Alexandra May

I've always been wary of prequels to books, mostly because they can either frustrate your desire to read more of the books or excite you to love the characters more. Honestly, if the word prequel is attached, I tend to avoid them completely. I am pleased and excited to say that I am glad that I read this one.

The Battle for Acranon Major by Alexandra May is a sort of backstory for what is happening in the book Elemental: The First. In the prequel, you are introduce to a unique world that is show more different from our own. These people, Elementals, are far more advanced than any human civilization and yet there is something about them that lingers far enough back in history that you know they aren't modern day characters. It doesn't take long before you are attached to the characters, to the world, to their lives.

Halíka Dacomé is the center character for the story, bringing a character that I've been familiar with since I read Elemental: The First. Instead of viewing her as a hardened warrior, a vicious being, and an Elemental without feeling, I learned just how deep this character actually was. I never understood what was so amazing about her until I read this. She has so many dimensions, so many roles to play in this hierarchical culture she was born into. Her main quality as a character in the beginning is loyalty -- loyalty to her father, loyalty to her people, and loyalty to the person everyone expects her to be. It becomes clear as the story progresses, loyalty must be the first thing to go. She is a beautiful character because of how well developed and written she is. In such a short story, I became attached to her and fell in love with her story.

Now, I really want to focus on the aftermath of the broken loyalty. The first thing I noticed was the fact that those closest to her were often the source of the greatest betrayal. Her friendships were her greatest weak point in her armor and it was definitely exploited throughout the story. She is such a strong character but I think her loyalty stems from trust which often connects with innocence to the betrayals of friends and family. I wanted to shake her for being naive and yet I cannot place any blame on her because her innocence and naivety reminds me a lot of myself.

Don't get me wrong when I say that the betrayals frustrated me (although they were important to the plot) and that the relationships she created were a source of anxiety for me. Who do you trust? Who can you trust? That is something that the main character battles with throughout the story. I love the characters that made up her group of friends because just like the main character, they are as well developed and interesting. I was sad to not learn more about her father or the bad guys of the story but of course, the story was short. The romance in the story was good and I loved the forbidden twist to it which I know can only lead to greater heartache. All of the characters that played a part in the story were great and definitely made a great impression on me.

Woohoo! I get to talk about my favorite thing: the world the author created. There is nothing quite like when an author executes a fantasy world and manages to make it connect so well with the reader's opinion of a fantasy world. I never once thought, "Oh this world is weird," or "This simply isn't believable." I completely bought into the world and could make connections between Earth and this world the author had brought to life on the page. I love when stories do that.

This story is an epic prequel to what I believe will be a great series, especially if it continues to follow the pattern of this story. It can be read prior to Elemental: The First or after but it definitely fills in a lot of blanks that are left at the end of Elemental. show less

Disclaimer: This is a prequel to a series I haven't read yet, which made it a bit hard to follow at times, but not to the extent that I wasn't able to keep up. Because it was a very short book, it didn't go in-depth into all the different people, which probably helped. I feel like I have a working knowledge of the different groups, though, and look forward to continuing the story. I liked Halika Dacome, the main character, and how she was a warrior and a leader but took the time to look out show more for the people she was in charge of, including her younger brother, with whom she was very close. Not so much her father, though, as he was a cold and heartless man, so that was totally understandable.

All in all, I enjoyed this very quick read and look forward to seeing where the story goes.

4/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Pauma Publishing, and Alexandra May for the opportunity to read and review this book. show less

I liked that this book was something a bit different to others I've been reading lately, especially in the YA area. In parts it reminded me of a more mature Secret Seven type of book- a group of kids looking into a possible crime, uncovering secrets as they go- but with a paranormal twist. The characters were likeable, though I think they will grow on me more as the series progresses. Rose, in particular, has the potential to be a strong and sassy heroine who prioritizes saving lives over show more kissing boys (not that that's not fun too).

A lot of time was spent on setting the story up and I think the second book will benefit from this, and I look forward to being able to jump straight back into the story without all the setup. I was so disappointed that the book ended right when it was getting into all the action as it had taken so long to get to the point where (some of) my questions were answered that I just wanted to know more.

I wish there had been more of Grandma Daisy in the book. She and Rose put off their planned serious conversation for the entire book, and I really wanted to get to know more about that character- there are not enough cool grannys in books. I'm also looking forward to learning more about the mythology, as well as Rose's abilities. (I love that she can "talk" to plants and have already imagined many silly conversations she could have with them). show less

Elemental: The First is the beginning of the Primord series by Alexandra May and from the beginning, it draws the reader in. It tells the story of Rose, a girl who constantly moves because of her father's job, as she discovers just who she is meant to be. From the moment she was born, it was clear that she was different and when she grew up, her differences became more real. She had a gift -- to heal and to kill -- and no one claims to know why. It is set in a period of Rose's life when she show more is being separated from her family for the first time and she is moving in with a grandma that her parents had cut ties with. The novel is full of betrayal, romance, mystery, and a little bit of action.

The plot was a different kind of reincarnation than previously explored in any books I've read. It is and it isn't reincarnation at the same time. Okay, to be honest, I'm not quite sure how to categorize it until the second book comes out. There was several surprises and twists that caught me off guard such as what characters were chosen to play a big part and which took smaller parts despite how they were introduced. I loved all of the history used throughout the book as well as the different myths and stories told throughout the story. The whole story held a lot of mystery and left a lot of unanswered questions that I expected will be answered in the sequel. It didn't leave me angry because of the unanswered questions but rather, I knew that there was more to be answered.

Rose was an interesting main character at the beginning because I didn't know how to read her. A lot of the first few chapters displayed her weaknesses as a character and her uncertainty in herself. Not that there is anything wrong with that, for I don't expect every character I read to to be cocky or self obsessed. I think it was refreshing but I had a hard time grasping her personalities when it began. The ties between her and Halíka Dacomé was cool even though it wasn't as explored as I would've liked it to be. I loved that despite the fact that she was physically strong, her greatest strength was her courage, hope, and trust. Although they are often thought of as naive, I thought that these were the best qualities of her.

Now onto the two lovely men who are vying for Rose's affections (sort of):

Aiden was the bad boy love interest for Rose with his violent past and unsavory character that everyone isn't afraid to warn her about. I think that the way he was raised had a lot to do with how he treated people and the way he acted. I've dealt with kids who based on their background have become traumatized to the point where they display their trauma by doing it to other kids. I gained both respect (which I am sure many of you think is undeserved) and hope for this character that no one seemed to like. Sometimes, I think it the people that are screwed up and aren't perfect that make the best love interests because it requires to main character to give a lot. A broken person needs only help to heal.

Morgan was the golden boy of the story, the 'everybody's choice' love interest for Rose. From the moment the story begins, it was all about how perfect he would be for her and how she needs to just trust him. It made me extremely wary because it seems like the greatest guys always have the darkest intentions -- even though Aiden most certainly has dark intentions but that's expected. To me, he felt comfortable and easy for her to be with and the relationship wouldn't require growth for either character. He was so sweet though, he cared a lot about Rose especially when I questioned other people's motives. I think there is a lot going on behind the scenes for his character as whole that I would love to know more about.

Basically, I don't know who she is ending up with and yeah... Stupid love triangles, always making me wait to find out who is better for the character.

I adore all of her friends, okay that's not entirely true. I loved Hannah, Jez, and Mira but I can't decide of that's because they play the biggest parts or what. Can we discuss the cutest couple in the whole story? Hannah and Jez are undeniable the most adorable side couple ever. I can't wait to see it grow into something more. Honestly, I can't wait to watch all of the characters grow and mature throughout the books. Her grandma Daisy is another awesome character to watch out for with all of her fun qualities and interesting dialog. She keeps you on your toes during the book and was one of the most likable characters from the beginning of the story.

Overall, it was awesome. I am dying to read the next book. Check it out for yourself, you won't be sorry. show less