The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of The Elemental Trilogy

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (September 17, 2013)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars 

The Burning Sky is a beautifully written novel, told in what I feel is a slightly more formal tone than most young adult fiction. The main plot itself — about a girl who discovers she is the greatest elemental mage of her generation and who now must avoid being taken by enemies that want her power — is actually quite straightforward, but the classical style adds on multiple layers to this fantasy story.

I have to say the description of the book doesn’t do it much justice; for one, it does not mention that most of it is set in Victorian England, which for me was one of the story’s main selling points. This is where Iolanthe Seabourne escapes after calling down a bolt of lightning, unwittingly exposing herself as an elemental mage in her own world. With the help of Prince Titus of The Realm, she goes into hiding at the prestigious Eton College, where she masquerades as a male student.

Iolanthe thus spends much of the novel as her alter ego Archer Fairfax. At Eton, Titus tells her of his ultimate plans to bring down an evil magician named Bane, the tyrant who holds both their lands in his grip. Iolanthe, of course, is reluctant to be a part of it. Incidentally, this leads to one of my favorite scenes, in which Iolanthe tells the Prince, “Better cowardly than dead,” after throwing a minor fit and accusing him of using her to his own ends. 

And you know what? Instead of thinking less of her, I actually agree with her. When you read as much fantasy as I do, after a while you can get so very used to reading about valiant characters eager to step up and be the hero. So when someone comes along with a strong sense of self-preservation and admits she’s afraid to die, it’s actually quite refreshing. And who could blame her? Iolanthe is a just a teenager and surely a lot of adults would have reacted even worse. I was surprised at how this one little quote of honestly led me to feel closer to her. Of all the characters, I think Iolanthe was the most well written and realistic.

I wish I could say the same about the story’s pacing, but the truth is the book lost some of its momentum after a relatively strong start. It comes down to a matter of taste, really. I’ve read reviews from readers who absolutely adored the romantic subplot, and opinions from others who weren’t so taken with it. I’m of the latter camp, but only because I feel the classic, formal quality of the writing (while very nice) just wasn’t that well-suited for a Young Adult love story. Personally, I didn’t sense much chemistry between Titus and Iolanthe, and so the romance fell a bit flat for me. And since so much of the book is given to fleshing out and growing their relationship, I probably wasn’t as engaged as I ought to be. In spite of this, I have to say there are some great tension-building scenes spread through the novel, including a very exciting climax and ending. 

The concepts behind the book are incredible though, so much so that I wish Sherry Thomas had given us even more background about the world. We know why Iolanthe has to stay one step ahead of the Alantean Inquisitor, or that Titus has had his own run-ins with the Inquisition as well, but exactly how Atlantis fits into all this is still unclear to me. Also a part of this puzzle is Titus’ Crucible, and his own journey to understand the mysteries that his late mother left behind. There’s so much going on here, and while the book gives you just enough information to understand, I wouldn’t have minded more. I’m sure that’s where the next book will come in. It’s likely that I’ll continue the series, since I’m all for giving the romance another chance to win me over.