Fire Falling (Air Awakens Series Book 2) (Volume 2)

This is one of my favorite books ever!!! The characters are the greatest, the romance is amazing, and the plot is very original. The author is amazing, and I want everyone to know that she is one of the coolest authors ever!

Fire Falling is an AMAZING sequel to an incredible series!!
I will admit I thought it moved kind of slow in the beginning but then BAM! I was hooked! The romance had me swooning and the action scenes kept me on the edge of my seat! AND THE ENDING?!?!?!?!?! BY GOD MAN! TALK ABOUT CLIFF HANGER!
Is it February yet???

Fun plot. Great images for my imagination. I liked the characters and read it to the end. The dialogue sometimes pulled me out of the story--character's words did not read smoothly and felt wrong somehow. I am not sure if I will read the next one.

This book was amazing except the ending. The emotional state I have been left in is the same after watching the boy in the striped pajamas. I don't know how I will be able to face real life after finishing this book because the ending is sad and depressing!! But overall a pretty good book.

Book 1 was tolerable however this book consists of the heroine throwing herself at one male character after another. The whole book boils down to a girl being surrounded by protective men and her supposed "one true love" on the march in the middle of an army.

It lacks and realism or maturity and seems to be the author's teenage romantic fantasies. I was completely disbelieving at the big chunks I could skip and still find that I had not missed anything; still the same character pining after the same male like some hapless bimbo.

A good story requires research and a thoughtful logistical approach to technical details, otherwise it is simply the authors unenlightened prattling. The descriptive writing didn't evolve beyond "knife" "sword" "magic" "wind" "fire." Most military weapons follow a name or a design. Dressing a skinny librarian girl in plate and chain mail amour and having her fight/spar in it?? Come on... You can do better. Harden steel has a density of 8050 Kg/m^3 which means that most people can't even move in plate amour. A little research for a narrative foundation wouldn't go a astray. Please read something like Patric Rothfuss before you attempt a fantasy again.

From book one it is apparent that this author is capable of some creativity however I'm sad to say that I did not see any in this book. I'm thoroughly disappointed as I was a captive audience on a long drive.

I am completely torn about this book. which is why i rated it smack in the middle 3 star range. There may be slight spoilers but i'll try to keep it at a minimum and nothing too revealing

Vhalla, a girl beaten and battered in the first book was supposed to emerge as this strong independent woman in the second book. I don't know what the heck happened, but instead of being the warrior i had hoped she'd become, she was reduced to a love-sick, whiny, weepy, girl with little to offer any of the other characters other than her mysterious powers. There's a new character, Elecia, who is a woman that seems really close to Prince Aldrik. They talk and interact like they've known each other for years and have shared "something" more making them more than just friends. This woman gave Vhalla teenage bouts of jealously. And more than once she was this whiny little girl who couldn't fathom Prince Aldrik giving any other woman but her any kind of attention. It was cute at first when I was thinking just as she as to what the nature of Aldrik's relationship was with Elecia, but after pages and pages of it I was ready to bash my head into the nearest cement wall! Why not just ask the man who Elecia is? Why not ask Aldrik what she meant to him like she did with Larel in the first book? He answered her question before claiming Larel was just a friend like Sareem was to her. Why couldn't she do the same now with Elecia? Oh I know, because then we wouldn't be subjected to pages of a self-pitying teenager. And the "weepy teen" thing doesn't stop with Elecia. It continues with Prince Baldair. It continues with Daniel. It continues with Fritz and Larel. I mean come the hell on woman!! How many times am I supposed to read about wiping away tears, or fighting back tears, or tearstained cheeks, or muffling tears, or blinking away tears, or consumed by tears, seriously, TEARS TEARS TEARS!!! And instead of relying on herself or being strong enough to know her own strength, she has to have affirmation of it from EVERYONE before she can even believe anything of herself.

Aldrik character was the saving grace of this book in my opinion. He was the perfectly tortured dark Prince that had no qualms about using people and didn't care who knew it. His feelings for Vhalla were apparent to everyone but her. And she was constantly looking for his approval like some puppy instead of a supposedly powerful sorcerer. Aldrik's character is complex. There is an internal battle between good and evil in him that is intriguing to read and his efforts to battle his demons are what kept me reading. I wish Vhalla had turned out to be a woman worthy of being his "salvation", a fighter, a strong-willed woman who would be his equal and in that be his redemption. But she was seriously lacking in that department! Aldrik's love however couldn't be a more exquisite mix of hope and pain. I wholly believed his part of that love. I couldn't for the life of me believe in Vhalla's. I dearly wished Vhalla was more like the heroine in the Throne of Glass series. Now there's a girl deserving of the love of a man an Empire calls the "Fire Lord". My favorite scenes of Aldrik was his unguarded confession to his Uncle and when he carried Vhalla into his chambers and asked his brother to protect her. It was the perfect glimpses into a man with the reputation of a monster yielding to his humanity for the love a woman. If I could swoon from the magic that is this dark mysterious Prince I would, but alas a character in a book, no matter how perfectly written, is just that, a character (swoons anyway hehe)

There is a march to war which takes months. There is a sandstorm scene that was perfection in it's aftermath concerning Aldrik and Vhalla. There is an attempt on her life. And there is another march to the forefront of the war that takes about a month. There isn't any real army battles until the very end. And other than the sand storm scene, Vhalla and her powers aren't all that great in terms of protecting herself and those she cares for. And neither, for that matter is Aldriks now that I think about it. I would have loved to see their powers in full swing! I mean "Fire Lord" in all his blazing glory and yet he can only take on like 5 people?? I was hoping for something so much more than that.

There is a cliffhanger at the end of this book. Normally I would seriously mind that, but I don't in this book. I already pre-ordered the next book because I want to see how everything turns out. I said in my review of the first book that I felt strongly that my review for the second book would be higher. Turned out I gave both the same 3 stars. So since it didn't fall a star (even though it didn't gain one) I'm was more inclined to purchase the 3rd. Here's to hoping for 4 or more stars for third book :)

Really liked the first book, even though I felt it was a bit slow. 70% of the way into the book, and they're still on their journey north. I like a bit more action in my books. Though, when there is action, it is done really well.
I like the development of the characters and their relationships. Kinda bummed it didn't hold me long enough to get all the way through it.

Amazing storytelling even better than the first! Kova has fantastic writing and the relationship building is top notch. I was holding my breath each time Vhalla and Aldrick would speak and I was definitely not disappointed in this book. I am eagerly awaiting the third installment and am crossing every finger I have that the end of this book wasn't what we all think it is!

Good story, however the main characters Vhalla and Aldrick had a lot going for them. Vhalla ended in the first book a strong woman, but turned into a whinny weak one for 3/4ths of this book. Aldrick was a good sorcerer and leader and seemed to make Vhalla strong when around. The attraction between the two was interesting and helped the story along. Ending the book with Aldrick's death is suppose to make Vhalla back into strong woman again. I won't be purchasing the next book. I don't support authors that likes to kill off their main characters. In my opinion, it defeats the reason to even keep reading about what happens to the remaining character. That character will probably die too.

Hhhrgh. What a wonderful idea, what an interesting set of characters, both ruined by poor characters and bad writing! I have thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the first book; thought the second half was mostly fluff; but had high hopes for the second. I will not waste more money on the third. The protagonist is WEAK. She's so weak and inspid that I can't stand her. She's a terrible role model: she has no sense of self without her prince, can't eat and wastes away (anorexic heroines are NOT cool), questions reality (clearly the result of hunger) and becomes generally a nuisance and parasite to everyone around her. She's so poor and misunderstood and just really needs everyone to understand how fragile she is and how much she needs to be loved by the prince. Give me a girl with fire in her bones and a brain in her head; not some weakling willfully ignorant twit who can't see past her own nose and requires constant affirmation.
Compounding the dreadfully needy heroine were some technical problems both author and editor induced. She says 'said'. A LOT. The author refers to this in her afterword, even, which makes it all the more cringe-worthy when you're reading along and suddenly I've been thesaurus-ed with every other word for 'said' out there. I'm sorry, but 'retorted' is just NOT a panacea for 'said'. Find another way. Also, (and this is on the editor) there were some homograph mistakes that just were comedic. You don't have rights for the dead; you have rites. Unless you're stuck in Darryl's world, in which case, good luck to you.
TL;DR -- fascinating idea ruined by needy, weak, unlikeable heroine. Editing could have been better.

The most annoying main character in the world. I've never read a book where the main characters cries through the entire thing and is just generally annoying to the point you wonder how any of the characters around can stand being in her whiny crying presence. Truly disappointing as it could have been a good book with a great story line but was let down by one-dimensional weak main character, and the side characters were not very interesting or fleshed out either.

This was an excellent continuation of the Air Awakens series. There are five books in this series and I have really enjoyed the first two so far. This has been a very solid YA fantasy romance series. It's a great blend of engaging characters, action, world-building, romance, and adventure.

In this book Vhalla ventures with the Emperor and his army to fight as his weapon. Vhalla is struggling with a deep depression as she copes with the actions she was forced to to take in “Air Awakens”. Additionally, things are complicated by the fact that Crown Prince Aldrik wants to continue training Vhalla in the use of her magic. Vhalla and Aldrik are still Bound and are developing increasingly complicated feelings for each other.

This is a great "fantasy-light" read. It's fun, engaging, fast-paced, and a bit "fluffy". A bit more romance heavy than some other YA fantasy out there...however, I can't complain because I absolutely flew through this book and really enjoyed it a lot!

Even though the book is fairly romance heavy there is still some adventure, excellent world-building, and amazing action scenes. The book was well balanced and provided a wonderful story as well as an emotional one. My only complaint is that the cliffhanger at the end was an absolute killer!!! Luckily I already have the next book to read.

Overall a very well done continuation of this YA fantasy romance. I enjoyed this book a ton and would recommend to those who enjoy YA fantasy with a heavy thread of romance. I plan on continuing the series as soon as possible!

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*

This book destroyed me. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire book. Usually, second books in a series are not as good as the first, but this book blew the first out of the water. If I thought book one was amazing, I was in for a big surprise with this book.

The characters grew so much during this book. Vhalla really stepped up her game in this book, and she's come so far since Air Awakens. Aldrik continued being his wonderful, broody, swoon-worthy self, but we get to see a whole other side of him in this book. If I compare the characters at the end of this book to the ones in the beginning of book one, they don't even seem like the same people. Talk about character development....

I cannot even properly express how much I enjoyed this book. Definitely my favorite read of 2015. It's the perfect balance of intense action, sizzling romance, and heart-wrenching tragedy. The ending left me in pieces, and I don't know how I'm going to survive book 3.

Full Blog Tour and Giveaway can be found on my blog: [...]

This book went beyond my expectations it was such an amazing and emotional read; five starts is not nearly enough for this novel. I loved the first one, but I adored the sequel. Vhalla is going to war and now belongs to the crown while Aldrik assures his father that she will bring victory to the Solaria Empire the Senate is sure they're sending her to her death.

This novel had me up till three in the morning because I could not put it down and when I did finally decide to go to bed as soon as I woke up, I got right back into it; I needed to know what was going to happen and now that I'm done reading it, I wish it was February so I can dive back into the amazing world Kova has created. I can't get enough of her characters especially Vhalla and Aldrik, I loved how Aldrik opened up so much more for Vhalla and we got to see and learn so much more about him. I'm glad that we also got to see a lot of the characters that we only had a glimpse of in the first book. I love how the story is developing and how Vhalla is learning more about herself and her powers as the book progresses. This novel had me in an emotional roller-coaster and towards the end of that ride I was an emotional wreck and I didn't even care! Kova’s writing is amazing! I love this series and can't wait to see where Kova is going to take us in the next novel, which I really wish I had in my hands like yesterday. If you haven't picked this amazing series up, I highly recommend it is so good and everyone needs to read it!

-SandraTheBookWorm

~~~Review posted on The Heart of a Book Blogger~~~

Fire Falling is the second book in the Air Awakens series. The review below may contain spoilers for book one of the Air Awakens series, but you can read a spoiler-free review of Air Awakens on my blog.

Fire Falling picks up right where Air Awakens leaves off with Vhalla sentenced to march in the war. Right away Prince Aldrik vows to protect Vhalla while on the march. Vhalla’s two closest friends in the Tower, Larel and Fritz, both sign up for the march in order to protect and support Vhalla as well.

In Air Awakens, I was a little annoyed by a couple of the minor characters. However, I ended up really enjoying the new minor characters in Fire Falling. Vhalla meets Baldair’s Golden Guard and I loved the addition of these characters. Vhalla especially grows close to Daniel and Craig, and I hope we will get to learn more about the rest of the Golden Guard in the next book. Vhalla’s friendship with Larel and Fritz was one of my favorite aspects of the book. They’re such good, supportive friends to Vhalla, which is exactly what she needs after Air Awakens‘ ending.

Aldrik is still a huge part in Fire Falling. Once on the march, Aldrik starts training Vhalla by day and studying their Bond by night. After a Joining, Vhalla is able to easier access her magic and basically inherits Aldrin’s fighting skills. Through all of this, Vhalla and Aldrik become even closer. I loved watching their relationship progress and deepen. We see a new side of Aldrik, which I enjoyed uncovering.

The world grows greatly in this sequel. Since Vhalla is traveling away from the capital and into the North, the world is automatically expanding. We see more of the West and learn more of the East. Vhalla is just reaching the North when Fire Falling ends, so I’m excited to learn more about it in Earth’s End!

Now, the ending. Oh boy. I don’t even know how to react to it. Definitely a major cliffhanger. I’ll definitely have to pick up Earth End’s soon in order to find out what happens next!

Overall, Fire Falling is a great sequel to Air Awakens, and I think I liked it even better than the first! I can’t wait to read the rest of books in this series!

*This review copy was provided to me by the author in exchange for a honest review.*

As much as I loved Air Awakens, Fire Falling blew my mind. Like, this is how you write a sequel. Kova really stepped up her game when reintroducing us to her characters. I felt like I was seeing more of them in these new descriptions. I always felt so torn about Vhalla, like I wanted her to be a stronger character. But I also knew she had a lot of growing to do as well. And let’s just say I wasn’t disappointed by the end of Fire Falling. To see Vhalla battle her demons and learn to accept what she was, who she was becoming and having to lose herself all in one book, was inspirational.

Something I kind of struggled with at times was the relationship between Vhalla and the Crown Prince Aldrik. I just didn’t know how to feel at times, it was really weird. It wasn’t because of the age difference, that’s for sure. It was more of the fact that I wanted to know more about their shared bond. Did the bond control or have influence over their feelings for each other? Alas, from what was told as histories in the book, we aren’t provided with a lot of information. But despite my reservations, Kova had me swooning so hard. There was just no control over it, I was gigglesnorting by the end of it. That right there shows you how good of a writer she is. Because despite my better judgement, I wanted more Vhalla x Aldrik.

Now, let’s talk about two of my absolute favourite characters from this book, Fritz and Laurel. At first, when we find out that Fritz is mainly interested in men I was worried. I really didn’t want him to end up being the ‘token’ gay guy bff, you know? But thankfully Fritz turned out to be a brilliant character. And Laurel, oh Laurel. All I can say is that, her friendship to Vhalla is what made Vhalla into a beautifully strong character. I’d totally be okay if we got a companion novel about Fritz and Laurel, just saying. I don’t know what it is, but I absolutely love the way Kova writes her secondary characters. I cared about each and every one of them and that honestly doesn’t happen very often.

Now let me tell you about why she writes these characters perfectly. She wants you to love them, she wants you to care about them so she can STOMP on your heart and make you angry cry. Kova takes you on the most amazingly emotional journey from the first page on. And you don’t want to miss out on it.

I received this eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.

I see that the author has NO QUALMS about making me suffer throughout my reading of Fire Falling. And here I was, expecting a nice, fantasy read that did not play with my feelings. But I was very, very wrong. And now I am sad, yet ready to read the third book, Earth's End, which, oh isn't coming out until 2016. I HATE WAITING.

If you haven't read Air Awakens, here's a short list of why you must read it.

- Vhalla discovers that she is a sorcerer, and not only that but she is the only Windwalker left. In other words, if you like Avatar: The Last Airbender, this is definitely the book for you.
- The banter between Vhalla, Aldrick, and her friends are incredibly fun to read! And this continues on into the Fire Falling (there is SO MUCH MORE snark, I approve entirely)
- Gorgeous cover art is always a plus!
- I really cannot stress the fact that not only was Air Awakens a strong start to the series, but Fire Falling surpassed it in every way imaginable. In other words, this series is worth starting.

In continuation of the first book, Fire Falling starts with Vhalla's preparation to go to war as the property of the Emperor. One of the things I want to point out is the development of Vhalla from the first book to this one. Even though she did harden through the events of the first book, her true character still showed when she was around Aldrick. Also, can I mention that I have never shipped two characters as hard as I did while reading Fire Falling? Because as much as Aldrick's hot and cold temperament frustrated me, the two of them together were perfect for each other.

Also, how do authors do that to their own characters? I had a favorite character, I really did, and now, NOPE, NOTHING. It happened really quickly as well. I was also expecting there to be more reflection on the event, but the story moved on too quickly to cover it.

"There was something severed and rough about her, something tainted and, yet, at the same time those jagged pieces were the makings of something fearsome. She'd wanted to become someone the Senate would fear, why not shatter the sky?”

The writing also was a major improvement from Air Awakens, though that is not to say that the writing was bad then. It is just that I immediately noticed the difference in writing. There was just more of a flow in the language, like in the quote above.

Oh, let us not talk about the ending because I feel like I have been betrayed. Betrayed, I tell you.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Fire Falling, and just like Air Awakens, I read the whole book in only two days. I think this is a series that is incredibly underrated and needs more attention in the book world, because it deserves it. It belongs up there with the other highly rated YA fantasy reads. Believe me when I say this!

This review first appeared on my website/blog Cover2Cover (link in profile)

” Even something very small can cast a large shadow when it is close to the sun.”

Wow! Just Wow! What didn’t I love about this book?

I loved getting to spend more time with Prince Aldrik and realising he really does have a heart of gold underneath all that bravado he puts up as a front to the world. Some of the reasons for this ‘wall’ he puts up were brought to light and makes me love him all the more.

I loved seeing Vhalla break down those wall and I love their chemistry; it feels so real. its not awkward at all but very realistic with just the right amount of heat . She has really grown as a character and as woman and has embraced who she is bit by bit. She has made new friends along the way who help to keep her grounded and I like the friendship theme running throughout the series.

The author has given us such imperfect , relatable characers and she is not afraid to test their resolve in the fires of adversity and despair, breaking them down only to reforge them into stronger, more resilient and self-assured characters.

I still find it hard to believe that this is only the second book that author has written. Elise has such a way with words and is well attuned to her characters which is expressed in effortless dialogues and a seamless plot. I love the pacing of this, somewhere just smooth with breathtaking moments, yet with a sense of purpose and definite build up to that shocking cliffhanger.

Some persons might not like the slow-burn romance but even though I’m not a romance fan, I like the romance between Vhalla and Aldrick because its’ forbidden’ and they are taking their time, letting anticipation build up, which is for me the way it should be.

If you haven’t picked this series up yet, what are you waiting for? It has everyting I look for in fantasy. Impeccable wordbuildingm interesting, deep, resonating characters, conflit resolution, moments that were so heartbreaking I cried, and tender moments that made me sigh. What and incredible, deliciously exciting and highly entertaining read! Two Thumbs up!!

Originally seen on Emily Reads Everything

I’m thrilled to be a part of the Fire Falling Release Tour today! I absolutely loved Air Awakens, so when it came to starting Fire Falling, I was a little hesitant. Its always a little intimidating, when you aren’t sure if you will like the next book in a series as much as you liked the first one. Of course, there is always uncertainty, but it definitely feels heavier when you love the first book.

I started Air Awakens right before I went to bed one night and I stayed up way too late reading it. When I picked up Fire Falling, I was worried I was making exactly the same mistake. It’s just as easy to read as Air Awakens and it has the same beautiful flow. However, I was a little disappointed in the first 50 pages. Vhalla is very upset after the events in the first book and is still reeling. 50 pages into Fire Falling, it had a much different and more serious feeling than I had expected. At that point, I wasn’t hooked the way I was in Air Awakens, so I shrugged, closed the book and went to sleep early.

The next morning, I got up early and picked Fire Falling back up. I just expected to read for a few minutes and the go on with my day. Imagine my surprise when suddenly everything in the book blew up. Starting it that morning was a huge mistake! I didn’t want to put it down and I was almost late for work. This doesn’t happen often, because I’m extremely cautious about reading before work in the morning.. So saying I was almost late for this book is a huge compliment. It means I broke my personal rule of NO READING cause I simply couldn’t resist trying to read another chapter…. or six.

Yes. Fire Falling has a more serious feel than Air Awakens, but they are dealing with more serious issues. The tone lends credence to what is happening in the novel. Vhalla has been sent off to war. Suddenly she isn’t the carefree library scholar that she was. Everything she has known has been torn away from her. The shift in the writing suits that. It really emphasizes the growth and character development than Vhalla is going through over the course of the book. Everything’s changing for her. Is she strong enough to change with it?

If you only start one new series this year, choose Air Awakens. You want to be ready for when Earth’s End comes out in February. Missing it would be a tragedy. Friend’s don’t let friend’s miss out on a book this good.

I started reading Fire Falling immediately after finishing Air Awakens - which is usually a big no-no. But I couldn't help myself because Air Awakens is so damn good! Anyway, I read this book in, like, a day. Which is incredible for me (because I'm incredibly slow sigh). Anyway, this book was so damn fantastic, I don't even know where to begin my review. I guess I'll just start at the beginning.

Unlike Air Awakens, I was hooked within the first page. Or the first sentence, I'm not too sure. Where Air Awakens had a slow beginning, Fire Falling ran straight into it, starting with Vhalla marching off to war. I don't know what snags a reader's attention more than a war march, and Elise Kova wrote this so beautifully. The pacing of the beginning was so well written, with a mixture of character development, world building and action. Where I had many questions after Air Awakens about the land, the people, and the war that's going on, Fire Falling fully answered all of them. I was more than happy with the overall information given. And guess what? No info dumping!! Amazing!

I would just like to spend a good few minutes talking about my bae Larel. During Air Awakens, I didn't reall form any kind of attachment towards her character. But let me tell you, her and Fritz become more important to the story and to Vhalla during this book. I absolutely fell in love with Larel. She's so brave and strong. I like how we got to know more about Larel and Fritz during this book.

And Aldrik??? Dear god, he was fantastic in Fire Falling. Certainly a well rounded character. For some reason books seem to think that good means 100% good, and they'll never do a "bad" thing in their life. Aldrik, this great character. He does some "bad" things, but it makes him human. Guess what, he's flawed too. Not like those flawless, strong males in most YA books. He's not good at some things, he makes wrong decisions. Sometimes he even comes off a little "evil" because of some of these things he does.

Should I mention his beautiful brother Baldair? Geez. He was a weird one to read about. Is he trying to help Vhalla? Is he secretly plotting against her and Aldrik? Who need's 2D characters when we have Aldrik and Baldair who constantly make us question what their doing and whY DO WE TRUST THEM?

I need a paragraph on Daniel and Craig too. I just need to. So, these two are introduced in Air Awakens, but they become more important to the story in this book. I really enjoyed them, they added humor and friendliness to this wartime fantasy novel. To be honest, I don't think there's a single character I don't like in this book. They're all entertaining in their own way. (Even the "bad guys")

Although I loved this book as a whole, there was one thing that knocked it down from 5 stars. There's this little thing called romance, which I didn't know this series was part of until this book. (But I kept reading anyway). Somewhere around the middle, they stop their march and have a break in this small town thing. I don't know what it was but it became impossible to read. The romance during this part of the book was absolutely ridiculous (potential readers of this book, please keep in mind that I don't like romance. I'm sure other romance lovers would adore this book.)

Everything that lacked in this book (which isn't much), is completely made up by that ending. Holy crap. It's been a few weeks and I'm still stunned. I'm just glad that the next book comes out in a few months, rather than a year. (this book here)

Overall, I rated this book 4/5 stars because it was absolutely fantastic. The boring bit somewhere around the middle kept it from the 5th star. I love the world building and character development throughout this book. There's no love triangle (hooray!), and the relationships are all well developed (no insta-love). I would recommend this book to literally everyone. (I hadn't even finished reading it when I managed to convince my mum to read the books too- and she loved them). Argh, I just love this book so much.