elements. With the help of an old friend and his son Malik, the two are able to flee from the Mamood, but danger follows them. Ella struggles with control over her abilities and is haunted by the memory of a boy with green eyes. The only thing Ella knows for sure is that she needs answers.
Elemental is a quick, exciting read that took me on an unexpected and surprising journey. Emily White has certainly crafted a sci-fi story that is original without being too Out There in the realm of unbelievable. The story itself is captivating, but not without its faults.
Instead of providing backstory in the beginning of the book about Ella and why she’s a prisoner or where she’s from, this is instead sprinkled throughout much of the book. At first, I found this lack of information and backstory to be a bit distracting and even disorienting. I spent much of the first few chapters focused on all my questions that weren’t being answered. But the more I allowed myself to simply fall into and get caught up in Ella’s story, the more I realized that White disperses info, backstory and revelations at the perfect times. And falling into and getting caught up in Ella’s story is super easy because the mysteries surrounding Ella and the fascinating sci-fi elements White has created are addicting. I HAD to know where Ella’s journey began and how it would end.
I don’t read much sci-fi and Elemental is very sci-fi-ish (that’s totally a word, right?), with its starships, interplanetary settings and wicked cool advanced technology, but I found that I really enjoyed the sci-fi elements. The world(s) that White has created is fantastically vivid, rich, layered and varied. And impressive, seeing as she had to develop (and develop well) several different planets, cultures and religions.
The story is told from Ella’s perspective and I liked being privy into her immediate and intimate thoughts. I have a sort of love/hate (but not really hate, more like the way a big sister “hates” her annoying little sis when she does dumb stuff) relationship with Ella. She is certainly a complex and dimensional character whose story I was completely invested in, but at times I found her completely frustrating. I love her determination, curiosity and uniqueness. In a way Ella is like many other YA heroines in that she is gifted/cursed with dangerous abilities and must fight to control them. Yet, unlike many of those other heroines, Ella actually openly and honestly explores her dark side. I love that she often straddles that thin line between doing what’s right and doing what feels right/good, and White does a superb job of exploring this part of her character. What I found frustrating about Ella is her lack of self-confidence and self-worth. The girl constantly wants to run off and sacrifice herself and I just want to smack some sense into her…lovingly of course.
Is there romance? Yes, yes there is. Did I love the romance? Nope. Did I hate the romance? Nope. Am I seriously conflicted by the romance? Fo’ sho! I’m one of those readers who usually ends up falling for or rooting for the wrong potential love interest and getting mad when the main character ends up with someone else, even when they kinda sorta belong together. <= Did this happen while reading Elemental? Yep. BUT, I will say that I am certainly interested to see where Ella and ?’s relationship goes.
Ella’s journey literally takes readers all over the universe and ends with a showdown, a kaboom, a surprise reappearance and a betrayal. Now, I must talk about this betrayal, which comes in the form of a twisty character revelation, because honestly it wasn’t just a slap in Ella’s face but it felt like a punch in my gut as well. A part of me wants to applaud White for being able to craft such a clever and devious character twist, while the other part of me either wants to sit and scowl at her or fall at her feet asking “Why?” with a full on lip wobble…perhaps I shall do all three…I’m looking at you Ms. Emily White.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS: In a galaxy far, far away lives a girl named Ella who is kicking godly butt and taking names…in this *gestures wildly around* galaxy you can read all about Ella’s story in Elemental, an enthralling and refreshing YA sci-fi that has me hooked. I will definitely be continuing this series!
September 1, 2012
**Firstly, thank you to Spencer Hill Press for providing me with an ARC of this to read and review**
Find my complete review here: http://rachybee-the-rest-is-still-unw...
Emily White’s debut novel Elemental is a fast, high stakes tale set in a distant galaxy that mixes mystery with action and leaves you wanting more.
Elemental was a really enjoyable book to read. A slightly short story, Emily White does a good job of drawing you in and enticing you with Ella’s journey. Personally, I was caught from the very first chapter and sped through this book. While I admit there are times where the story lagged and I got lost with so many different societies and planets, Elemental was a great way to spend an afternoon.
It’s quite an interesting world that White has crafted together. There are vast planets and numerous societies that litter the galaxy within this world. The information given throughout the book is enough to keep you up with the quick moving storyline, however I would have liked a little bit more back story into the workings of these societies. While things are revealed at the perfect time throughout Ella’s journey, there was always something else that I wished would be explained and because of that I struggled to connect with the world.
It was interesting discovering who and what Ella actuslly is and why she’s been imprisoned for so long, but I yearned for more information about the mysterious creature that Ella actually is. I’m looking forward to what Emily White reveals about this race of people in the next book and look forward to her expanding on their world and race.
The best thing about this book is truly our heroine Ella. Despite the horrible decade she’s experienced in captivity, Ella is a very kind soul despite her “Destructor” status for the most part and really just wants to be loved. Ella is a really interesting character to read about. There’s a real aura of fragility about her and she has an extremely vulnerable side to her, but despite it all, she manages to find strength when it really matters. Ella is essentially the “Destructor” and while I’m not going to give away any spoilers I will say that this often causes personally changes in Ella that contradict the Ella we’re used to seeing. What I find interesting is that despite her actions that are sometimes out of her control, Ella really does want to do the right thing; by herself and those she loves.
The characters fit well within the story and all play a very different role in Ella’s life. The people that Ella meets throughout the book all have an effect on the girl who truly has know one in the opening pages. The relationship Ella develops with her saviour Meir is rather instant, but no less endearing and is a sweet touch to the story. There are plenty of intriguing characters including Malik and Ranem, but none more so than Cailen, a young man similar to Ella who shares a mysterious past with her.
I found the start of a romance between Ella and Cailen to be sweet, but again, I yearned to know more about what they had together in the past. Cailen is everything you want in a male lead, but I just didn’t “love” him like I wished I could. Emily White is good at adding aspects to the story that you want to know more about and this is one of those aspects.
After a fast paced and eventful ending, one that featured pain and betrayal, I find myself excited to read the next book. I wonder what is in store for Ella next and what she’ll face in the next stage of her destiny and look forward to seeing what Emily White does with the sequel Fae.
Find my complete review here: http://rachybee-the-rest-is-still-unw...
Emily White’s debut novel Elemental is a fast, high stakes tale set in a distant galaxy that mixes mystery with action and leaves you wanting more.
Elemental was a really enjoyable book to read. A slightly short story, Emily White does a good job of drawing you in and enticing you with Ella’s journey. Personally, I was caught from the very first chapter and sped through this book. While I admit there are times where the story lagged and I got lost with so many different societies and planets, Elemental was a great way to spend an afternoon.
It’s quite an interesting world that White has crafted together. There are vast planets and numerous societies that litter the galaxy within this world. The information given throughout the book is enough to keep you up with the quick moving storyline, however I would have liked a little bit more back story into the workings of these societies. While things are revealed at the perfect time throughout Ella’s journey, there was always something else that I wished would be explained and because of that I struggled to connect with the world.
It was interesting discovering who and what Ella actuslly is and why she’s been imprisoned for so long, but I yearned for more information about the mysterious creature that Ella actually is. I’m looking forward to what Emily White reveals about this race of people in the next book and look forward to her expanding on their world and race.
The best thing about this book is truly our heroine Ella. Despite the horrible decade she’s experienced in captivity, Ella is a very kind soul despite her “Destructor” status for the most part and really just wants to be loved. Ella is a really interesting character to read about. There’s a real aura of fragility about her and she has an extremely vulnerable side to her, but despite it all, she manages to find strength when it really matters. Ella is essentially the “Destructor” and while I’m not going to give away any spoilers I will say that this often causes personally changes in Ella that contradict the Ella we’re used to seeing. What I find interesting is that despite her actions that are sometimes out of her control, Ella really does want to do the right thing; by herself and those she loves.
The characters fit well within the story and all play a very different role in Ella’s life. The people that Ella meets throughout the book all have an effect on the girl who truly has know one in the opening pages. The relationship Ella develops with her saviour Meir is rather instant, but no less endearing and is a sweet touch to the story. There are plenty of intriguing characters including Malik and Ranem, but none more so than Cailen, a young man similar to Ella who shares a mysterious past with her.
I found the start of a romance between Ella and Cailen to be sweet, but again, I yearned to know more about what they had together in the past. Cailen is everything you want in a male lead, but I just didn’t “love” him like I wished I could. Emily White is good at adding aspects to the story that you want to know more about and this is one of those aspects.
After a fast paced and eventful ending, one that featured pain and betrayal, I find myself excited to read the next book. I wonder what is in store for Ella next and what she’ll face in the next stage of her destiny and look forward to seeing what Emily White does with the sequel Fae.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2012
All in all, Elemental is an engrossing story, with a unique plot line. Ella is an unlikely hero, and we get to experience with her while she becomes aware of who she is and what she can do. Destined to kill a god, having wings without knowing it and being able to control elements. These are all things that Ella had no idea about herself as she was imprisoned on a space ship.
It is quite a journey as she comes to grips with these things. And as new people come into her life, some that she can trust and others that she learns the hard way that she can't. All the while a mysterious guy who makes her feel alive, and heals her with his very presence comes onto the scene. But it can't be perfect for her, because one minute he is distant, and the next she finds out that he's hiding things from her. Cailen is very intriguing character and the memories that she has of his eyes, a friend when she was a child is quite a twist. Because how did he get from that boy to the man in front of her. I really hope that we get more of Cailen and Ella in the sequel Fae. I think it was fitting that romance didn't take a forefront in Elemental, but I hope it can in the next book.
The relationship between Ella and Meir is written beautifully. I love the trust and father/daughter type bond that they have. He is a rock to her and it is refreshing to read about that dynamic.
The terminology in the book kinda threw me for a loop, the different names of religions, gods and the societies, but I pretty much got used to it. I think that I am just not used to it, because fantasy/sci-fi isn't my primary focus.
Elemental is paced well, and there is always something new to discover and new twists being thrown in there. I will say it's pretty violent and Ella is hurt a lot. It doesn't take away from the story really, but it is a bit distracting at times... what will be injured next kind of thing. But I guess that adds to her relatability. She doesn't wake up a superwoman, she has to come into herself, and struggle through the pain. I had so many questions that at the moment I wanted answered right then and there, but I think that in the end that only helped me to bond with Ella more, because I am almost as in the dark as she is, and we discover everything together.
Bottom line: I liked Ella's character and once I just let myself go and enjoy the story she had to tell instead of being so caught up in terminology and unanswered questions, I went on quite a fun and action packed literary journey with her.
For more of my reviews, check out Blkosiner’s YA and Teen Book Blog: http://blkosiner.blogspot.com
It is quite a journey as she comes to grips with these things. And as new people come into her life, some that she can trust and others that she learns the hard way that she can't. All the while a mysterious guy who makes her feel alive, and heals her with his very presence comes onto the scene. But it can't be perfect for her, because one minute he is distant, and the next she finds out that he's hiding things from her. Cailen is very intriguing character and the memories that she has of his eyes, a friend when she was a child is quite a twist. Because how did he get from that boy to the man in front of her. I really hope that we get more of Cailen and Ella in the sequel Fae. I think it was fitting that romance didn't take a forefront in Elemental, but I hope it can in the next book.
The relationship between Ella and Meir is written beautifully. I love the trust and father/daughter type bond that they have. He is a rock to her and it is refreshing to read about that dynamic.
The terminology in the book kinda threw me for a loop, the different names of religions, gods and the societies, but I pretty much got used to it. I think that I am just not used to it, because fantasy/sci-fi isn't my primary focus.
Elemental is paced well, and there is always something new to discover and new twists being thrown in there. I will say it's pretty violent and Ella is hurt a lot. It doesn't take away from the story really, but it is a bit distracting at times... what will be injured next kind of thing. But I guess that adds to her relatability. She doesn't wake up a superwoman, she has to come into herself, and struggle through the pain. I had so many questions that at the moment I wanted answered right then and there, but I think that in the end that only helped me to bond with Ella more, because I am almost as in the dark as she is, and we discover everything together.
Bottom line: I liked Ella's character and once I just let myself go and enjoy the story she had to tell instead of being so caught up in terminology and unanswered questions, I went on quite a fun and action packed literary journey with her.
For more of my reviews, check out Blkosiner’s YA and Teen Book Blog: http://blkosiner.blogspot.com
June 24, 2012
Characters: Ella's character grows with the story. She has been kept prisoner for 10 years, so when she finally escapes and is taken in by Meir, she relies heavily on him and has no choice but to trust him. But as the story unravels, she develops and becomes a very powerful and intelligent person that you will root for. Meir is the other character that stood out the most to me. He seems to always be prepared and aware of all things going on and a step ahead through most of the story. There are several other characters that come into play later. But these two are by far the ones that develop most throughout the story.
Plot: Ella escapes and while looking for safety is saved by Meir, who takes her to the only ship that has gotten authorization to leave. The group that is after her has almost starved her to death and the reason that she has been held captive so long is kept secret through most of the story. What she does know is that she has powers, a connection to fire that can kill people with just one look. She must escape and needs the help of others to do so, before they find her again, and kill her.
Originality: At first the story sounded like some I have read before. Powers of the mind, or the science fiction stories that take place on spaceships and outterspace. But the originality comes later in this book and it's a twist that you won't see coming. It adds fantasy to the story with winged beings and magic of the elements that really brings a lot to the story, making it unique.
Writing “I clung to the locket around my neck as my mind battled with itself. The logical side of my brain kept saying I'd been hallucinating or dreaming, just like it'd done after the attack from the Shakai. But the evidence denied this claim. The first time, there'd been the burning carcasses Meir had seen. Now there was the locket. Logic couldn't argue against that. But what did it all mean? What connection did I have to those winged men? I didn't have wings-I think I would've noticed that. I could somehow control fire, which was...odd.”
Krista's Rating: Here is another one of those stories that really had me from the first page. There was a constant unraveling of the story as the world became more and more magical and dangerous. The need to turn the pages to figure out how dangerous Ella really was. It all really builds in anticipation each chapter and even a bit of romance thrown in. I would recommend this first to science fiction lovers and secondly to fantasy readers. I was really surprised to not see more reviews of it online. I didn't just like this story, I loved it.
Plot: Ella escapes and while looking for safety is saved by Meir, who takes her to the only ship that has gotten authorization to leave. The group that is after her has almost starved her to death and the reason that she has been held captive so long is kept secret through most of the story. What she does know is that she has powers, a connection to fire that can kill people with just one look. She must escape and needs the help of others to do so, before they find her again, and kill her.
Originality: At first the story sounded like some I have read before. Powers of the mind, or the science fiction stories that take place on spaceships and outterspace. But the originality comes later in this book and it's a twist that you won't see coming. It adds fantasy to the story with winged beings and magic of the elements that really brings a lot to the story, making it unique.
Writing “I clung to the locket around my neck as my mind battled with itself. The logical side of my brain kept saying I'd been hallucinating or dreaming, just like it'd done after the attack from the Shakai. But the evidence denied this claim. The first time, there'd been the burning carcasses Meir had seen. Now there was the locket. Logic couldn't argue against that. But what did it all mean? What connection did I have to those winged men? I didn't have wings-I think I would've noticed that. I could somehow control fire, which was...odd.”
Krista's Rating: Here is another one of those stories that really had me from the first page. There was a constant unraveling of the story as the world became more and more magical and dangerous. The need to turn the pages to figure out how dangerous Ella really was. It all really builds in anticipation each chapter and even a bit of romance thrown in. I would recommend this first to science fiction lovers and secondly to fantasy readers. I was really surprised to not see more reviews of it online. I didn't just like this story, I loved it.
May 22, 2012
*An ARC was provided by Spencer Hill Press in exchange for an honest review*
This book has a bit of everything: romance, adventure, faeries, sci-fi, dysopian. Right up my ally :p
I think it was a pretty solid book. The idea was really good, the story line was really good, and the writing was really good. The idea really sticks out to me; it’s so original. I mean, who thinks of combining distopia with faeries? It’s ingenious! And the story line and writing just completed the whole thing, with great staging. All the events flowed together perfectly, leading up to an amazing climax. Perfect work, Emily White.
I didn’t expect to have a particularly strong female character in this book, but Ella fits the description perfectly: she’s strong, kick-butt, and can totally take care of herself. If you’ve read my other reviews, you’ll see that I love Maria V. Snyder’s female characters (Yelena and Avry), and I always say that they are definitely the strongest I’ve ever read about. Well, Ella joins that exclusive club, because she is super kick-butt.
I really wish I could say I liked Cailen, because he was obviously supposed to be the main guy in this book, but unfortunately I didn’t. I think what happened was White just didn’t develop him enough over the course of the book, so we didn’t get to connect and fall in love with him.
In the beginning, I loved Malick. The whole book I was thinking, Is there going to be a love triange? and in a way I kind of wish there was because I liked Malick way better than Cailen, because I though he was a more developed character. But by the time I finished the book, I hated him (read the book and you’ll find out why ;P) In my opinion, it would have been better if there had been a love triangle because that would make what Malick did more groundbreaking. But, that was White’s choice, and I’m not a published author, so I can’t really talk ;P
I really wish there were more books like these out there. People are just sticking to the normal things. Why not mix it up? Why not combine werewolves and faeries and dystopia? That would be cool. So, tip of the hat to Emily White for having an open mind and trying something new.
~Emily @ Emily's Crammed Bookshelf
This book has a bit of everything: romance, adventure, faeries, sci-fi, dysopian. Right up my ally :p
I think it was a pretty solid book. The idea was really good, the story line was really good, and the writing was really good. The idea really sticks out to me; it’s so original. I mean, who thinks of combining distopia with faeries? It’s ingenious! And the story line and writing just completed the whole thing, with great staging. All the events flowed together perfectly, leading up to an amazing climax. Perfect work, Emily White.
I didn’t expect to have a particularly strong female character in this book, but Ella fits the description perfectly: she’s strong, kick-butt, and can totally take care of herself. If you’ve read my other reviews, you’ll see that I love Maria V. Snyder’s female characters (Yelena and Avry), and I always say that they are definitely the strongest I’ve ever read about. Well, Ella joins that exclusive club, because she is super kick-butt.
I really wish I could say I liked Cailen, because he was obviously supposed to be the main guy in this book, but unfortunately I didn’t. I think what happened was White just didn’t develop him enough over the course of the book, so we didn’t get to connect and fall in love with him.
In the beginning, I loved Malick. The whole book I was thinking, Is there going to be a love triange? and in a way I kind of wish there was because I liked Malick way better than Cailen, because I though he was a more developed character. But by the time I finished the book, I hated him (read the book and you’ll find out why ;P) In my opinion, it would have been better if there had been a love triangle because that would make what Malick did more groundbreaking. But, that was White’s choice, and I’m not a published author, so I can’t really talk ;P
I really wish there were more books like these out there. People are just sticking to the normal things. Why not mix it up? Why not combine werewolves and faeries and dystopia? That would be cool. So, tip of the hat to Emily White for having an open mind and trying something new.
~Emily @ Emily's Crammed Bookshelf
April 11, 2012
The first thing that came to me when I saw this book was that it might be a little like Graceling. Ella can hurt people with her hands so my thoughts automatically went to Graceling. I could not have been more wrong.
This book is Sci-Fi with a capital S, another thing that I was wrong about because I though this would be more fantasy. Spaceships, intergalactic travel, and different species are just some of the ways that this book stays with the Sci-Fi genre. I am normally okay with that, but this book felt a little all over the place. After the first 60 pages I really felt like I missed the beginning of the story. I kept going back to see if I missed pages because it felt like the story picked up in the middle and I had no clue what was going on. I can’t say that it really got any better because I am still so confused. The only that makes sense to me is the connection between Ella and Cailen and that is probably because of the way their connection is explained. I don’t really understand the different political tiers that were at work in this world and frankly I think I would have a headache trying to figure it all out. I think the idea that the author has is a good one but we the reader need more background story, maybe a prequel or something to better understand this world. One of my favorites parts of the book happened at the end. I never saw the twist coming and honestly I give the author props for eliminating a growing trend in YA the dreaded triangle.
The characters were good for the most part. I got a little tired of Ella at one point but I think she will definitely grow into her role as this series continues. Cailen has the dark and brooding thing going for him and I would love to know more about him. Mier was a great father figure and I am glad that he was thrown in the mix. I would have liked for him to have had a stronger role, but I can live with what were given.
All in all I won’t say this is a bad book at all, I just expected something completely different and when I saw what I had I personally needed more explanation.
This book is Sci-Fi with a capital S, another thing that I was wrong about because I though this would be more fantasy. Spaceships, intergalactic travel, and different species are just some of the ways that this book stays with the Sci-Fi genre. I am normally okay with that, but this book felt a little all over the place. After the first 60 pages I really felt like I missed the beginning of the story. I kept going back to see if I missed pages because it felt like the story picked up in the middle and I had no clue what was going on. I can’t say that it really got any better because I am still so confused. The only that makes sense to me is the connection between Ella and Cailen and that is probably because of the way their connection is explained. I don’t really understand the different political tiers that were at work in this world and frankly I think I would have a headache trying to figure it all out. I think the idea that the author has is a good one but we the reader need more background story, maybe a prequel or something to better understand this world. One of my favorites parts of the book happened at the end. I never saw the twist coming and honestly I give the author props for eliminating a growing trend in YA the dreaded triangle.
The characters were good for the most part. I got a little tired of Ella at one point but I think she will definitely grow into her role as this series continues. Cailen has the dark and brooding thing going for him and I would love to know more about him. Mier was a great father figure and I am glad that he was thrown in the mix. I would have liked for him to have had a stronger role, but I can live with what were given.
All in all I won’t say this is a bad book at all, I just expected something completely different and when I saw what I had I personally needed more explanation.
June 18, 2012
My thoughts...Elemental is a young adult story that is part science fiction, part paranormal, and the rest twisted love tale. I was pleasantly surprised at the pace in which the story moved, the complexity of the characters and the amount of world building done in just 180 short pages (ARC length).
In the beginning, readers meet Ella, who has spent the last 10 years of her life in a small cell guarded by beasts of the human and animal variety. The action begins immediately when she is mysteriously freed and flees for safety.
She encounters other characters who leave readers questioning their motives and trustworthiness. Fortunately, this the the first in a series, so readers can anticipate more character building and background on key people. Ella herself was quite complex. While bits and pieces of her life are revealed, there was still much to discover about her past and future.
I was surprised by the pace of the story. It moved rapidly and kept me intrigued, despite the fact that I am not a big sci-fi fan. I did become a bit confused with the origins of the people. There were several groups from various galaxies which blurred in my mind. My confusion did not affect my understanding of the story. I hope future books provide more insight into White's world.
Elemental has a hint of budding romance. Other than some kissing, it is clean enough for young readers. There was some mild violence, nothing too graphic.
Overall, Elemental was a great read. I was surprised how quickly I was drawn into the story. I really had a hard time putting it down! Book two, titled Fae, is scheduled to be released in 2013 from Spencer Hill Press.
In the beginning, readers meet Ella, who has spent the last 10 years of her life in a small cell guarded by beasts of the human and animal variety. The action begins immediately when she is mysteriously freed and flees for safety.
She encounters other characters who leave readers questioning their motives and trustworthiness. Fortunately, this the the first in a series, so readers can anticipate more character building and background on key people. Ella herself was quite complex. While bits and pieces of her life are revealed, there was still much to discover about her past and future.
I was surprised by the pace of the story. It moved rapidly and kept me intrigued, despite the fact that I am not a big sci-fi fan. I did become a bit confused with the origins of the people. There were several groups from various galaxies which blurred in my mind. My confusion did not affect my understanding of the story. I hope future books provide more insight into White's world.
Elemental has a hint of budding romance. Other than some kissing, it is clean enough for young readers. There was some mild violence, nothing too graphic.
Overall, Elemental was a great read. I was surprised how quickly I was drawn into the story. I really had a hard time putting it down! Book two, titled Fae, is scheduled to be released in 2013 from Spencer Hill Press.
April 18, 2012
After reading the summary, I thought this book would be paranormal in nature so I signed up to read it. But it turned out to be sci-fi with religious undertones so I really didn't enjoy it. I need to stay away from sci-fi books.
There were too many different species (or was it religions? I couldn't figure it out) and worlds/planets for me to really grasp anything. I got confused reading it a lot, and that's not what I want to happen with a book.
I didn't like Ella. She seemed weak to me with nothing really strong about her. I get that she was held captive for ten years, but come on. She broke down and fainted with everything. And Cailen--cool name. But not a male character I cared about. I didn't really get all his hot and coldness. Neither of these characters were likeable or sympathetic to me.
There was a lot of action in the book, a little of it pretty graphic. That's fine with me, but I need some character story too. I dunno. This book just didn't do anything for me (although the star rating on Goodreads is on the higher end).
There were too many different species (or was it religions? I couldn't figure it out) and worlds/planets for me to really grasp anything. I got confused reading it a lot, and that's not what I want to happen with a book.
I didn't like Ella. She seemed weak to me with nothing really strong about her. I get that she was held captive for ten years, but come on. She broke down and fainted with everything. And Cailen--cool name. But not a male character I cared about. I didn't really get all his hot and coldness. Neither of these characters were likeable or sympathetic to me.
There was a lot of action in the book, a little of it pretty graphic. That's fine with me, but I need some character story too. I dunno. This book just didn't do anything for me (although the star rating on Goodreads is on the higher end).
July 14, 2013
This book made no fucking sense.
At all.
The whole entire time I'm all like 'what planet are we on?' and 'wait a second...we're in a ship?'. And if it wasn't those questions, then it was something like, 'What the hell is Mamood'?
This book was confusing from the very beginning and I honestly didn't understand a single freaking thing! Ella was so stupid sometimes, I wanted to elbow her in the face. Think about it. The girl mourned a stranger's death instead of her own father's death!! WHAT WIZARDRY IS THIS?!? And the only parts where I actually liked her where when she used her powers to kill people. That was enjoyable; trust me.
I swear, the only thing that made this book even worth reading was Cailen. God, that guy was unimaginable drool worthy. Atleast Emily White can make a decent fictional guy.
This book was some twisted StarWars type of shit and I would not recommend reading it.
Hell, the only reason I read it is because the description involved some unknown dreamy guy with green eyes!
At all.
The whole entire time I'm all like 'what planet are we on?' and 'wait a second...we're in a ship?'. And if it wasn't those questions, then it was something like, 'What the hell is Mamood'?
This book was confusing from the very beginning and I honestly didn't understand a single freaking thing! Ella was so stupid sometimes, I wanted to elbow her in the face. Think about it. The girl mourned a stranger's death instead of her own father's death!! WHAT WIZARDRY IS THIS?!? And the only parts where I actually liked her where when she used her powers to kill people. That was enjoyable; trust me.
I swear, the only thing that made this book even worth reading was Cailen. God, that guy was unimaginable drool worthy. Atleast Emily White can make a decent fictional guy.
This book was some twisted StarWars type of shit and I would not recommend reading it.
Hell, the only reason I read it is because the description involved some unknown dreamy guy with green eyes!
April 23, 2012
Dear Elemental, do you have any idea of how long I've been waiting for you? A whole year!! Yes, that long.
When I discovered this great book and asked Emily White for a review copy, she'd just been signed with Spencer Hill Press and unfortunately I had to wait until it was published. Two weeks ago the wait was finally over.
I admit I'm not into sci-fi at all, but this made it really enjoyable.
I have to confess that I really don't know if I should pity Ella for what she's been through or fear her for what she's capable of doing. That really is a mystery. Actually, there are a lot of mysteries floating around her: what she is, where she comes from... Oh, and Cailen being a complete mystery himself...
Some events were totally unexpected (great job, Emily, you had me fooled!) and other brought tears.
I'm looking forward to the sequel as I can't be left hanging like this. I need to know!
When I discovered this great book and asked Emily White for a review copy, she'd just been signed with Spencer Hill Press and unfortunately I had to wait until it was published. Two weeks ago the wait was finally over.
I admit I'm not into sci-fi at all, but this made it really enjoyable.
I have to confess that I really don't know if I should pity Ella for what she's been through or fear her for what she's capable of doing. That really is a mystery. Actually, there are a lot of mysteries floating around her: what she is, where she comes from... Oh, and Cailen being a complete mystery himself...
Some events were totally unexpected (great job, Emily, you had me fooled!) and other brought tears.
I'm looking forward to the sequel as I can't be left hanging like this. I need to know!
May 8, 2015
i really didn't want to give this book five stars, because i know (and love) the author, and i wanted to be impartial.
but...
impartially,
it deserves five stars.
the world-building alone deserves five stars, the driving pace, conflicted characters, and unique theme are just icing on the cake.
five very sparkly stars for you miss em.
you deserved every last one of them.
but...
impartially,
it deserves five stars.
the world-building alone deserves five stars, the driving pace, conflicted characters, and unique theme are just icing on the cake.
five very sparkly stars for you miss em.
you deserved every last one of them.
April 5, 2012
ELEMENTAL is an awesome debut novel! I really liked the way Emily White imbedded Jewish/Christian/Islamic elements into the story. Plus how can I not love angels who controls wind, air, and fire. Especially fire. I'm counting the days until the next book, FAE, comes out! Bravo to Emily White!
April 2, 2012
An incredibly unique story. I loved the imagery and Ella as a MC. Full review at 1bookaddict.blogspot.com
July 30, 2025
❤️💙🛸Science-fiction jeunesse sombre, mystérieux, irresistible.
Ella, 17 ans, est prisonnière depuis tellement d'années qu'elle en a presque perdu le compte.
Kidnappée il y a dix ans, elle survit à bord du vaisseau-prison intergalactique SHO'FUL, emprisonnée dans le noir et le froid, affamée, maltraitée…
Un jour, alors que son esprit divague dans un état second, elle entend une voix dans l'obscurité qui l'exhorte à se lever, à ouvrir la porte et à s'enfuir…
Contre toute attente, la porte habituellement verrouillée à double tour, est ouverte.
Ella obéit et s'échappe…
---------
Une bonne surprise pour la découverte de ce tome 1 de la série "LES AURIS, la maîtresse des éléments", qui vous prend littéralement aux tripes dès le début de la lecture, et vous aspire dans le monde désespéré d'Ella qui doit se battre pour survivre, jour après jour.
La jeunesse du personnage d'Ella la rend parfois un peu gauche, maladroite et également agaçante, mais lorsque l'on voit d'où elle vient, on ne peut que compatir à son sort.
Voilà une histoire de science-fiction surprenante, mystérieuse, un brin ésotérique, voire magique, au rythme plutôt hâché qui vous laissera parfois dans l'interrogation.
Le rythme non fluide de l'action, de l'histoire, fait que le lecteur a occasionnellement l'impression qu'il manque des mots, un paragraphe dans le déroulement des évenements, et l'oblige à retourner en arrière dans sa lecture.
Mais non, c'est ainsi, c'est le rythme du roman.
Je suis restée personnellement sur beaucoup de questionnement quant au déroulement de l'histoire et au sort de certains personnages. J'ai trouvé que la fin du roman était un peu expédiée et brutale.
J'aurai aimé un roman davantage détaillé, tellement j'ai apprécié l'histoire et tellement j'aurai aimé passer plus de temps avec les personnages...
MAIS, il y a la suite dans le tome 2 "la venue des Fae " dont je lirai la suite car j'ai vraiment, vraiment envie de savoir ce que vont devenir les personnages d'Ella et Cailen. Et Meir, où est-il ?
Je recommande ce roman aux amateurs de romans jeunesse genre Science-fiction/fantastique plutôt originaux, mais toutefois très sombre.
Ella, 17 ans, est prisonnière depuis tellement d'années qu'elle en a presque perdu le compte.
Kidnappée il y a dix ans, elle survit à bord du vaisseau-prison intergalactique SHO'FUL, emprisonnée dans le noir et le froid, affamée, maltraitée…
Un jour, alors que son esprit divague dans un état second, elle entend une voix dans l'obscurité qui l'exhorte à se lever, à ouvrir la porte et à s'enfuir…
Contre toute attente, la porte habituellement verrouillée à double tour, est ouverte.
Ella obéit et s'échappe…
---------
Une bonne surprise pour la découverte de ce tome 1 de la série "LES AURIS, la maîtresse des éléments", qui vous prend littéralement aux tripes dès le début de la lecture, et vous aspire dans le monde désespéré d'Ella qui doit se battre pour survivre, jour après jour.
La jeunesse du personnage d'Ella la rend parfois un peu gauche, maladroite et également agaçante, mais lorsque l'on voit d'où elle vient, on ne peut que compatir à son sort.
Voilà une histoire de science-fiction surprenante, mystérieuse, un brin ésotérique, voire magique, au rythme plutôt hâché qui vous laissera parfois dans l'interrogation.
Le rythme non fluide de l'action, de l'histoire, fait que le lecteur a occasionnellement l'impression qu'il manque des mots, un paragraphe dans le déroulement des évenements, et l'oblige à retourner en arrière dans sa lecture.
Mais non, c'est ainsi, c'est le rythme du roman.
Je suis restée personnellement sur beaucoup de questionnement quant au déroulement de l'histoire et au sort de certains personnages. J'ai trouvé que la fin du roman était un peu expédiée et brutale.
J'aurai aimé un roman davantage détaillé, tellement j'ai apprécié l'histoire et tellement j'aurai aimé passer plus de temps avec les personnages...
MAIS, il y a la suite dans le tome 2 "la venue des Fae " dont je lirai la suite car j'ai vraiment, vraiment envie de savoir ce que vont devenir les personnages d'Ella et Cailen. Et Meir, où est-il ?
Je recommande ce roman aux amateurs de romans jeunesse genre Science-fiction/fantastique plutôt originaux, mais toutefois très sombre.
March 26, 2012
This one was a little hard to get into at first because of the jarring (but awesome) use of in media res for the first few chapters – but it was quite the fun read. Who would have thought that mixing faeries and space opera would turn out to be so awesome? This is a really quick read, and I was kind of hoping it would be longer, but there is another book coming in 2013. I had quite a few questions I had that went unanswered here, so I’m hoping we’ll get more backstory and more fully entrenched in this world that White has created in that next book. Note that there are spoilers within this review, so read at your own caution. If you want a very original look at the future and a new look at the war between faeries and humans, you simply must check out “Elemental”.
However, therein lies the rub of this book – while White creates a wonderful world/universe with Ella, the Auri, and the rest of the human/fae that populate her universe, her worldbuilding isn’t entirely solid. We know that El helped create the Auri which is like a fae/human hybrid species – but it’s never explained where El comes from, just that he happened to give humans wings once they had enough technology. In fact, it felt like a bit of a deus-ex-machina in that he just kind of came along once humans got technically advanced enough to travel to other planets. For me, that wasn’t enough, and really kind of brought down my enjoyment of the book a bit. El is implied to be a god, but nothing more is said about this. However, the explanation of Ella’s existence, that of the role of the Destructor and of the Auri race itself as tools for destruction as well as their arrogance for playing gods across the universe was very well told and explicitly made clear – they are no longer a human species, but a post-human one, even though their descendants helped start the Ladeshian with their civilization. Another detail missing is that if Auri helped start the Ladeshian civilization with two Auri people – at what point does all of that Auri interbreeding cause the blood to revert to human (if I did understand all of that correctly)? I loved these parts of the stories, where the world was really starting to build up, and how our present players fit into it all of it, but there were a few details that were unanswered, and it did start to annoy me. Hopefully this will be resolved in future books. But White’s emphasis of how the Auri have pretty much lost their humanity was very interesting, and it flowed very well within all of the arcs and sub-arcs throughout the book.
I would also love to know why El has a beef with Mamoo, and why it thinks that Mamoo has been engaged in an “evil reign” over the whole universe. I wanted to know more in terms of why they were warring, and why Mamoo wanted El dead, as well. I hope we get more details in the next book, because that was also one of my largest questions that was unanswered. Is this just a case of Greek God-like rivalry and jealousy? Or something more?
I was amused, though, at the bit of retelling of “Le Mort d’Arthur” and “The Mists of Avalon” in terms of Morgan and the Fae’ri (the Fae’ri queen who tried to take over all the planets – a retelling of Morgan Le Fay of Avalon and her lust for power over the land of Avalon, that of the land of the Fae) and how White twisted that to her advantage in a post-human future. I liked that and wanted to see and hear more of it, so I hope more about Morgan’s bid to take over all the things comes up in future books. (I would love a prequel with Morgan the Fae’ri queen of the planets! Just sayin’.)
My other big issue was the bit of insta-romance between Ella and Cailen – even though they were childhood friends, them being together “just felt right” (Ella says this herself in the book). Or at least, it feels like a insta-romance because Ella has been gone from the Auri for ten years, imprisoned on the ship Sho’ful, and that’s a long time to be away. People change, and you have to get to know them again, especially when the change is as traumatic as it is for Ella having endured ten years’ worth of abuse from the people who want her dead (and she doesn’t feel very charitable toward them, either). She even wonders why she trusts Cailen so much who, “was by all rights a stranger” (Ella’s words, not mine) ten years out of her childhood. I’m really not a huge fan of that in books – if you’ve been reading the blog, you know that. HOWEVER. I can disregard the insta-romance because of the Big Reveal at the end concerning the Auri and their “bonding” process and its huge payoff. And Ella’s reaction as she finds out is not only awesome, but priceless. Well played, White, because I definitely did NOT see that coming. And I am very, very satisfied with the result. I was totally trolled, but I loved every minute of it.
But the other technical aspects were quite well developed – there literally was tension on every page from the first page on, and that’s hard to do, so I applaud White on being able to accomplish it. The story did not drag at any one point, nor did I feel bored. I did get confused at times and had to reread a few passages in the beginning concerning the genesis of the Auri, but once the full story as told by Cailen came out, it was very smooth sailing from there. So there were a few stutters, but in a story as complex as this, that’s to be expected. Perhaps one more draft might have smoothed all of this out, but I’m satisfied with what I did get. Ella’s character (as a concept) takes a good journey arc to become someone and something greater than herself compared to who she is at the beginning of the book, and that was wonderful to read. When she finally stood up and refused to keep running from her seeming “destiny” as the Destructor, I cheered. It’s so nice to have a ballsy heroine, even if her development as one is a bit late. Winged ballsy heroines are even MORE awesome.
All in all, though? I really enjoyed this one. It was so different from the usual YA fare that we get, and I’m glad it’s being published, all of my nitpicky issues aside. It’s good to see that hard sci-fi/space opera, biopunk, and post-humanism works are making their way into YA through books like “Elemental”. These are some of the few genres in YA that doesn’t have many books in their canons, and I’m hoping that we do get more in the future within the YA umbrella genre as a whole and I’m very glad that “Elemental” is one of the few taking steps into those halls of canon for all of these sub-genres. “Elemental” will be available through Spencer Hill Press on May 1st, 2012. If you’re a sci-fi fan, you really can’t miss this debut!
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
However, therein lies the rub of this book – while White creates a wonderful world/universe with Ella, the Auri, and the rest of the human/fae that populate her universe, her worldbuilding isn’t entirely solid. We know that El helped create the Auri which is like a fae/human hybrid species – but it’s never explained where El comes from, just that he happened to give humans wings once they had enough technology. In fact, it felt like a bit of a deus-ex-machina in that he just kind of came along once humans got technically advanced enough to travel to other planets. For me, that wasn’t enough, and really kind of brought down my enjoyment of the book a bit. El is implied to be a god, but nothing more is said about this. However, the explanation of Ella’s existence, that of the role of the Destructor and of the Auri race itself as tools for destruction as well as their arrogance for playing gods across the universe was very well told and explicitly made clear – they are no longer a human species, but a post-human one, even though their descendants helped start the Ladeshian with their civilization. Another detail missing is that if Auri helped start the Ladeshian civilization with two Auri people – at what point does all of that Auri interbreeding cause the blood to revert to human (if I did understand all of that correctly)? I loved these parts of the stories, where the world was really starting to build up, and how our present players fit into it all of it, but there were a few details that were unanswered, and it did start to annoy me. Hopefully this will be resolved in future books. But White’s emphasis of how the Auri have pretty much lost their humanity was very interesting, and it flowed very well within all of the arcs and sub-arcs throughout the book.
I would also love to know why El has a beef with Mamoo, and why it thinks that Mamoo has been engaged in an “evil reign” over the whole universe. I wanted to know more in terms of why they were warring, and why Mamoo wanted El dead, as well. I hope we get more details in the next book, because that was also one of my largest questions that was unanswered. Is this just a case of Greek God-like rivalry and jealousy? Or something more?
I was amused, though, at the bit of retelling of “Le Mort d’Arthur” and “The Mists of Avalon” in terms of Morgan and the Fae’ri (the Fae’ri queen who tried to take over all the planets – a retelling of Morgan Le Fay of Avalon and her lust for power over the land of Avalon, that of the land of the Fae) and how White twisted that to her advantage in a post-human future. I liked that and wanted to see and hear more of it, so I hope more about Morgan’s bid to take over all the things comes up in future books. (I would love a prequel with Morgan the Fae’ri queen of the planets! Just sayin’.)
My other big issue was the bit of insta-romance between Ella and Cailen – even though they were childhood friends, them being together “just felt right” (Ella says this herself in the book). Or at least, it feels like a insta-romance because Ella has been gone from the Auri for ten years, imprisoned on the ship Sho’ful, and that’s a long time to be away. People change, and you have to get to know them again, especially when the change is as traumatic as it is for Ella having endured ten years’ worth of abuse from the people who want her dead (and she doesn’t feel very charitable toward them, either). She even wonders why she trusts Cailen so much who, “was by all rights a stranger” (Ella’s words, not mine) ten years out of her childhood. I’m really not a huge fan of that in books – if you’ve been reading the blog, you know that. HOWEVER. I can disregard the insta-romance because of the Big Reveal at the end concerning the Auri and their “bonding” process and its huge payoff. And Ella’s reaction as she finds out is not only awesome, but priceless. Well played, White, because I definitely did NOT see that coming. And I am very, very satisfied with the result. I was totally trolled, but I loved every minute of it.
But the other technical aspects were quite well developed – there literally was tension on every page from the first page on, and that’s hard to do, so I applaud White on being able to accomplish it. The story did not drag at any one point, nor did I feel bored. I did get confused at times and had to reread a few passages in the beginning concerning the genesis of the Auri, but once the full story as told by Cailen came out, it was very smooth sailing from there. So there were a few stutters, but in a story as complex as this, that’s to be expected. Perhaps one more draft might have smoothed all of this out, but I’m satisfied with what I did get. Ella’s character (as a concept) takes a good journey arc to become someone and something greater than herself compared to who she is at the beginning of the book, and that was wonderful to read. When she finally stood up and refused to keep running from her seeming “destiny” as the Destructor, I cheered. It’s so nice to have a ballsy heroine, even if her development as one is a bit late. Winged ballsy heroines are even MORE awesome.
All in all, though? I really enjoyed this one. It was so different from the usual YA fare that we get, and I’m glad it’s being published, all of my nitpicky issues aside. It’s good to see that hard sci-fi/space opera, biopunk, and post-humanism works are making their way into YA through books like “Elemental”. These are some of the few genres in YA that doesn’t have many books in their canons, and I’m hoping that we do get more in the future within the YA umbrella genre as a whole and I’m very glad that “Elemental” is one of the few taking steps into those halls of canon for all of these sub-genres. “Elemental” will be available through Spencer Hill Press on May 1st, 2012. If you’re a sci-fi fan, you really can’t miss this debut!
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2020
DNF gave up after page 80. Not for me
September 19, 2014
3.5/5
Mon avis en Français
My Englisg review
Voilà un roman et un auteur que je ne connaissais pas du tout avant de découvrir ce premier tome. C’est la première fois que je tente un livre sorti chez ADA (éditeur québéquois) et je me demandais comment serait le Français et j’avoue que je n’ai pas vu de grandes différences. Quand on voit le résumé d’ailleurs de cette version, on peut voir qu’il est très différent de l’anglais qui nous prépare à avoir un roman de science-fiction. J’avoue que j’ai donc été assez surprise en commençant l’histoire et en découvrant que l’environnement présenté se passait sur différentes planètes et dans des vaisseaux spatiaux.
On découvre au début du roman, une jeune fille, Ella s’échappant d’un vaisseau dans lequel elle était tenue prisonnière depuis bien longtemps. Ne sachant pas exactement qui elle est vraiment, elle espère trouver une meilleure vie au dehors. Elle ne s’attend cependant pas à être sauvée par une personne qu’elle aurait pu facilement considérer comme un ennemi, un homme qui va tout faire pour qu’elle reste en sécurité le plus possible. Mais alors qu’ils arrivent tous les deux à s’enfuir, Ella va très vite découvrir la raison de son enfermement, elle est considérée comme un ennemi à leur dieu, une personne qui était censé être sacrifiée et ils ne renonceront à rien pour la récupérer. Au cours de sa fuite, nous découvrirons que notre jeune héroïne n’est pas une humaine ordinaire mais qu’elle est bien plus que cela. A travers les chapitres, nous suivrons son évolution et son éveil à ce qu’elle est réellement, mais nous découvrirons aussi sa réelle identité et ses origines à l’aide des personnages qu’elle rencontre comme Ranen ou bien Cailen. Cependant, quoi qu’elle fasse, le danger se rapproche toujours plus, la mettant elle et ses amis en danger constant.
J’ai beaucoup aimé découvrir les personnages et l’auteur réussit parfaitement à manipuler nos sentiments pour chacun d’entre eux pour que l’on ne parvienne pas vraiment à savoir si on peut leur faire confiance ou pas. Nous avons tout d’abord Meir, cet homme qui sauve Ella dès le début du roman et qui semble prêt à tout pour la sauver, même si cela signifie mettre sa vie en danger plus d’une fois. Nous avons ensuite Malik… Ah ce personnage… Il est très difficile de statuer sur son sort, on le déteste, on l’apprécie, puis on le déteste à nouveau mais il faudra attendre la fin du roman pour vraiment comprendre qui il est réellement. Puis il y a Cailen… Difficile aussi de vraiment comprendre ce qu’il veut d’Ella, notamment quand on comprend qu’il cache de nombreux secrets et même si certains sont révélés tout au long de l’histoire, ils n’ont pas été donnés de gaité de cœur. Et bien sûr Ella. Pauvre Ella qui ne comprend pas qui elle est, ce qu’elle est et qui ne rêve que d’être libérée et aimée mais tout cela semble bien plus compliqué que prévu, surtout quand on sait que son destin est bien plus compliqué qu’il ne le parait. Je me suis très vite demandé comment elle allait faire pour s’en sortir et j’étais curieuse de voir ses prochains mouvements car elle-même essaie d’agir au mieux pour les gens qui s’inquiètent à son sujet (même si ses actions ne sont parfois pas les plus intelligentes).
Dans tous les cas, j’ai passé un bon moment avec ce roman et c’était agréable de découvrir ce nouveau monde même si c’est vrai que j’espère que nous aurons plus de détails par la suite car beaucoup de choses restent tout de même assez floues. On prend en tout cas plaisir à lire chacun des personnages et je suis curieuse de lire le second tome pour voir où l’auteur nous emmènera.
Mon avis en Français
My Englisg review
Voilà un roman et un auteur que je ne connaissais pas du tout avant de découvrir ce premier tome. C’est la première fois que je tente un livre sorti chez ADA (éditeur québéquois) et je me demandais comment serait le Français et j’avoue que je n’ai pas vu de grandes différences. Quand on voit le résumé d’ailleurs de cette version, on peut voir qu’il est très différent de l’anglais qui nous prépare à avoir un roman de science-fiction. J’avoue que j’ai donc été assez surprise en commençant l’histoire et en découvrant que l’environnement présenté se passait sur différentes planètes et dans des vaisseaux spatiaux.
On découvre au début du roman, une jeune fille, Ella s’échappant d’un vaisseau dans lequel elle était tenue prisonnière depuis bien longtemps. Ne sachant pas exactement qui elle est vraiment, elle espère trouver une meilleure vie au dehors. Elle ne s’attend cependant pas à être sauvée par une personne qu’elle aurait pu facilement considérer comme un ennemi, un homme qui va tout faire pour qu’elle reste en sécurité le plus possible. Mais alors qu’ils arrivent tous les deux à s’enfuir, Ella va très vite découvrir la raison de son enfermement, elle est considérée comme un ennemi à leur dieu, une personne qui était censé être sacrifiée et ils ne renonceront à rien pour la récupérer. Au cours de sa fuite, nous découvrirons que notre jeune héroïne n’est pas une humaine ordinaire mais qu’elle est bien plus que cela. A travers les chapitres, nous suivrons son évolution et son éveil à ce qu’elle est réellement, mais nous découvrirons aussi sa réelle identité et ses origines à l’aide des personnages qu’elle rencontre comme Ranen ou bien Cailen. Cependant, quoi qu’elle fasse, le danger se rapproche toujours plus, la mettant elle et ses amis en danger constant.
J’ai beaucoup aimé découvrir les personnages et l’auteur réussit parfaitement à manipuler nos sentiments pour chacun d’entre eux pour que l’on ne parvienne pas vraiment à savoir si on peut leur faire confiance ou pas. Nous avons tout d’abord Meir, cet homme qui sauve Ella dès le début du roman et qui semble prêt à tout pour la sauver, même si cela signifie mettre sa vie en danger plus d’une fois. Nous avons ensuite Malik… Ah ce personnage… Il est très difficile de statuer sur son sort, on le déteste, on l’apprécie, puis on le déteste à nouveau mais il faudra attendre la fin du roman pour vraiment comprendre qui il est réellement. Puis il y a Cailen… Difficile aussi de vraiment comprendre ce qu’il veut d’Ella, notamment quand on comprend qu’il cache de nombreux secrets et même si certains sont révélés tout au long de l’histoire, ils n’ont pas été donnés de gaité de cœur. Et bien sûr Ella. Pauvre Ella qui ne comprend pas qui elle est, ce qu’elle est et qui ne rêve que d’être libérée et aimée mais tout cela semble bien plus compliqué que prévu, surtout quand on sait que son destin est bien plus compliqué qu’il ne le parait. Je me suis très vite demandé comment elle allait faire pour s’en sortir et j’étais curieuse de voir ses prochains mouvements car elle-même essaie d’agir au mieux pour les gens qui s’inquiètent à son sujet (même si ses actions ne sont parfois pas les plus intelligentes).
Dans tous les cas, j’ai passé un bon moment avec ce roman et c’était agréable de découvrir ce nouveau monde même si c’est vrai que j’espère que nous aurons plus de détails par la suite car beaucoup de choses restent tout de même assez floues. On prend en tout cas plaisir à lire chacun des personnages et je suis curieuse de lire le second tome pour voir où l’auteur nous emmènera.
December 4, 2012
I'd been wanting to read this book for a while and finally got a chance to pick it up. Overall, I liked it. To me, it kind of read like one of those sci-fi movies where the graphics are just a bit cheesy... but you just have to stick around and see what happens next. "Elemental" did a great job of keeping me pulled into the story, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of magic with their space opera (having noticed it described as a space opera somewhere else, I think it fits). Bits and pieces reminded me of "Pitch Black" (the Shakai bugs) and "Chronicles of Riddick" (the Tarmean soldiers uniform-- and certain other elements of the story), both shows I enjoyed, so that was another plus.
Now for the detailed description of what I liked and didn't like (Though I have tried to avoid explicitly spoiling anything, be warned that I reference a few of the scenes).
The action scenes are awesome. Especially the ending. Awesome. Without giving it away, I liked how Ella's choice was presented, and it fit well with how her character was presented. There were some really well-written action scenes throughout that stood out (mostly in relation to when her powers showed up... the clothing store, the library.... etc).
The downside here is I felt like there was a lot of telling narration. Some of it worked really well. Other sections, I would really liked to have seen it narrated in the same way the action sequences were. (Especially when it comes to describing Ella's feelings and emotions-- and the one phrase that kept popping out to me was that she seems to moan a lot.).
I saw one review on Goodreads mentioning that they wished Ella was a bit pushier when it came to answers, and I can kind of agree with that. On one hand, a lot of her reactions make sense, especially since she was held captive for so long. (I kept thinking her eyesight should have been uncooperative for a bit longer, but I'll let her magical powers excuse that one). There were a few voice issues that I wondered about, since she had been held captive and wouldn't have likely heard certain phrases, but for the most part her voice seemed to stand on its own.
I liked the wings. I liked the world description. Yes, there were a lot of cities and species and classes, but they were presented in such a way that you could figure out what was what without a huge amount of description, which was nice.
Ella is certainly a strong character, and she is a change of pace from some of the other YA protagonists I've read, in that I did get a sense of her desire for destruction (as the blurb mentions). I really like how the ending played out. Certain scenes stand out in my head (such as her first meeting with Meir, and the soldiers' masks, and Malik's character, and the green-eyed boy memory, and Ella's powers-- pretty much anytime those showed up, I enjoyed the scene-- and the cat. That awesome cat-- the reactions of the other characters, along with Ella's interaction with the cat, made me chuckle.
That being said, I want to read the next book, and I hope to see more of the powers come into play. :-)
Now for the detailed description of what I liked and didn't like (Though I have tried to avoid explicitly spoiling anything, be warned that I reference a few of the scenes).
The action scenes are awesome. Especially the ending. Awesome. Without giving it away, I liked how Ella's choice was presented, and it fit well with how her character was presented. There were some really well-written action scenes throughout that stood out (mostly in relation to when her powers showed up... the clothing store, the library.... etc).
The downside here is I felt like there was a lot of telling narration. Some of it worked really well. Other sections, I would really liked to have seen it narrated in the same way the action sequences were. (Especially when it comes to describing Ella's feelings and emotions-- and the one phrase that kept popping out to me was that she seems to moan a lot.).
I saw one review on Goodreads mentioning that they wished Ella was a bit pushier when it came to answers, and I can kind of agree with that. On one hand, a lot of her reactions make sense, especially since she was held captive for so long. (I kept thinking her eyesight should have been uncooperative for a bit longer, but I'll let her magical powers excuse that one). There were a few voice issues that I wondered about, since she had been held captive and wouldn't have likely heard certain phrases, but for the most part her voice seemed to stand on its own.
I liked the wings. I liked the world description. Yes, there were a lot of cities and species and classes, but they were presented in such a way that you could figure out what was what without a huge amount of description, which was nice.
Ella is certainly a strong character, and she is a change of pace from some of the other YA protagonists I've read, in that I did get a sense of her desire for destruction (as the blurb mentions). I really like how the ending played out. Certain scenes stand out in my head (such as her first meeting with Meir, and the soldiers' masks, and Malik's character, and the green-eyed boy memory, and Ella's powers-- pretty much anytime those showed up, I enjoyed the scene-- and the cat. That awesome cat-- the reactions of the other characters, along with Ella's interaction with the cat, made me chuckle.
That being said, I want to read the next book, and I hope to see more of the powers come into play. :-)
May 1, 2012
I have to be honest, I had absolutely no idea as to what to expect from Elemental!
But this greatly intrigued me...
"Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should."
For the last 10 years, Ella has been imprisoned on a ship since she was 7 years old. Why would a child be locked up in total darkness in an empty metal room from all of civilization for so long?
And, after all these years, why has the ship landed? And where is this mysterious voice coming from urging her to take this opportunity to escape... Ella thinks twice before running - what if it's a trick? Where will she go? But the urge to finally put this nightmare behind her, to be free from the darkness, to go find the boy with the green eyes - her only memory - wins. She is blinded by the smallest beam of light, the sun feels like it's scorching her skin, she is weak from being underfed - she has her doubts and fears, but she is determined to get away and rather die than go back.
Within minutes of her escape, she meets Meir. A kind stranger who instantly takes on a fatherly protective role to Ella. At first I was a bit put off on how Ella and Meir connected so quickly, but once you learn Meir's story and realize how badly Ella is craving to connect to someone, anyone, it completely makes sense.
Ella's escape, even with Meir's help, is not easy. Nothing comes easy for Ella at all throughout this whole book. The story flows quickly, which is a wonderful thing. As you can see, the reader is thrown right in with Ella. We are asking questions and finding things out right alongside her. Ella doesn't remember anything from her past. She is unfamiliar with what is going on around her - what is going on in the galaxy, the different politics, religions - it's all so amazing! I have to honestly say that all of this does remind me of Star Wars a bit! And that's all the sci-fi I know, lol!
As the story moves along, the mystery starts to unfold - we find out more about Ella, she's a faerie who is capable of controlling wind and fire. We also learn where she comes from, why no one was able to find her, who her enemies are, and who are on her side.
And most importantly, we meet the mystery boy with the green eyes - the only memory that she has been clinging to for all these years was truly a memory and not a dream - and his name is Cailen.
The ending is amazing! Yes, a lot of questions do get answered, but we're left with a few and with a small cliffhanger too! Which is amazing and was so perfectly well written! I can honestly say that this is one of those rare books were you are satisfied just enough to be able to wait a bit for that next book to be released!
The only reason why I didn't give Elemental 5 bees is because of my weak stomach and running imagination during 2 or 3 scenes! One of them being... if you can handle bugs creepy crawling all over you, peeling and eating off your skin - then this is definitely a solid 5 bee book :)
Fae the sequel to Elemental is to be released by in 2013.
But this greatly intrigued me...
"Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should."
For the last 10 years, Ella has been imprisoned on a ship since she was 7 years old. Why would a child be locked up in total darkness in an empty metal room from all of civilization for so long?
And, after all these years, why has the ship landed? And where is this mysterious voice coming from urging her to take this opportunity to escape... Ella thinks twice before running - what if it's a trick? Where will she go? But the urge to finally put this nightmare behind her, to be free from the darkness, to go find the boy with the green eyes - her only memory - wins. She is blinded by the smallest beam of light, the sun feels like it's scorching her skin, she is weak from being underfed - she has her doubts and fears, but she is determined to get away and rather die than go back.
Within minutes of her escape, she meets Meir. A kind stranger who instantly takes on a fatherly protective role to Ella. At first I was a bit put off on how Ella and Meir connected so quickly, but once you learn Meir's story and realize how badly Ella is craving to connect to someone, anyone, it completely makes sense.
Ella's escape, even with Meir's help, is not easy. Nothing comes easy for Ella at all throughout this whole book. The story flows quickly, which is a wonderful thing. As you can see, the reader is thrown right in with Ella. We are asking questions and finding things out right alongside her. Ella doesn't remember anything from her past. She is unfamiliar with what is going on around her - what is going on in the galaxy, the different politics, religions - it's all so amazing! I have to honestly say that all of this does remind me of Star Wars a bit! And that's all the sci-fi I know, lol!
As the story moves along, the mystery starts to unfold - we find out more about Ella, she's a faerie who is capable of controlling wind and fire. We also learn where she comes from, why no one was able to find her, who her enemies are, and who are on her side.
And most importantly, we meet the mystery boy with the green eyes - the only memory that she has been clinging to for all these years was truly a memory and not a dream - and his name is Cailen.
The ending is amazing! Yes, a lot of questions do get answered, but we're left with a few and with a small cliffhanger too! Which is amazing and was so perfectly well written! I can honestly say that this is one of those rare books were you are satisfied just enough to be able to wait a bit for that next book to be released!
The only reason why I didn't give Elemental 5 bees is because of my weak stomach and running imagination during 2 or 3 scenes! One of them being... if you can handle bugs creepy crawling all over you, peeling and eating off your skin - then this is definitely a solid 5 bee book :)
Fae the sequel to Elemental is to be released by in 2013.
May 15, 2012
Review originally posted at Books to Brighten your Mood
Elemental is a rather difficult book for me to review and rate. You see, from the early premise, I had the impression that it was a paranormal novel or a fantasy one. It turned out that Elemental is a Sci-Fi novel, a really hardcore at that. And that isn't a bad thing, only I myself am not a huge fan of sci-fi novels and find them rather difficult to read.
Having said that, it's only natural that I really struggled at first to get into the story and understand the complex world Emily White created. Because the one thing I admired and enjoyed the most in this book, even if that was the very same thing that tired me the most, is the world building. Emily White has created a unique and intricate world, unlike any other. The universe in which her story is set is one of a kind and has a whole set of rules that I haven't encountered in any other novel I've read so far.
So, even if I was tired and completely at a loss at first about what was going on in the story, I have to give the author two thumbs up for her imagination and her ability to pass it on paper.
As I said, at the beginning of the book I was so confused and struggled to understand what was going on, that for the first chapters I was at a complete loss as to what I was reading. I may sound stupid right now, but sci-fi isn't my thing... I signed up to review this book under the impression it was fantasy. So add to my limited knowledge of sci-fi literature the fact that I expected something entirely else, and you can easily guess my utter confusion :P
Anyway, as soon as I figured everything out, Elemental was a fun story, one a fan of sci-fi would enjoy more than I did. I really liked the slow way Ella got to know the details of her existence and the complexity of the whole story.
But what I liked the most in Elemental is simply one character: Malik. He was a way more complex character than either Ella or her love interest, which by the way didn't care for one bit I'm afraid. The way he acted and trying to anticipate his moves or guess his motives was what intrigued me the most in Elemental. And by the end of the story, I felt rather justified at the turn of events. I'm guessing that Malik will be what I'll remember most from this novel :)
All in all, Elemental is a hardcore sci-fi novel, that I enjoyed reading for the better part of it, even if I'm not a huge fan of the genre. Fans of intergalactic fantasy will enjoy it far more than me. Of that, I'm quite certain.
Elemental is a rather difficult book for me to review and rate. You see, from the early premise, I had the impression that it was a paranormal novel or a fantasy one. It turned out that Elemental is a Sci-Fi novel, a really hardcore at that. And that isn't a bad thing, only I myself am not a huge fan of sci-fi novels and find them rather difficult to read.
Having said that, it's only natural that I really struggled at first to get into the story and understand the complex world Emily White created. Because the one thing I admired and enjoyed the most in this book, even if that was the very same thing that tired me the most, is the world building. Emily White has created a unique and intricate world, unlike any other. The universe in which her story is set is one of a kind and has a whole set of rules that I haven't encountered in any other novel I've read so far.
So, even if I was tired and completely at a loss at first about what was going on in the story, I have to give the author two thumbs up for her imagination and her ability to pass it on paper.
As I said, at the beginning of the book I was so confused and struggled to understand what was going on, that for the first chapters I was at a complete loss as to what I was reading. I may sound stupid right now, but sci-fi isn't my thing... I signed up to review this book under the impression it was fantasy. So add to my limited knowledge of sci-fi literature the fact that I expected something entirely else, and you can easily guess my utter confusion :P
Anyway, as soon as I figured everything out, Elemental was a fun story, one a fan of sci-fi would enjoy more than I did. I really liked the slow way Ella got to know the details of her existence and the complexity of the whole story.
But what I liked the most in Elemental is simply one character: Malik. He was a way more complex character than either Ella or her love interest, which by the way didn't care for one bit I'm afraid. The way he acted and trying to anticipate his moves or guess his motives was what intrigued me the most in Elemental. And by the end of the story, I felt rather justified at the turn of events. I'm guessing that Malik will be what I'll remember most from this novel :)
All in all, Elemental is a hardcore sci-fi novel, that I enjoyed reading for the better part of it, even if I'm not a huge fan of the genre. Fans of intergalactic fantasy will enjoy it far more than me. Of that, I'm quite certain.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews