Earth's End by Elise Kova

Title: Earths End

Author: Elise Kova

Series: Air Awakens #3

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Elemental, Magic, Romance, Swords, Medieval

Source: Kindle

Pages: 350

Rating: 5 stars

Available at:

Amazon (CA) • Goodreads • Amazon (US)

Blurb:

A woman awoken in air, a soldier forged by fire, a weapon risen from blood.

Vhalla Yarl has made it to the warfront in the North. Forged by blood and fire, she has steeled her heart for the final battle of the Solaris Empire’s conquest. The choices before Vhalla are no longer servitude or freedom, they are servitude or death. The stakes have never been higher as the Emperor maintains his iron grip on her fa

Review:

So, I am convinced that Elise gets a thrill out of torturing her readers with cliff hangers that take a piece of your soul as you wait for the next book to arrive. This third instalment of the series was beautifully tragic. It is everything you hope for in a series, there is love, there is laughter, there is heartbreak, and there is tragedy. You can read my review of Air Awakens HERE, and Fire Falling HERE.

The writing, as always, was phenomenal. It amazes me how Elise can create this web of emotions that entices the reader in, only to become trapped in the wonder that is the Air Awakens series. What I really loved about this book is now that we are in the midst of the series where all the main characters have been established and the series plot is well on its way, we get to see more depth in the story and its characters. One of my favourite scenes in the book was the actual battle with the North. As a reader, seeing how Vhalla had grown from a mousy library apprentice to this brave and confident warrior was beautiful, and Elise’s writing really does that transformation credit. The battle was very well described and easy to follow along, which I find is something that can’t be said for all battles in all books.

Along with Vhalla we got to see so much character development with Aldrik and Baldir. You really got to see the brother’s come closer together, and Vhalla was a big part of that reconnection. We also get to see Aldrik accept Vhalla and her love. Up until this point, he had been so hesitant to accept her love because he never truly believed that he deserved it. In this book he really grows… that is, until the end and I think I speak for every reader when I say you’re going to want to reach into the pages of the book and strangle him. We got to see some development between relationships as well, names that between Vhalla and Daniel. As far as love triangles go, it isn’t much of one, and I think that is intentional on the author’s part. Here we get to see what an easy love would look like for Vhalla and the reader gets to compare it to the complicated love she has with Aldrik. However, I don’t think it’s a love that is meant to be. Saying that, the ending of Earth’s End might change things in Water’s Wrath, the next book of the series. I wonder if we will get to see what things would really be like if Vhalla chose Daniel instead of Aldrik.

When it comes to plot, Elise Kova has got it going on! I wonder if she had planned this whole series out, or if she writes as it comes to her mind. Either way, it is brilliant and complex and beautiful to watch unfold. I am endlessly amazed by which way the plot turns, and even when it makes me mad, I can’t begrudge Elise because those enraging scenes and events just make the character’s stronger and the book better. However, now that the war with the North is technically over, I wonder which direction Water’s Wrath will lead us in. The ending of this book felt very much like the end of In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce. A big battle is done, the main character has lost herself a bit, and she has to go adventure out into the world to find herself again. I think that’s where Water’s Wrath is going to take us, on a journey of self-discovery for Vhalla. I do hope we get to see some of Aldrik though.

Overall, this was an EXCELLENT instalment to the series. With just two more books to go until the series ends, I can’t wait to see what Elise comes up with for our lovely main characters. A 5 out of 5 stars for Earth’s End!