Non spoiler book review
*This book is told from a different perspective than book one and happens in a different area so the following synopsis and review will not spoil you for either book.

Title: Imprison the Sky (The Elementae #2)
Author: A.C Gaughen
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: March 2019 (Australia)
RRP: $14.99 AUD

Synopsis:
Stolen from her family as a child, Aspasia has clawed her way up the tanks of Cyrus's black market empire to captain her own trading vessel - and she risks it all every time she uses her powerful magic to free as many women, children and Elementae from slavery as she can.
But Cyrus is close to uncovering her secrets - not only that Aspasia is a wind Elementae with the ability to sail her ship through the sky, but that she is also searching for her lost family. And if Aspasia can't find her younger siblings before Cyrus does, she will never be able to break free.
Armed with her loyal crew full of Elementae and a new recruit who controls and intriguing power, Aspasia finds herself in the centre of a brewing war that spans every inch of the ocean, and her power alone may not be enough to save her friends, family, and freedom.

Click here for my review of Reign the Earth (book one).

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My rating: 5/5


Book one, Reign the Earth, was a phenomenal read last year (2018) and it was one of my favourites of the year so Imprison the Sky held high expectations for me. In the beginning, I was dead set that this wasn't going to be better than the previous book but as the story went on, I was so drawn to the characters and the story that it was all I could think about when I wasn't reading (sorry to my uni work). Even now, after finishing it a few days ago, the characters are still on my mind.

I felt the story line had a great feel to it. A novel with slaves can be a hard one but with the help of amazingly-written characters, this book has done really well. Reflecting back on the story, they spend a lot of time on the ship but I actually didn't notice - or perhaps, it was woven so well into the story that it just fit. There is a bit of crossover from book one - I had read Reign the Earth over a year ago so I couldn't remember fine details but I started to remember things as it went on - but you can find short summaries online if you want to.

Gaughen knows how to write great main characters. Reign the Earth followed Shalia, whereas Imprison the Sky is in the perspective of Aspasia, a air elementae, and thrice-damned (did I say that right?), I absolutely bow down to both of these women - and I'm sure I will to the MC's in the rest of the series.

Aspasia is a strong-willed, bisexual young woman who is under the control of her master but as she has a little more freedom than most slaves (if that's what you want to call it), she tries to make it worth while as best she can - trying to free as many women, children and elementae, as well as search for her family that was taken away from her years before. She is a true badass that will do anything for her crew, even if that means putting herself in danger to save them all.

In Reign the Earth, you meet Kairos, a beautiful being that is also the brother of Shalia. He was a great character there, so I was absolutely stoked to have him not only appear in this book, but become a solid and important character throughout the story. I adore the way he treats Aspasia and the crew, and how his character development is spot on. I am also crushing on him big time if you hadn't noticed.

The other characters in Imprison the Sky are a great asset to the story, the good and the bad. The plot is one thing, but I feel Gaughen has a great balance with what's actually going on in the story plus the characters that make it.

This series has so far been an A-plus story with insanely great characters and I am so keen for the rest of the books in the series. I highly recommend you pick these books up and immerse yourself in the world (I put trigger warnings in my review of book one though so check those out - link is above).



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*This book was sent to me by Bloomsbury Australia in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:


Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @thenutritionedition
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Life of Erena or click here

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SPOILER FREE REVIEW

Title: Scarlet
Author: A.C Gaughen
Publisher: Bloomsbury
New cover release date: May 2018 (all three books)

Synopsis:
Scarlet is good at keeping secrets. To the people of Nottingham, she's Will Scarlet, the young lad who protects those who cannot protect themselves. To Robin Hood and his band of thieves, she's the girl with a tongue as sharp as her knives. But nobody knows the truth about Scarlet's life before Nottingham - not even Rob, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. And when someone from her past comes hurtling back into her life, everything she's fought for is suddenly at risk, including her own life.



The idea of a Robin Hood retelling is intriguing. When I was younger I loved watching the cartoon versions and immersing myself in the story of Sherwood's own hero. Now fast forward time to the beginning of this year when I received a copy of Reign the Earth by A.C Gaughen (review here!) and I loved it! So with the curiosity of a Robin Hood retelling mixed with the words of A.C Gaughen, comes this trilogy, and I was kinda keen.


Firstly, the first book was published in 2012 - they have been rereleased with these beautiful new covers. Now because I had read the authors more recent work, I found myself comparing them a little bit however, they are totally different stories (duh!) so I quickly embraced the writing style of book one - Scarlet.


Robin Hood originates like around the 15th - 16th century, I'm not sure on the era the author was focusing on since I have no clue on what it was like but the language takes some getting used to BUT I promise you it gets easier. Though perhaps, you shouldn't read a second book at the same time as Scarlet.

The main character Scarlet, is clearly traumatised from her past life - I actually feel like their should be a trigger warning for disordered eating, she seems to reject food or give it to someone else as what seems to be a form of self punishment. While her character developed throughout the entire story, it was definitely lacking in the beginning which made it hard to connect with her at all. She is though, pretty badass which was one of my favourite things about the book.


I really liked two of the side characters - John and Much - especially Much, but I didn't really like Robin all that much. It was like he was constantly changing his mind on things and it just didn't sit well with me. Me being me, I was very interested in the 'main villain' of the story: Gisbourne, and it was unfortunate he was not featured as much though I definitely think he'll feature in the next two books.

Okay, now for the romance, I did not like it. It would have been better if there was absolutely nothing or just an attraction type thing. I thought it wasn't developed enough and so the characters 'romantic' feelings were kind of confusing.

What's really awesome is you can tell the developed writing of the author themselves. I seriously LOVE seeing that in authors books.

Okay, so I didn't love this book but if you're into Robin Hood I think you'll enjoy this trilogy for the most part.

If you want me to do a full review of the next two books - let me know! Otherwise there will be definite updates on Instagram (@erenareads)

Rating: 2.5/5


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*These books were sent to me unsolicited by Bloomsbury Australia. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:



Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: My Life As Erena or click here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!

SPOILER FREE REVIEW


Title: Reign the Earth
Author: A. C Gaughen
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: 30th January 2018
RRP: 

Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence

Synopsis:

Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands.
But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae.

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I hadn't heard of this book until I saw other book bloggers receiving this in the mail and upon reading the synopsis I was desperate to read this book. When it showed in my mail box I was stoked so firstly, thank you to Bloomsbury for sending it my way to read.

As you may have seen above (or skipped over), I'm giving this book a trigger warning for domestic violence. It shows a lot of emotional and mental abuse and small bit of physical abuse so read with care. These parts of the story are very heavy but necessary to the story.


I was really wanting to enjoy this book so with each page I was nervous however, those nerves were slowly put at ease as I finished each chapter. There were so many different elements to love in the book, the first being the main character Shalia. She was so likeable in so many ways; I loved how much she loved her family and how involved she was with her beliefs. She is a very strong character and doesn't break easily, she thinks about her words and actions yet isn't afraid to voice her opinions when she deems necessary. If you didn't get it by now, I adored her character and hope to see more characters like Shalia in 2018 across young adult fiction.

One of my other favourite characters was one of Shalia's many brothers, Kairos. He has this air of mystery about him but still very playful and his love for his sister and family is admirable.
Pretty much every other character (except the awful tosser that is the king - more on that soon) is likeable. Some of them we didn't get too much about in this book but as the series goes on, I am very certain we will.

Something that made me so dang happy was that there was no female/female 'catty-ness'. There was one instance when I thought it would happen but the main character being ever so great, played the situation cool and developed the relationship to make it pleasant to read.


So I was talking about domestic violence and the king; as many King and Queen relationships go, the king in this story - Calix, makes the decisions on everything and despises to be contradicted and shown up. After only a couple of Shalia's and Calix's encounters you will either see the emotional abuse or you won't (but you'll realise later) - and that is how, in my own knowledge, how a lot of victims experience emotional and mental abuse from their partner. Even though Calix is a complete asshat, he is very necessary to the story, not only for it to develop but perhaps also to take note of how domestic abuse can play out.

The story itself was such a pleasure to read. It had fantasy elements - which I'm so excited to see more in the next book and I love books that are part set in deserts (unsure as to why though). And while I had some inkling of what would happen in the end (you'll probably know too about a third of the way through), it still surprised me when certain events took place and it literally had me SHOOK.

I highly recommend this novel especially if you're into dark fantasies but just as another warning: there is a lot of abuse in this story (majority emotional and mental but also physical).

My rating: 5/5

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*This book was sent to me unsolicited by Bloomsbury Australia. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:

Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: My Life As Erena or click here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!