Air Awakens series by Elise Kova
*sigh* take three of trying to write this review. Not because I can't find the words to write, or because of the series itself, but because I have so much to say about the series and my previous attempts at writing a review ended up being super long rants with lots of spoilers. So now I'm gonna do dot points with short sentences!
Before my dot points begin I will write a silly little paragraph rant about my feelings and hope that it doesn't get too long. Firstly, I read this series in 7 days. That's 5 books in one week. A new personal record that I'm very proud of, and that my screen time is crying about. I'm sure my phone misses me. Secondly, I LOVED this series, which I wasn't expecting to. I sort of just needed something to read, and I saw that I could get all 5 books for $12 and I like "that's a bargain if I've ever seen one", so that's how we got here. Some parts of the series gave teen drama show vibes, but it was a good vibe, because the main characters are relatable for it, what with Vhalla's struggle to understand her feelings towards other characters, and other stuff. The series deals with some heavy topics as well, such as suicide {mentioned in backstory. no one dies from it, only attempts}, miscarriage {on page}, alcoholism {sort of on page?}, and war {a very big theme of the series}. But despite this, there are still plenty of light moments, like Vhalla and Aldrik's relationship and the quiet times they spend together when they aren't fighting, and Jax's humour, where I found myself giggling, yes, giggling, during scenes that giggling should not be {like in the middle of a life or death battle}. I greatly enjoyed getting to see each of the characters grow and overcome the loss they faced as a result of the war that loomed over their shoulders, and the ending was perfectly sweet.
And now to my dot points, which contain any number of things, and possibly spoils. I'll try not to mention any character deaths, since I was spoiled of some, and although that didn't effect my emotions, it was still expected. But be warned, as spoils will be mentioned.
First: My favouriote duo:
My number one duo is of course Vhalla and Aldrik. As the main romantic pairing of the series they face many trials together, and their relationship together can be a bit self destructive, especially after the events of the end of book 3. But misunderstanding were cleared quickly {something I was very thankful for} and they always came out stronger than before, their love growing as the series progressed.
My second favourite duo is Vhalla and Jax, which surprises me. I wasn't expecting to like their dynamic so much, but I did. I'm not quite sure how to put into words why without going into a long rant. So I'll try to sum it up quickly, ish... Their dynamic is one of tedious trust. Jax is entrusted with protecting Vhalla, and Vhalla wants to know Jax's past, why he's owned by the crown. Jax is of course hesitant to tell Vhalla, but she insists, and to Jax it hurts to dredge up the past, so he twists it into something that will hurt others instead. I won't go into detail as to what his past is. That's his story to tell, not mine. But after Vhalla knows the actual truth, there's a sort of mutual respect between the two. Vhalla doesn't shy away from him, and he becomes not just her protector, but her friend.
There are of course many other favourite duos, but I'll only name one more, and that is Vhalla and Fritz. Fritz was Vhalla's first real friend at the Tower {a place for sorcerers to train}, and their friendship progressed throughout the 5 books beautifully. They were each others' comfort in times when it seemed like their was no hope. Fritz literally followed Vhalla to war! Like, talk about a good friend? And when Vhalla is grieving, Fritz is there to comfort her, and vice versa.
To break up my positive notes, here's a not so positive one. It's probably the only issue I have with the series, and that is "why did that character die?" I won't name the character, or how they died, though I will say it seemed out of place, and sort of like a cheap death. To me personally, when a character dies, it has to further the plot, and I felt that this particular character didn't? I mean sure, it helped push Vhalla and Aldrik together, but they didn't need this character's death to do that. It simply sped the process up. But I don't see any other reason for this character and some others, to have died. But otherwise, I have no other complaints. Heck, I might just be salty that one of my favourite characters died...
And now more positive notes!!
One of the cool things about this series is that each book has an illustrated page, even the Kindle edition! And the final book also has a second illustration at the end of the epilogue, which was really cute! Now, personally, Aldrik's depiction in these illustrations is NOT what I picture in my head {though it is close}, but hey, I can't complain abut getting official illustrations depicting some of the best scenes, now can I? My favourite illustration is of a scene that happens not long after one of the characters dies {the one I ranting about above}. The illustration is beautiful, and really shows their grief for the character.
Anyway, I think that's the most I'm gonna be able to write about this series. I hope I've convinced someone to give it a read, because it really is great! Flawed, but also perfect just the way it is, and I wouldn't want it any different.
Also there's a prequel trilogy and two sequel series, both with 5 books. I'm eagerly awaiting being able to get them and devour those as well.
