Thursday, September 11, 2014

[Review: The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas]

"The Perilous Sea"
Author: Sherry Thomas
Series: The Elemental Trilogy #2
Pages: 414
Genre: YA, High Fantasy
Date Published: September 16th, 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.
-Goodreads
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 My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To The Perilous Sea,

Okay, so I liked you. You were a very good middle book in my opinion, though I still had some issues with you. Like the first book before you, I had a hard time getting into you, I found parts of you boring, and yet, by the end, I was crying and cheering and wanting to know what happens next. I'm not sure what it is about you books, but in the end I always end up enjoying you.

-The White Unicorn

The only books I've read by Sherry Thomas are the ones in this trilogy. I'm saying this because I had the same issues with both books. Something about her pacing and I don't mix well. It's not to say that these books aren't fabulously written, because they are. It's more the fact that it takes me so long to really get into her world. I was hoping that that wouldn't be the case with The Perilous Sea, but it was. I still struggled with it, even though I was interested in what was going on, this book had a hard time keeping my attention in the beginning. Then in the middle, I couldn't put it down till I finished.

Thomas tells her story a little different in this second installment and I loved what she did. She gave us two plot lines to see the story through. One that consisted of Fairfax and Titus while they were in school and one where they were in the middle of the desert with no memory of who they are. It was fun to see both plot lines intersect and create a full story. I also happened to enjoy the high action of the desert scenes. They kept me fully interested in what I was reading, while some of the Eton antics seemed a bit boring.

The Perilous Sea was much more of mystery novel than The Burning Sky (at least from what I can remember). There are clues everywhere for Titus and Fairfax to find and they all lead to the same messed up conclusion. I found that some of the details Thomas wove into the story seemed a bit muddled and some of the characters reactions to the happenings in the book didn't seem as heightened as they needed to be. One instance of a Fairfax reaction to something that happens near the end of the book had me underwhelmed. You would think that it would have left her much more devastated than it did. (Sorry for being vague, I don't want to give anything away) For some reason this really bothered me. And I wished that some of the revelations would have held more weight with the characters.

As always Fairfax and Titus are adorable! If there is one thing that Thomas is really good at, it's the witty banter that she creates between these two! I love their relationship and even though there are few bumps in the road they handle it well. 

Thomas also chooses to highlight a few more of the boys in Eton and I liked getting to know them better. Though I still can't believe that none of them realize that Fairfax isn't a dude...

All in all this is a solid middle book and even though it might take me ages, you bet that I'll be reading the finale as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Rating: Actual Rating: 3.5
 

1 comment:

Nicole said...

Hah it is a little unrealistic that none of them realize she's a girl but I overlook that. In fact, I am so smitten with these books that I see no fault in them. I have my fantasy goggles on :) I am glad in the end these books are able to pull you in. :)