Review by Brie: EARTH'S END by Elise Kova
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 fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance.
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 fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance.
"She is an inspiration for the East, a beacon of hope, a new era..."
I read my first book by Elise Kova in June this year. I absolutely loved her writing and the world that she created. When I finished the first book I immediately jumped into reading the next book. FIRE FALLING left me in such a book hangover. I couldn't move on from that story. It was like I was frozen in place. Shocked and shook by the ending. Even though I was dying to know what would happen next I somehow couldn't bring myself to read it. What if my worst fears came true? I just couldn't do it you guys. Somehow I got the courage to finally start, but my questions weren't answered right away and my fears continued to grow. It couldn't be true. I wouldn't believe it. So I did the weirdest and most out of the ordinary thing while reading Earth's End. I staggered chapters here and there over and entire month. But once I hit the halfway mark I devoured the rest of the book in just a few short days.
While Air Awaken's was about discovering her powers and Fire Falling was about discovering herself, Earth's End was really about discovering love and her strength. In Earth's End Vhalla is pushed to her limits in so many ways. How far can one person go for someone they love? What lengths will they go to to save them and to keep them. Or even to save herself.
"She hadn't studied and trained to be the woman she had become; it had been carved into her by the world's demands."
I feel like Elise Kova's writing gets better and better with each installment of this series. The final pages of EARTH'S END left me feeling even more shattered and heartbroken than the end of FIRE FALLING. Although the path this book took wasn't my favorite in the series, I did enjoy watching the growth in Vhalla. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of this series. I'm anxious to know how everything will play out. If you're a fan of fantasy novels, I HIGHLY recommend that you pick up the Air Awakens series. They are very well written and thoughtfully planned out. I can't believe I had never heard of these books until this summer! You can see my review of the first book here.
"How was freedom more confining than servitude?"
1. Air Awakens: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23127048-air-awakens
2. Fire Falling: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26047438-fire-falling
3. Earth’s End: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26760091-earth-s-end
4. Water’s Wrath: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27251645-water-s-wrath
5. Crystal Crowned: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27251655-crystal-crowned
Her vengeance. His Vision.
Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.
Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.
When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.
He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.
The Second book in the Loom Saga.
Cvareh returns home to his sky world of Nova with the genius crafter Arianna as his temperamental guest. The mercurial inventor possesses all the Xin family needs to turn the tides of a centuries-old power struggle, but the secrets she harbors must be earned with trust — hard to come by for Ari, especially when it comes to Dragons. On Nova, Ari finds herself closer to exacting vengeance against the traitor who killed everything — and everyone – she once loved. But before Ari can complete her campaign of revenge, the Crimson Court exposes her shadowed past and reveals something even more dangerous sparking between her and Cvareh.
While Nova is embroiled in blood sport and political games, the rebels on Loom prepare for an all-out assault on their Dragon oppressors. Florence unexpectedly finds herself at the forefront of change, as her unique blend of skills — and quick-shooting accuracy — makes her a force to be reckoned with. For the future of her world, she vows vengeance against the Dragons.
Before the rebellion can rise, though, the Guilds must fall.
Cvareh returns home to his sky world of Nova with the genius crafter Arianna as his temperamental guest. The mercurial inventor possesses all the Xin family needs to turn the tides of a centuries-old power struggle, but the secrets she harbors must be earned with trust — hard to come by for Ari, especially when it comes to Dragons. On Nova, Ari finds herself closer to exacting vengeance against the traitor who killed everything — and everyone – she once loved. But before Ari can complete her campaign of revenge, the Crimson Court exposes her shadowed past and reveals something even more dangerous sparking between her and Cvareh.
While Nova is embroiled in blood sport and political games, the rebels on Loom prepare for an all-out assault on their Dragon oppressors. Florence unexpectedly finds herself at the forefront of change, as her unique blend of skills — and quick-shooting accuracy — makes her a force to be reckoned with. For the future of her world, she vows vengeance against the Dragons.
Before the rebellion can rise, though, the Guilds must fall.
This is the final installment of USA Today bestselling author Elise Kova’s Loom Saga, THE REBELS OF GOLD will reveal the fate of Loom’s brilliantly contrasting world and its beloved inhabitants.
A new rebellion rises from the still-smoldering remnants of the five guilds of Loom to stand against Dragon tyranny. Meanwhile, on Nova, those same Dragons fight amongst themselves, as age-old power struggles shift the political landscape in fateful and unexpected ways. Unlikely leaders vie for the opportunity to shape a new world order from the perfect clockwork designs of one temperamental engineer.
For anyone who preorders THE REBELS OF GOLD, you can get exclusive swag by submitting your preorder. More info here: http://elisekova.com/pre-order/
Elise Kova has always had a profound love of fantastical worlds. Somehow, she managed to focus on the real world long enough to graduate with a Master’s in Business Administration before crawling back under her favorite writing blanket to conceptualize her next magic system. She currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and when she is not writing can be found playing video games, watching anime, or talking with readers on social media. She is the USA Today bestselling author of the Air Awakens Series as well as the upcoming Loom Saga (Keymaster, 2017).
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