As soon as I read the summary for "The Burning Sky," I knew I had to have it, and I was lucky enough to obtain an ARC. I enjoyed the overall concept of this book, though the execution left something to be desired. My favorite parts of the book, by and large, were any scene with the Inquisitor. I really wish we had more moments with her/ had learned more about her because she was a traditional, hair-rising villain that kept the story interesting and moving forward, and none of the other characters and scenes were able to rapt my attention like her presence did. I also loved the flashbacks we got of Titus' mother's visions, and the mother-son relationship was portrayed beautifully (quite the pleasant surprise since parent-child relationships are an anomaly in most YA books). I enjoyed learning about the inception of Archer Fairfax, and any scenes in the Crucible since stories came to life in it (and we find out a very cool use for it later in the book). !
My complaints about this book are the romance and the writing. Titus and Iolanthe were both believable majority of the times. I liked that Iolanthe despised him (with good cause!), and that Titus was not above manipulating her because he was so single-mindedly dedicated to fulfilling the prophecy. The Blood Oath scene was carried out brilliantly on his part. But the romance between them, though could've been believable given their circumstances, came on too strong and at the wrong moments. This was especially a problem with Iolanthe at times, when she seemed almost bipolar describing her emotions towards him--I hate them, but I like him, oh I think I love him, but I know I should hate him. It got a bit annoying at times, and was not well integrated into the story. Also, the story wasn't as coherent at times because we alternated between Titus' and Iolanthe's perspective every few paragraphs! It was very confusing at first and I wouldn't even though whose POV we were at until a pronoun was mentioned. The writing, itself, was also awkward and strained at times, and it honestly made it seem like the author is not as experienced with writing in third person.
So overall, while not a highly recommended read, it was an acceptable way to pass the time. I am not sure I will read the sequel, but that depends on whether I hit a book lull. You know how it goes...desperate times call for desperate measures.
3.5/5 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment