Audiobooks are relatively new territory for me. In the past, the only audiobooks I listened to were the books in the Wheel of Time Series, which I was trying to finally finish after years of putting it off. Those were each 30-40 hours long!! I enjoyed them, but behemoth books make for equally behemoth audiobooks. I thought I’d try out a some more “normal” audiobooks – the type that I could listen to while doing housework (listening to these books actually encouraged me to fold the laundry) or in the car during my occasional half hour drives. I’m so glad I took a chance and stepped into something new!
Now, onto my thoughts about these books:
Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer EllisionSource: Audiobook Blast!
Sixteen year-old Breena Perdit has spent her life as a barmaid, innocent to her father’s past and happily free from the Elemental gifts that would condemn her to a life in the Egrian King’s army. Until the day that three Elemental soldiers recognize her father as a traitor to the throne and Bree’s father is thrown in jail—along with the secrets from his last mission as the King’s assassin. Secrets that could help the King win a war. Secrets he refuses to share.
Desperate to escape before the King’s capricious whims prove her and her father’s downfall, Bree bargains with him: information for their lives. It’s a good trade. And she has faith she’ll get them both out of the King’s grasp with time.
But that was before the discovery that she’s the weapon the King’s been waiting for in his war.
Now, time is running out. To save her father’s life and understand her own, Bree must unravel the knot of her father’s past before the King takes his life– and uses her to bring a nation to its knees.
Threats of Sky and Sea is a sweeping fantasy set in a kingdom at war – where the king employs Elementals to do his bidding and take down kingdoms. Bree is just a simple girl living a simple life who gets caught in the crossfire – and her life becomes more complicated than she ever would have imagined.
What Fed My Addiction:
- The writing. Ellision is a fantastic writer. There were so many little turns of phrase that caught my attention. I’m not the type of reviewer who typically makes note of many quotes (and listening to this book on audio would have made this even more difficult – I would’ve had to pull over to write them down half the time!), but if I were reading this on my Kindle, I would have been highlighting a lot!
- Bree. Bree is a strong heroine. The type who knows who she is and refuses to change for anyone – even when everyone around her is trying to mold her into someone new.
- Strong family bonds. Bree absolutely refuses to give up on her da, even when she discovers that he’s been lying to her her entire life (this happens pretty early on in the book, so it’s not really a spoiler). I love that, even though she was rightfully frustrated about her situation, she never actually doubts her father – she never turns into a petulant child who lashes out because of his transgressions. Her faith in him and her love for him are unwavering.
- The romance. A slow-forming romance that had me swooning? Yes, please!
What Left Me Wanting More:
- Slightly Predictable. I had figured out most of the twists in the book before they were actually revealed (but I I hadn’t figured out the exact circumstances for the main twist, so I still really enjoyed the reveal). The fact that the book followed typical YA fantasy tropes didn’t help that any. If you’re the type of reader who’s gotten tired of the typical tropes, you might get frustrated with this one – I still enjoy the book as long as they’re done well, and they were in this case.
If you’re a fan of YA fantasy, then you need to pick this series up! It has everything that you could want in the genre – complex characters, fantastical magic, dangerous plotting, and exciting conflicts!
The Narration:
I really enjoyed the narration of this book. I thought that Misty Daugherty did a great job with it and gave it an emotionally compelling reading. Her voice was light and pleasant, but still had just the right amount of snark for Bree!
I give this book 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the author via Audiobook Blast! in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
Source: Audiobook Blast!
War draws closer, like a tide to the shore.
Bree and her friends have escaped the clutches of the Egrian King, but their troubles are far from over. Still reeling from the secrets that drew new breath when her father took his last, Bree sets off for the safety of Nereidium– the kingdom she’s just learned is hers.
But with the King’s ire at its peak and war a certainty, Nereidium is no longer safe. As Prince Caden rallies the Egrian people against his tyrant father, Bree, Princess Aleta, and Tregle race to the Nereid shore to warn them of the incoming danger—and to put the Nereid Princess on the throne.
The only trouble there: Bree can’t bring herself to reveal that the Princess is her.
It’s not a dilemma she can waste time pondering. With a new weapon in his arsenal, the King’s strikes are sure to be bolder than ever before. And Bree may not be ready to wear a crown… but she won’t let her kingdom down without a fight.
This second book in the series picks up right where ToSaS left off – with Bree and her friends fleeing the king. Bree is burdened with new secrets and finds that her power over water is more unreliable than ever, which makes her escape far more difficult than she had anticipated!
What Fed My Addiction:
- No second book syndrome. I felt like this second book was easily as strong as the first, possibly even slightly stronger, since we’d gotten all of those fantasy tropes out of the way. Even though much of the second installment was spent running , it never got dull – there was plenty of conflict and action along the way!
- Caden’s POV. I loved that we got to see the world through Caden’s eyes in this one! Understanding his conflicted feelings over his father made me care for him even more deeply than I had in the first book. And, even though Caden and Bree were apart for much of the book, I never felt like the story was disconnected in any way. Ellision did a wonderful job of weaving it all together.
- New characters. There were a few new characters introduced in this book, and I was a fan of them all. I love that Ellision gives her secondary characters depth and weight in the story.
- Bree’s struggle with her powers. This was a theme in this second book – Bree struggling to understand and control the element that has claimed her. I loved that her understanding of her powers was sort of wrapped up in her struggle to trust other people and the ghosts of her past that haunt her. She’s new to Elemental powers, but she has trouble confiding in the people who could help her because she feels like she needs to hide things from them – both because she doesn’t want to admit her shortcomings and because she fears some of the answers she might get.
What Left Me Wanting More:
- Secrets and lies. This book had pretty much everything I loved about the first book, so there wasn’t a whole lot that I didn’t like. Bree’s inability to admit her lack of powers or to confide in anyone about the fact that she was actually the princess (or talk about certain other issues which I won’t mention because they’d be spoilery) did go on a bit too long for my taste, but considering that conflict based on characters not talking to each other is a pet peeve of mine, it actually didn’t bother me nearly as much as it normally would have. (This was probably helped by the fact that there were plenty of other conflicts to keep me distracted!)
So, overall, book two in this series definitely lives up to the high standard that Ellision set in the first book. I’m eager to see how she finishes this trilogy off!
The Narration:
It took me just a little bit to get used to a new narrator for this second book, but Grace Glass’s voice was similar enough to Misty Daugherty’s that I might not have even noticed the difference if I hadn’t listened to them back-to-back. I think that Glass did a fantastic job delineating the voices. Since the book was told in both Caden’s and Bree’s POV’s and there were some characters with an accent (a Russian sounding accent), Glass had more to do than the narrator of the first book. Glass also managed to capture Bree’s spirit well – and matched Daugherty’s general narration style, which I appreciated.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the author via Audiobook Blast! in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About the Author:
Jennifer Ellision spent a great deal of her childhood staying up past her bedtime with a book and a flashlight. When she couldn’t find the stories she wanted to read, she started writing them. She loves words, has a soft spot for fanfiction, and is a master of the fangirl flail. She resides in South Florida with her family, where she lives in fear of temperatures below 60 Fahrenheit.
Jennifer is the author of the YA fantasy series, Threats of Sky and Sea, as well as the New Adult contemporary novel, Now and Again
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Goodness me, the cover art on these audiobooks is gorgeous! The series sounds fantastic too, what with a slow burn romance and all, I’ll take it! Thanks for your lovely review on these 🙂
Have to confess that it’s definitely the covers that caught my attention at first. I’m a sucker for a pretty cover! I was so happy when the books lived up to all that prettiness! 🙂
I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed this series so far! This sounds right up my alley! And I don’t mind tropes, as long as I love the characters and the writing is fabulous, which is sounds like they are.
I have to admit that these covers a gorgeous and tempting all by themselves! I’ve actually have had my eye on Threats of Sky and Sea so I’m excited to see you enjoyed the audiobook version – which as a newbie I’m always looking for new recommendations.
Thanks for the great reviews, Nicole 🙂