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Eighteen-year-old Moira, an air elemental, never thought that waking up with an unusual blue fire on her arm would turn her life upside down. Determined to figure out why she has an element she shouldn't have, her parents take her to a secluded island to keep her safe from anyone who might want to experiment on her. There she meets Noah, a boy who seems to know a lot about her elements. As he introduces her to a group of a new kind of elementals who are more powerful than anyone could have imagined, she doesn't know if she can trust them, especially because the group's leader, Jaiden, has an extremely dangerous ability. But when her parents get kidnapped by a mysterious man, she has no choice but to turn to Noah and Jaiden for help.

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 23, 2014

616 people are currently reading
4356 people want to read

About the author

Alycia Linwood

28 books420 followers
I'm the author of the Element Preservers series, Human, the Tainted Elements series, the Deadly Destiny series, and the Elemental Earths series. I'm a big fan of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, dystopian and young adult fiction. Writing is my biggest passion, closely followed by reading and listening to music.

Sign up for my newsletter if you wish to receive a notification when a new book is published: https://alycialinwood.weebly.com/news...

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5 stars
755 (34%)
4 stars
649 (29%)
3 stars
537 (24%)
2 stars
197 (8%)
1 star
73 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
Profile Image for Beverly K.
488 reviews34 followers
June 26, 2014
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through LibraryThing's giveaway program.

What makes Different different from the average coming of age teenager has surprising powers and is suddenly capable of taking the world on story are many things. For one thing, Moira does not immediately succumb to the "OMG cute boy must abandon my whole family!" trope. She cares about her parents. Moreover, she continues to care about her parents throughout the book and actively fights for them. She believes in helping people whenever possible.

She also isn't the strongest person in the entire book-verse. She isn't the "Chosen One". In a world populated by books with super powered creatures the equivalent of Superman/Supergirl, it is refreshing to discover that no one person is stronger than the group, although the group to which Moira belongs is indeed stronger than most of the population.

Moira's reactions to the events surrounding her are believable; she doesn't instantly fall for Noah and she doesn't suddenly abandon all her scruples for no reason. Interesting ideas, such as her being the daughter of someone unusual, provide hints of where the series might go. The moral grey area that Jaiden belongs to also demonstrate the forces surrounding her. Clearly, the author has designed this world with the intention of making it bigger and more complex than just the first book demonstrates.

Upon looking at the other books this author has produced, I see that it might have been more logical to proceed with the first series. If given the choice, a reader should select Element Preservers first.

You may be wondering why, after writing what appears to be a recommendation, I gave the book only two stars. Prepare yourselves.

I forced myself through this book. At the first 1/4, I thought "I tolerated this book" would start my review. I slogged through it because my Kindle said it was only about a 2.5 hour book. It's short and that, for me, is its saving grace.

Had I not received a free copy in exchange for a review, I would have stopped reading and gone onto something more enjoyable. I finished it, yes, but I really don't care whether the characters survive or fall off a cliff somewhere. None of them felt particularly compelling, although I was mildly interested in Kenna and Nick. I just couldn't find myself emotionally attached to anyone or invested in the story as it was.

Would other people enjoy this book? Yes, probably. It contains enough action and hints at romance for YA fans. It also is a relatively quick read and includes an interesting mix of magic that can be developed, as well as possible plot lines.

At the time of writing, the first book in the Elemental Preservers series is free for the Kindle. Readers interested in this particular universe might be better suited to pick that one first...and hope that it provokes more than a 'meh' response.
Profile Image for Ria.
658 reviews89 followers
September 3, 2014
4/5 elemental stars! ★★★★

Note: I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review

In the "Tainted Elements" world humans exist with special powers that can wield nature's elements. Users of this power are called Elementals. Just like any other world there's a sickness. A disease called the Magic Disease; people (the carriers) who are infected with it attack those with elemental powers. In this world the norm is, one element per Elemental. Our lead character Moira an air-element user one day discovers that she has developed more than one element! FIRE! Yes, fire. In hopes of protecting Moira and figuring out what's happening to her, her parents leave the city to a secluded Island called Roivenna. There she discovers that a secret government organization is hunting her and others of her kind. She also meets a mysterious boy who has the answers that she seeks. But can she trust him? Read and you'll find out! ;)

My ramble/review on "Different" by Alycia Linwood.

I loved this book! It was just what I was looking for, a quick and fun read. I really enjoyed Moira's character. She was strong and didn't take any crap people tried to throw her way. I like how she stood up for herself and others at multiple times in the book. Props to the author because her reaction to the situations she got put in and how she handled them were very realistic! What kind of sucked was that we didn't get to see her fight as much since she's still in the learning stages of her powers. Another thing I really liked was that, even though Noah shows up it isn't an insta-cheesy-typical-notreal-love type of thing? It especially gives time for both characters to develop a relationship so that was good. I'm not quite sure what was happening with Jaiden but hey I'm open to a Jamoira? Haha. About the romance in this book - I'm glad it doesn't drown out the story of the book. A lot of books I've read cast aside the story and focus mainly on the romance aspect of it all and I was so happy that the main focus in "Different" was the characters story. I have one problem with the a character in this book. Marlau? I felt as if he died too quickly. We didn't get enough out of him, you know what his son's legacy was about etc.

The author does a great job with setting the world to be realistic but function with humans with elemental gifts and all that jazz, even implementing it into high school and university courses!

The whole premise of the book was interesting. I don't think I've ever read anything with just elements for powers. The characters were also well written, each character had their own personalities and didn't overlap.

The only one thing I didn't like was the constant licking of lips. It just kept bugging me whenever I read it over and over and over. I would've liked to see more fighting or action sequences in the book or learning scenes. I think we only got 1 or 2 learning sequences? I felt as if the book should've been longer to fit in more Marlau, Noah and Moira time, training time and more time to explore the characters more deeply.

Nonetheless I enjoyed it. There was a time, a few pages in where I thought about putting it down since it was slow paced in the beginning and the story hadn't picked up yet but after a few chapters I couldn't stop! I was so torn when I reached the end, the book was so short, I need more! How could the author end like that D: so evil. I hope the next book is out *grabby hands*! Really looking forward to the character developments in the future books.

I'd recommend this if you're into a bit of paranormal-ish and action type books, if you need a fast fun read.

★ interesting story/plot line
★ mysterious characters
★ very enjoyable read
★ action packed

Apologies if my ramble/review was all over the place! Will probably go back and edit in the future.

Happy reading! :)
Profile Image for Lauren.
197 reviews27 followers
March 3, 2015
Wait wait no no no no it cant end like that why??

This was amazing it had me hooked from the start. I need the next one now but i have to wait.

You should definatly read this !!!
Profile Image for Just.
175 reviews
March 3, 2022
Different by Alycia Linwood is based in a world where people have the ability to control elements - just one. Moira is an 18 year old air-elemental who is shocked when she discovers her arm is covered in a mysterious fire - which shouldn’t be possible.
This is a reread for me from YEARS ago, and I remember absolutely loving the series when I read it for the first time. Upon reread, I can see how I have matured as a reader and how the book did not live up to my past thoughts on it. The story was jumpy and didn’t make complete sense. In some cases, things were over explained and others there was very little explaining. The book was weak in the writing style, but strong in the cussing and language used, a confusing mix. Overall, a 2 star read.
1 review1 follower
May 2, 2014
I LOVED THIS BOOK! SO EXCITING AND THERE WAS NEVER A DULL MOMENT! I ALSO LOVED THE FACT THAT ALL OUR OLD FAVORITE CHARACTERS WERE IN TERE AS WELL LIKE ADRIAN AND RIA.

HURRY ON WRITING THE NEXT ONE PLLLEEEEEEAAASSSEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
Profile Image for Meera Nair.
Author 1 book337 followers
October 13, 2014
Different by Alycia Linwood is a fantasy novel about Moira, a teenage elemental who has an affinity for air. As a newbie elemental, she is only learning the tricks and trades of manipulating air to her liking. In a place where pure, healthy elementals possess the ability to master one strong element (either air, water, fire or earth) and some elementals have only a sub-element, Moira is shocked by the sudden emergence of another element in her power. Surely, its not possible to have more than one element? For such an occurrence is unheard of. Bewildered by this new found ability, her scientist mother and magic disease carrier father plan a vacation on an island, in the hopes that they would seek answers for this bizarre happening.

On the island, Moira comes to know that there are others like her, who possess the skill and power to control more than one element. Relieved and yet curious, she begins to train with these elementals. It’s there that she uncovers a whole world of truth, to which she and her parents were oblivious. Truth that alters everything she knew about herself and the world she lived in. Truth that can very much lead to the kind of danger her parents wanted to protect her from. Governmental organizations; the dangers of mastering more than one element; a secretive team leader (Jaiden) who is never fully open with Moira are just some of the things she has to deal with. And hopefully in time to protect her kidnapped parents.

This story had immense potential from the very beginning. I feel some of it got lost in the protagonist’s tendency to overthink and her occasional naivety. This book with its superb storyline could have been read in a day but I took three days to get it done (Moira is stubborn and well her deductions, a little annoying). I loved the whole concept of elementals and magic disease. Most of it is unheard of. Atleast I haven’t read any book that talks about genetic manipulation of elemental genes or islands where magic disease carriers go to stay. So thumbs for that. Another thing that got to me was that I was confused with the first 2-3 chapters because there were some loose ends that didn’t connect so I couldn’t process what was going on. But later on, it picked up and became more interesting. So I suggest you get past the first few chapters and don’t give up. The ending was brilliant! Never did I ever have even a tiny inclination to what would happen at the end. Another thing I really liked about this book was that, for a change, there wasn’t much (or any) romance in it. No love triangles, no jealous exes trying to get in Moira’s way. It’s a nice read if you can ignore Moira’s constant babble. I’m most definitely looking forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Jenna.
1,625 reviews14 followers
June 13, 2014
First of all I love the cover.

The book different is a spin off from the Element preservers series.

I liked this book more than the first series because Moira an 18 year old girl comes off as a sweet girl and not only that, she is a strong heroin. What I liked a lot is that she has good relationship with parents.

Moira is shocked one day when a blue fire erupts from her fingertips. Her element is air and this is not normal. Her mother is a scientist and has no idea what this could be.

Her parents decide to ask the help of an old friend on the island Roivenna but coming to the island brings more surprises. She meets Noah who tells there are more of their kinds but they are being haunted. When her parents and their friends are ambushed she has to trust Noah so she can stay safe.

They go in to hiding underground and Moira meets the rest of this group Jaiden leader of the group, Kenna his girlfriend, Sam and Marissa. Jaiden has some dark secrets that he’s hiding from his time captive at Elemontera the ones after them. Jaiden is very powerful and has some dangerous powers.

I had moments I liked Jaiden but he was Ass a lot of times and to controlling.

There’s some romance building between Noah and Moira but I feel there might be a love triangle coming in the next books. The book ended with a Cliffy and now I’m going crazy cause I need the next book now.

give it to me
Today
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Profile Image for Nadine.
35 reviews
May 17, 2014
Wow! I absolutely loved this book!It was a bit fast paced but there was never a dull moment! I loved the idea behind this book and can't wait to read the next one!! This book was action packed and perfect for YA and fantasy book lovers like myself! A definite need to read!
Profile Image for Jenny Clark.
3,225 reviews122 followers
March 4, 2017
This was just an average book, not bad but it did not really have anything outstanding.
The premise is fairly interesting. This is a world where most everyone has an element they can control. Those who don't have magic disease, which makes them attack healthy wielders to take thier element.
The main characters father has this desease and her mother is a scientist studying elemental magic to try and help thise like her husband.
Along the way, some interesting things are found out.
I love the fact that Moira actualy cares about her parents and vice versa. When she is taken to train, she wants to go back to them and continualy calls them to make sure everything is ok, and always tells them she loves them. When they are kidnaped, she makes a plan to rescue them. When she is in danger and fears she will out them in danger is the only time she talks about moveing out.
I also enjoyed her interactions with Noah, they were very nicely progressed from caution to friendship to flirty. Jaiden is a rather interesting character, with many shades. I don't quite know how to feel about his girlfriend. She starts out as the regular mean girl, but once learning about her brother it majes more sense, and she does change througout the book.
It was a very quuck read, took about 3 hours all told.
All in all, I would recomend it to thise who like magic stories and are not looking for an epic story, but a solid story none the less.
Profile Image for Hayley.
149 reviews6 followers
October 31, 2017
I don't really like Alycia Linwood's style of writing in Different. However, I find myself drawn to the fast paced plot. To be honest, the book is slightly addicting, but I still could not shake the feeling of an underdeveloped writing technique. Overall, Different was a very great IDEA for a book, but I think the way it was actually written could've been better.
Profile Image for Hannah.
257 reviews50 followers
May 26, 2014
The whole concept of this book had me really excited. I am a lover for people with powers, especially ones based on elements and the idea of this girl being 'one of the special ones' who got two and the whole people searching for them thing had me really interested.

If you have ever watched The Tomorrow People then this may be a good one for you!

Saying that, however, I felt slightly let down by this book, as for something that had such a great premise and storyline I felt like it was not carried out to its best.

I found the beginning to be quite slow and it's wasn't until the 35% mark when moira was separated from her parents that I finally felt like the story was starting.

I didn't find moira one of the easiest characters to connect with. I was really excited over her whole power situation, but she could be so stubborn at times refusing to listen to people who obviously knew better then her. But at the same time she stood up for herself and refused to be seen as weak even though she was still struggling with her training and I really admired that about her.

It's hard to say much about any of the other characters because I don't feel like I really got the chance to know them much at all. I was really excited when she got to the tunnels and met the group down there and was really looking forward to learning more about them and spending time training etc. but I feel like that was all brushed over quite quickly so to move into the next exciting action but quicker.

I liked Noah, I feel like he is going to turn into our 'romantic interest' and would have loved some more interaction between him and moira when they weren't trying to save their own or somebody else's life.
I kind of wanted more narcissus and girl though. It felt a bit like they were just there to fill background space, and I can't even remember the other peoples names in the tunnel. It's not like they were a massive group, I would have loved some more group interactions with them all to see what life is like down in the tunnels.
Then there is Jaiden. I've got to admit I wasn't sure about him from the very beginning. There just seemed like there was something a bit off there.
SPOILER It all got a bit confusing for me too when Moira started trying to talk to him about his time at HQ and how he was mind controlling people. So was he mind controlling Noah? I got a bit lost at that point.
Totally saw that ending coming though. I knew that if someone was going to turn on them then it would be him, and out of the whole group he had seem the most suspicious with the most secrets from the start. SPOILER

So I liked it, enough to finish it pretty quickly, but it was enough to keep me up reading into the night. I guess I kept reading it hoping for that little but of something that was missing, but sadly it never came. I would definately read the next one to see where the story takes us, but will probably have to read the second half of this book over a few times to understand what the hell is going on, because I very much lost it once everything started happening.

I would live some more time spent on the development of Moira's powers in the next one. As well as some proper interaction between Moira & Noah and also with the tunnel group too.
Profile Image for Laurie.
30 reviews3 followers
July 30, 2016
“Different” is about Moira, an eighteen years old girl that lives in a world where people can control the elements, well actually only one element. Except Moira is not like everyone, she can control two: fire and air, something nobody else can do. In order to research on her anomaly, Moira and her parents go visit friends of the family that might know something on a recluse island. On this island, Moira discovers that other teenagers also able to control two elements are in hiding from a secret organisation called Elemontera that hunts them down because it believes they can be dangerous to society.

I really liked this book! The secret society hunting people with surnatural powers reminded me of the TV show “The Tomorrow People” which I also really love. Even though it reminds me of something else, this book is still very original on its own.

The book was written in Moira’s point of view, the main character. I absolutely like her, except for her name, which is kind of weird. It took me some adapting and at the beginning of the book, I often went “bferebjsk” when reading her name because I couldn’t really say it in my head.

It was also really action packed, never a dull moment, which made it hard to put the book down to go to work… ☺ And talking about action, the end is such a big cliffhanger!!! Grrrr. I just want to read the second one already to see what happens next.
The only downside is that the “love interest” is very not clear to me. I think there might be a love triangle coming in the other books. Just a feeling I have…


In all, I recommend this book to everyone that likes books with supernatural powers and action.
117 reviews1 follower
July 11, 2014
This book is awesome!!! I love the main character Moira, she's brave, optimistic, and quick-witted. Some of the things I love about her is that she questions what's going on and was focused on saving the people she cares about. She's also very persistent in trying to get Jaiden to answer her and didn't cower from Kenna's dirty looks. In addition, she used her common sense such as not trusting Noah when they first met. I'm glad she wasn't one of those girls who were instantly attracted to him and focused on the hot guys like I see in so many young adult books.

The book focuses on Moira trying to find out more of the organization trying to hunt down elementals like her and her encounters with them. It is filled with fast paced action and I never got bored once. I think there was also a love triangle going on here but wasn't really shown except in a few moments. I wished we learned a little more about the rest of the elementals down in the bunker but hopefully they'll be more elaborated in the next book.But the ending, I wasn't too surprised about it because I was kind of suspicious but it definitely grabbed my attention because now I really want to read the next book which hopefully has already come out or will soon. This was a great read and the only problem I had with it was that it was too short and wished it was a little more longer.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Carla Girtman.
8 reviews
June 27, 2014
Different, written by Alycia Linwood, is the first in a planned series, about a young adult girl who lives in a world where everyone has magical powers or elements, well actually, just one element. Those who have more than one element are deemed “tainted” and must be stripped of their elements to avoid becoming uncontrollably violent. Moira, the main character, discovers she has two elements. She falls in with a group who claim they are like her, with more than one element and can teach her. But she is never certain who is telling her the truth: her new found friends, her mother, or the agency her mother works for. Moira’s world begins a descent into dystopia with its threads of governmental conspiracy, genetic tinkering, and evil-doers as she tries to escape the grasp of those who would do her harm.

Ms. Linwood tells a solid story with an interesting and intriguing plot, but her story seems to be filled with stock characters who are moved about from plot point to plot point. The narration, as told from the point of view of Moira, is filled with a young teen’s angst of insecurity, love, and betrayal. Tween readers should enjoy this action packed, fast read if they don’t mind the “to be continued” ending.
Profile Image for Charlie.
860 reviews156 followers
January 11, 2015
I loved this book! I can honestly say it's one of the most enjoyable YA fantasy books I've read this year. Recently I've read Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising series (another YA fantasy) and as much as I love everything Kelley Armstring writes, I enjoyed Different more.

The world was unique and I really enjoyed reading about the elementals and their powers. The story was fast paced and exciting and I genuinely couldn't put it down. The ending was brilliant, I don't really like cliff-hanger endings but it really worked for this book. My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough, I wanted more! I'll definitely read more by this author.

*This book was provided to by by the author in exchange for an honest review. I can only apologise for the lateness of this review, I genuinely thought I'd posted it ages sgo, clearly I hadn't. Thank you to Alycia Linwood for giving me the oppertunity to review this.
Profile Image for Angie West.
Author 15 books25 followers
August 24, 2014
'Different' almost reminded me of 'The Last Airbender'. I really liked it. Alycia Linwood knows how to weave a story together and I ended up finishing this within a few days. Moira is eighteen and looking forward to furthering her education. She's got some good friends and has a pretty good handle on her elemental gift/abilities. And then blue fire begins to randomly engulf her arm. The ability is thought to be some sort of genetic mutation, and Moira can't control it. Right away, I felt for Moira, because the new, unchecked ability throws her into a state of chaos and pretty much tears her family apart.
New bonds will be forged, lies will be exposed, and new paths walked as Moira learns that the world can sometimes get a bit complicated. I agree with some of the other reviewers that Jaiden, at times, acted like a real jerk, and the ending is a cliffhanger. Excited to see what happens next.
Profile Image for Natalie.
184 reviews21 followers
April 5, 2017
OMG, I forgot how good this book was! I admit, it was a little slow but it was still amazing! :)

Moira needs to start training with her elements again. It's like she just stopped training. That is, after she gets back from Jaiden. Who kidnapped her! Just has I was getting warmed up to him, he had to go and kidnap her. I thought he was starting to develop feelings for her... guess not. Where did he even take her. And who were the men in black? Elementra? I was hoping they would get together. Sorry Noah ;) Noah seems more like the just friends material.

There was not a lot about the others. Like Ashley, Marissa, or Sam. Hopefully they will have bigger roles in the people next book. This one seemed to focus of Moira, Jaiden, Noah, and a little bit of Kenna. Want to find out more about Elementra and why they are hunted down the special elementals.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Denise.
1,771 reviews24 followers
August 20, 2014
** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.**

'Different' is a good YA read. I liked the storyline and how it all played out. I love elementals. The whole concept is cool. The way the story unfolded and the development of the characters was well written. Moira is a great lead. I liked her personality and her inquisitive nature. I think she's going to be a force to be reckoned with. The characters were all so different and complimented the storyline that will have an exciting impact as this story continues. The paranormal aspect is well thought out and leaves you wanting more. I look forward to reading the next book. A great add to your tbr list. Recommended read.
Profile Image for Shey.strides .
80 reviews1 follower
May 19, 2014
A world where each person can wield an element: air, water, fire and earth. Moira is an air elemental who's still studying to control her element, when she discovers that she has another element. Having 2 elements is unheard of and discovers that she's not alone. The downside: people who're different like her are being hunted. This story had a good concept but the characters are not well-developed yet and it was a little slow-paced for me. Maybe this will happen on the next book? Anyway, it was still a pleasant read overall.
727 reviews6 followers
May 24, 2017
I am sorry but most of these young adult books are appalling in their naivety with characters exhibiting the maturity and emotions of 5 year olds. In this case the adults show the mental maturity of teenagers.

Unfortunately this is now a genre that has exceeded its sell by date and needs to be put to bed and it is a pity that the very few authors that pen excellent works are being tainted with the same brush.
Profile Image for Sincerely Books.
9 reviews
July 25, 2014
This book was really good. I literally read it in one night. I started at 8:43 and finished at 11:47. It was just THAT GOOD. There was never a moment where this book dragged it's feet. It was action-packed, funny, and well-thougt out. I will deffinately be reading the second book. Like, now. At 11:50. Oh, whatever is in the heavens help me! I am addicted to these books!
Profile Image for Sanrizz.
201 reviews
December 15, 2019
SPOILER ALERT! THIS REVIEW HAS MANY SPOILERS, READ IF IT DOESN'T BOTHER YOU :)

DIFFERENT really is ... different. This book is about Moira, an 18-year-old who discovers her magical powers were expanding, which was weird: they only have one element. I am going to just say it right now that I didn't like the book, but I would like to start out by pointing out some positive things:
1. the cover is nice, the girl is beautiful, and I love how her arms are on fire
2. the author finished the novel, which is amazing. Many people walk around with novels in their heads, never putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).
3. I liked how people with the same element could have different abilities, that was creative

Now, let's get to the unpleasant stuff...
1. I have no favorite characters, all of them irritated me
2. I don't understand why there was some sort of vague sexual attraction between Moira and Jaiden, because Jaiden is a complete douchebag

To be honest... I had to force myself to keep reading this book. I had no favorite characters, all of them irritated the shit out of me. The main character wants to be this big badass heroine, but she is so f*&%$ whiney. Judging by the cover, I expected her to be BADASS! I am still trying to figure out why we were introduced to her girlfriends at school, who kept twirling their hair, running their fingers through their hair and using too many facial expressions on one page, it made my head spin. We were introduced to so many names in this book that weren't even used again. Too many characters in the book. I also couldn't understand why Moira felt the way she felt about the characters in the book, it comes across as if even the author doesn't know. There was a line in the book that read, I can't remember which boy was Sam. Well Moira, neither can I.

Come to think of it, I can't even understand how the characters feel about one another. Sure, Kenna and Jaiden are knocking boots, that much is clear. But what do they FEEL? Why was their relationship mentioned if it had nothing to do with Moira, I mean if Moira and Jaiden weren't going to get together? How does Noah feel about Jaiden? Sometimes I could 'taste' he was not that into him being 'boss' and like he wanted to challenge his leadership... but... sigh...

If I had a penny for every single time someone in the book ran their fingers through their hair, flashed a smile, and licked their lips, I would be richer than Jack Ma. Somebody, PLEASE give the characters a f*&^&% Chapstick! Everyone in this book seems to love running their fingers through their blonde hair and giving people piercing looks with their blue or dark eyes... *yawn* Come to think of it, I don't know who annoyed me more: Moira, Paula, Kenna or Jaiden.

I think it was too slow-paced, too many chapters. Chapters 1 - 10 could have been cropped into five chapters. I can't believe I spent an entire chapter reading about how she and her parents think she might be carrying magic disease... or whatever it's called.

I also don't understand how the mother can work at one of the most advanced research centers, but she had never heard of elementals with more than one element nor that there was this organization that kidnapped gifted elementals. That just baffled me. The 'renegades' had to tell her.

I am also confused about the world/country/city/town they're living in. Which era is it? I skipped through most of the chapters, maybe it was mentioned, but I might have missed it, having too much fun skipping from chapter to chapter.

Now, when I stopped skipping chapters for a bit was when she and Jaiden fought each other. I was like, Okay, a little sexual tension, foreplay on the mat, I can actually read again to see what happens between these two. But then I ended up skipping some more. The biggest disappointment is that I think the author wanted to portray Jaiden as some sort of alpha male, but she failed miserably. At the end of the book, I thought, WTF did I just waste my time reading?

I can tell the author is a fan of the Twilight Saga, that's so clear when Moira and Jaiden are looking at the books in his room. Reminds me of Bella looking at Edward's CD collection in his room.

Then, the author just drops a bomb that Moira her father raped her mother, they weren't in love... and then she just forgets it and goes on chapter after chapter after chapter writing about shit that doesn't drive the plot forward at all. What did Moira think of it? Did she question her identity? How did she feel about herself? Why wasn't she curious to know more about her father and his crazy side of the family? I mean, her biological daddy is a kidnapping rapist, her paternal grandfather also flew over the cuckoo's nest, I mean... what the actual fuck? And Moira doesn't want to know more? Sigh...

There is a lot of potential for a GREAT story here, but the writing is just killing me.
I am pretty sure there is a market for this book, I just won't be part of it. Thankful this was a free download.

"I must have lost a couple of brain cells during the fight," Moira said. Well Moira, me and you both girl, because I am SURE I lost a couple of brain cells forcing myself to finish this book.

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
2 reviews
December 26, 2016
Wonderful Book!!!!

Such a huge tease at the end!!!, But it was a a great book, it would be kundof nice if the 2nd book was free



Profile Image for Mutated Reviewer.
916 reviews17 followers
July 9, 2017
Goodreads Synopsis: Eighteen-year-old Moira, an air elemental, never thought that waking up with an unusual blue fire on her arm would turn her life upside down. Determined to figure out why she has an element she shouldn’t have, her parents take her to a secluded island to keep her safe from anyone who might want to experiment on her. There she meets Noah, a boy who seems to know a lot about her elements. As he introduces her to a group of a new kind of elementals who are more powerful than anyone could have imagined, she doesn’t know if she can trust them, especially because the group’s leader, Jaiden, has an extremely dangerous ability. But when her parents get kidnapped by a mysterious man, she has no choice but to turn to Noah and Jaiden for help.

My Review: Moira lives in a world where everyone has either magic powers called elements, or they have magic disease where they steal others powers like vampires. It seemed interesting from the description and I liked the cover so I thought I would give it a shot next when it popped up on my kindle app. Usually I'm not big fans of books about magic because they're kind of cheesey, but I liked this one. Magic disease isn't really something I've read about before, so that was cool to learn about. I liked the main character, she seemed to act her age, and I also liked the other characters in the story, and their kind of little teenage runaway gang thing they had going. It was an exciting book and I couldn't predict the ending, so I wasn't really sure where this book as going. I didn't want to put it down and although it's not my new favourite boo, I will eventually read the next book in the series. Check it out if you haven't already! I got it from amazon and it took about three or four hours to finish. Thanks for reading!

Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
Profile Image for Anna.
129 reviews4 followers
December 30, 2017
Moira är en elementalist som har luft som sitt element hon kan manipulera hur hon vill. Men en dag har hon blå eld runt sin arm. Hur kan hon ha två element samtidigt? Det är inget hon hört om förut, men hon vill veta mer om det. För att få svar åker Moira tillsammans med sina föräldrar till en avlägsen ö som hennes mammas vän bor på för att skydda henne från alla som vill experimentera och undersöka henne. På ön träffar hon Noah som vet mycket om hennes element. Han presenterar Moira för flera andra som är precis som Moira, och de har stora krafter, större än hon sett förut. Men kan hon lita på dessa människor? Men när hennes föräldrar utsätts för fara på grund av henne måste hon be dessa människor hon nyss mött att hjälpa henne. Kommer de kunna rädda hennes föräldrar?
En bok som det tog ett långt tag innan jag kom in i handlingen. Jag var nära att ge upp ett tag, men gav boken en ny chans efter en tids paus, och det ångrade jag inte nu efteråt. Gillar de olika karaktärerna uppbyggnad och jag vill veta mer om dom. Berättelsen känns originell och det är ett stort pluss. Den är bra skriven utan för mycket saker runtomkring som kan stjäla fokus på huvudhistorien. Bra avslut som får mig att vilja läsa nästa bok för att få svar på mina frågor. Detta är första delen i Tainted elementalist serien och det ska bli intressant att läsa fortsättningen.
Profile Image for Markel.
182 reviews
June 5, 2024
Book had me right up until the end.
Note: The book ends on a cliffhanger

It was a fast read, and I finished it in a few hours. The writing was good, stayed at a decent pace, and I liked that the fmc didn't just run off with the stranger but instead told her mom.

I think the book could have ended a few chapters sooner. They had ready introduced two villains, and it should have ended with the conclusion of her parents' capture. The final few chapters felt more like filler, so it could be a book, not a novella. They also made you suspect something else was coming, so the cliffhanger ending wasn't a surprise, and it left me with little interest in continuing the series.

Good for a fun brain candy like read but doesn't leave you wanting more.
1 review
December 18, 2019
I tried to read this book, I really did. Unfortunately, I just could not empathize with the main character Moira. She was simply too arrogant, to scatterbrained, and too unsympathetic for me to go on. I read 2/3 of the book and then just had to put it down. I suspect that there will be growth with the character over time but I could not believe in the character. She just wasn’t very sympathetic. Moreover, the author uses far too much deus ex machina to get out of problems she has created. i’m rarely this down on a book, but this one just wasn’t well done.
514 reviews5 followers
January 23, 2023
Interesting story

A teen discovering her element and then finding that she has two rather than the normally accepted one leads her to the discovery of others like her hiding while fighting the evil organization trying to control or destroy them. Great storyline with engaging characters a well written and exciting story that grabs your attention from the start and doesn't let go. Would have been five stars but a few of the scenes are a bit muddled and don't make sense, other than that a great read, I will be reading the next in this series, Baz.
Profile Image for Jenna.
6 reviews
September 20, 2017
This book was good, and it has a nice plot line. Although, One thing that bothered me with this book was the mannerisms of the characters. They lacked alot of personality and description. The book also ends with a cliffhanger so be ready for that. I do feel like the ending was rushed though. I think I am going to read the rest of the series for the sake of the plot. Overall, pretty okay book but I've read better.
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