Blurb:
Hiding the truth from you is no longer protecting you. Sit and I will tell you what you need to know. With these words the secrets of my great grandmother, Genevieve Silver, were unburied and my role as a Protector of the Elemental Magic revealed.
My name is Mara. I've always felt that there is something missing; that nothing is permanent. Why would I feel that way? I was raised with my little sister by my grandmother, who loved and doted on me. And then there was Cole Sands. Who could forget the blue-eyed boy that had stolen my heart. What more could a girl need?
Little did I know that with one secret, my life and the world I live in would change forever.
My Review:
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
This book was very refreshing for me. Even though I've read fantasy books my entire life, this book made me realize that I've never actually read a book that contains actual spells. Spells as in 'herbs with 3 drops of dragon blood to be lit with 3 white candles' spells. And I've been reading books that contain really complicated situations and relationships forever, so it relaxing for me when I read this book, like my brain taking a break from all the dramas in past read books. The romance is simple, evil and good sides are very clear, and the ending came in plain and easy.
But everything in a way is always two sided. The story is simple and refreshing, but that also means it can be boring. In the entire book, you can feel the almost 'medieval' tone of the narration. This is a bad thing for me because it made this book extremely boring. And the over matured tone of our protagonist made the entire story flat, despite all the twists and action-packed magic the author prepared for us. Not to add on how this entire book felt so...fantasized. Too fantasized. It's so 'magical' that it felt kind of unrealistic. The dialogues are stiff and rehearsed, like a bad script from a movie. And because it felt unrealistic, it's probably one of the reasons I just can't get myself to care or to be involved in this book. In order for an author to get the reader to mend the readers and the protagonist into one, the plot itself has to be realistic for them to help the reader forget reality, and live through the story as the main character. In this book, the author did not do that. If I am the author I would've made the characters more flexible, and less stiff. Another thing that bugged me is how every character (at least the good ones) were so...good (as in goodie-goodie). All the good guys are so...perfect. Usually, protagonist in well-written books has bad qualities that we see in the book, which can be used to highlight their good characteristics. It's also a way to make the characters more realistic and connectable for the reader, and give the character dynamic when we see them improve and evolve throughout.
The plot-line also didn't leave me any good impressions. Like I said, the simple and easy story is refreshing, but that's it. However, we can see the author's attempts at making the book more interesting, like (surprise) a not-so-dead father, a -maybe-dead grandmother, and a not-so-secret half brother. Along with my-fiance-is-also-a-magician-and-I-swear-everyone-in-this-book-we- encounter-would-have-the-connection-with-the-goddess. Along with an almost love triangle with our charming Kai, which disappeared as which as he appeared. As much as I appreciate these attempts, since the author failed to connect me with the story itself, I could care less from all these twists and found myself yawning at Mae's death. Overall, I managed to finish this book, and it's a refreshing read for, with things I've never read before. I'm glad I didn't waste money on this (because if I bought this I'm going to be so pissed), and I would not continue on this series. The reason this book even got 3 stars from me is because of the beautiful cover (which is basically earned one star already). Also to acknowledge the author's attempt at this book, and how this could be an enjoyable book if the author managed to write it better and connect with its readers. I'm at most okay with this book, and it would get no more from me.
