Review: Air Awakens

Air Awakens (Air Awakens #1)
by Elise Kova
YA Fantasy
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Plot Summary:

A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond...

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.

Review:

As an epic fantasy, this novel is a wonderful start.  The magic is intriguing, the world is expansive and volatile, and Vhalla is an empathetic protagonist.  This novel is obviously the set-up to a great fantasy though, as it moves a bit slowly.  All the seeds are there, but Vhalla is reluctant for most of the novel to embrace the world of sorcery.  Fortunately, even though the pace is slow, the novel is saved by Vhalla's interactions with Prince Aldrik - he is such a beautifully enigmatic character!

The magic is not entirely explained either.  It's really unclear why Air is seen as such a special, feared magic in Solaris.  And why it's so rare. The knowledge is teased though, and it makes sense that not everything is explained at first, since Vhalla is so reluctant to take on her training.  Vhalla gradually works through her prejudice by learning from books and from the more informed people around her, which made me like her even more, because it was wonderful to see her grow as a person in that way - by becoming more informed and open-minded.

The complicated relationship she has with Aldrik really made this novel for me though.  I loved the slow-burn romance, and the way the characters came to appreciate each other's intelligence and personality in spite of their reservations about the other.  It was a swoony romance that pushed me to keep turning pages, as I needed to know how it turned out.  I've read that this novel has elements of Cinderella and Phantom of the Opera - both stories that I think worked beautifully in the context of this fantasy and in the way the characters interacted with each other.

Even though Vhalla was indecisive for much of this book, the beginnings of a strong, determined and fierce heroine is there, and I'm eager to find out how powerful she will become in the course of this series.  This is an excellent and immersive fantasy read!