Fire Falling (Air Awakens Series Book 2)

Elise Kova

Nov 2015 · Silver Wing Press

About this ebook

 Soldier… Sorcerer… Savior… Who is Vhalla Yarl?

Vhalla Yarl marches to war as property of the Solaris Empire. The Emperor counts on her to bring victory, the Senate counts on her death, and the only thing Vhalla can count on is the fight of her life. As she grapples with the ghosts of her past, new challenges in the present threaten to shatter the remnants of her fragile sanity. Will she maintain her humanity? Or will she truly become the Empire’s monster?

Ratings and reviews

It would've been bad if the first book was really good and the next one wouldn't have lived up to anyone's expectations but don't fret! Fire Falling is so much better than Air Awakens! I was already an emotional mess when I wrote a review of Air Awakens so imagine my struggle with Fire Falling! Anyway, here it goes... I loved how Elise has written the story that isn't rushed; it was neither fast-paced nor slow. The world building was beautifully crafted! Also, as the story progresses, new information is included and I'm happy that these weren't just thrown to the reader all at once and the information wasn't just dumped in the book; it was thoroughly elaborated and if it wasn't, it can be entailed on the future books. I am happy with how the main protagonist, Vhalla, turned out in Fire Falling. I know it's quite mean, but I loved what the author has done to Vhalla's character after the Night of Fire and Wind. It wasn't like the books I've read that the protagonist killed someone and then acted "normal" as if there was no killing happened just with the reaction "omg I killed someone" something like that. With Vhalla, it felt realistic, raw and believable. And, there are scenes that I'm in awe with Vhalla! The sandstorm - I was so proud! Elise has written the way their relationship develops as the series continues was magnificently done and I can't help but look forward to what happens with their relationship on the next book! So FREAKING sweet! I know Aldrik still has a long way to go -- pushing off Vhalla on the roof isn't the best way to start a healthy relationship, but these Vhaldrik scenes are killing me. AASLKDASD reaction is totally on point. It's nice to see some insight from Prince Baldair, Larel, Fritz, Daniel and Craig. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them; it felt like I belonged and I was one of their friends. I wish I had friends who are all supportive like that in real life! That said, I absolutely adore and love Vhalla's friendship with them. They all have become someone very important to Vhalla; Larel is [still] my favorite among the side characters and I meant that when I said I wanted to keep her. Elecia is a new character introduced in Fire Falling. Don't hate her too much, okay? Before I forget... *coughs* The last chapter and the other plot twists. I almost cursed in front of my mom. I was speechless. I kept going back to the last chapter and hoping I just missed a page or two because I refuse to accept what happened! Holy shit. I finished Fire Falling and I'm just sitting here letting everything happened wash over me. And lay down on the couch and cry... Fire Falling is a thrilling read; packed with plot twists, sizzling romance and snarky banters. I couldn't put this book down!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Here's just a general thing I dislike about young adult novels: they never seem to have high stakes -- the main character always makes it out alive and so does literally everyone else, except maybe the bad guy. But not here. Kova takes it up a notch and makes you realize that literally anyone could go at any time. This is war people, and she's not afraid to show what the repercussions of this are. And you can even tell through Vhalla's inner monologue how much she is struggling with the aftermath of the Night of Fire and Wind. She isn't just all sunshine and rainbows, she feels horrible and guilty for what she had to do to survive. Which is SO IMPORTANT to me. A lot of the problems I have with YA books that have death and destruction (especially in fantasy) is that there is no fallout or descriptions of the fallout -- the characters seem to be able to go on living life as is with a couple of kills under their belt. But that's not realistic. This is real, this is raw, this is war. (Also, want to torment yourself? Once you read this book, listen to this song and try to place the characters from this series into each of the categories. Elise told me to do that MONTHS ago and I still obsess over it.) Aldrik shows even more of this guilt than Vhalla does. He is weighted by it not only for the people he himself has killed but also for those that Vhalla had to. He cares so deeply for Vhalla, even if he does not fully realize that for himself right away. The side characters were fleshed out a lot more -- and a lot better -- in this one. We learned more about Larel and Fritz, and Daniel and Craig were back this time too. Plus we were introduced to Elecia, who was by far my favourite out of the side characters. I think as we start to get deeper into the series, there will be even more to learn about these characters as they have to face even more death and difficult tasks ahead. And the characters were all distinct and had such great personalities. I really enjoyed reading about them. They became like friends to me. They are my friends. I need them to be safe. The world building is immaculate. There are so many different places and things to see in this one. I can only imagine that as we go farther into this world, there will be even more to know and learn about the Solaris Empire and beyond. I think one of the best parts of high, epic fantasies is the world building and Kova's world is up there with the likes of GRRM for me tbh. There is so much more than what we are seeing happening here. I can feel it in my bones. And that makes me want to read and reread these books so that I get an extra layer of that rich, vast world and pick up on things I didn't recognize the first time around. You can read my full review on my blog!

Loving it!

About the author

 "Elise Kova has always had a passion for storytelling. She wrote her first novella, a high-fantasy, in sixth grade. Over the years she's honed her love of literature with everything from fantasy to romance, science fiction to mystery, and whatever else catches her eye.

Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she's currently working on the next installment in her debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of ""geekdom."" She loves talking with fans on Twitter (@EliseKova) and Facebook (/AuthorEliseKova). Visit her website, EliseKova.com/, for news and extras about her books!"