Sixteen year-old Breena Perdit has spent her life as a barmaid, innocent to her father’s past and happily free from the Elemental gifts that would condemn her to a life in the Egrian King’s army. Until the day that three Elemental soldiers recognize her father as a traitor to the throne and Bree’s father is thrown in jail—along with the secrets from his last mission as the King’s assassin. Secrets that could help the King win a war. Secrets he refuses to share. Desperate to escape before the King’s capricious whims prove her and her father’s downfall, Bree bargains with him: information for their lives. It’s a good trade. And she has faith she’ll get them both out of the King’s grasp with time. But that was before the discovery that she’s the weapon the King’s been waiting for in his war. Now, time is running out. To save her father’s life and understand her own, Bree must unravel the knot of her father’s past before the King takes his life– and uses her to bring a nation to its knees. Description taken from Goodreads |
Review
I adore Bree. I felt for her during her adjustment to the etiquette and facades of life at court. The evolution of Bree’s uneasy relationship with Aleta, the princess staying with the Egrian royals as a ward (see hostage), is as satisfying as the budding romance between Bree and Caden.
Ellison unfolds the plot at a steady pace but ends Threats of Sky and Sea on an uncertain note. While not the bad sort of cliffhanger, one has to wonder how these characters will proceed from the dramatic conclusion. Threats of Sky and Sea has a straightforward elemental magic system that reminded me of Avatar, but with its own subtle variations.
Characters you can root for and shippable romances in a familiar, widely appealing setting, should satisfy any YA fantasy fan’s inner fangirl.