Jim Butcher meets Suzanne Collins in this dystopic future where magical abilities seem to have evolved or been revived in some of the few survivors of a devastating plague. The abilities seem to be strongest in the new generation and a tragedy uncovers decades long secrets. These tragic secrets have left some living the lives of perpetual outsiders. The unraveling of these secrets holds the promise of a brighter future. Hopefully we'll get a taste of that future in a sequel.

If no sequel is forthcoming, one can only hope that Antony is busy working on his next YA novel. ( )

Wow, what a great start to a new dystopian series! It grabs you from the very first, and I literally couldn't put it down until I finished it all in one day. It is very exciting, the plot was gripping, the characters were all really interesting and there were some electrifying plot twists. While I loved The Hunger Games and Divergent , I didn't give either one of them 5 stars because there were so many disturbing elements in those books. I didn't feel that way with this one (even though it was about elements :)). It was compelling without being disturbing. I appreciated that there was no bad language - occasionally it would state that a character cursed, but that was it. There was violence, but not the really intense kind that you usually find in dystopians. There was a hint of romance. I highly recommend this one.

http://read-me-maybe.blogspot.com ( )

I loved the setting of Elemental, and the book's premise is an intriguing one. Elemental has a lot of action, some moderately scary pirates, a PG-rated love triangle, and the fun sort of "kids against the world" esprit de corps that you see in movies like Home Alone or Spy Kids.

I really enjoyed reading Elemental even though, as an adult reader of YA, I don't feel like part of this book's target audience.

seems to start as a fantasy but turns into a science fiction dystopian adventure and looks to be the start of a series worth following. ( )

Elemental takes place in a world after the plague has befallen. Now, people are scattered and wary of each other, fearful of catching this plague. We read about a small colony of people who can control various elements (wind, water, earth). During a storm they are attacked by pirates. The parents are kidnapped and the children (teens) plan to save them.

(Some spoilerish stuff follows)

I really like the idea of people having elements, and taken with the information provided at the end of the book, believe that it can be a really good series.

I also liked the dynamic between the characters (Specifically Thomas's relationship with Rose and Alice, and his relationship with his younger brother). Of course I didn't like the Guardians but we didn't have to see much of them... XD

Some things that came to light at the end, I had already figured out in more of a 'this should have been explained better' way than a 'oh I bet I know it's like this' sort of way (not that I think that makes any sense to anyone). There were just some things which could have been clearer. Some things didn't seem like they should have been surprises. If someone can create fire from their fingertips, I would expect someone else to be able to keep wind at bay.

I also had a hard time believing that these Guardians who had these special powers would think that it would be better to hide a strong power than to help the wielder control it. I just think there were too many secrets. Seemed a little much with not a good enough reason for keeping them.


With secrets out in the open now, I'm excited for the next book. ( )