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From Breath and Ruin (Elements of Five Book 1)

By Carrie Ann Ryan

 

In her YA debut, New York Times bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan dives into a world with magic and sacrifice with the Elements of Five.

Five hundred years ago, the Maison Realm was shattered, divided into warring kingdoms of elemental Wielders with fate and truth shadowed and uncertain. Now, factions of both the light and dark venture into the human realm in search of the prophesied Spirit Priestess who is said to Wield the Elements of Five to bring the two fractured kingdoms together.

Lyric has no idea that there’s a realm outside the human one she lives in. When fate and circumstances are pulled from her hands after an accident, she finds out that nothing is as it seems.

War is raging around her, and when Lyric realizes that they are searching for her, she must rely on those she once trusted as she trains: a boy who isn’t who she thought, and a new realm of warriors who have come to protect her.

For the darkness is coming, and the Queen of Obscurité wants to ensure that the King of Lumière can’t get his hands on Lyric. And the only way to ensure that is if Lyric herself is no more…no matter the cost to prophecy.

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From Breath and Ruin by Carrie Ann Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

FROM BREATH AND RUIN is the first book in the Elements of Five series. It ends in a cliffhanger so beware!

Lyric is eighteen and just graduated from high school. She’s hesitant about what she wants to do with her life. But her future is derailed when she goes on a hike with her best friend, Braelynn and Rhodes and Rosamond. She takes a tumble and all of a sudden, Lyric’s nightmares are coming true. She begins seeing things she shouldn’t, things that seemed to have crawled from her dreams. Lyric’s eyes are opened to a new world, a new realm where magic is real.

I rated this one 3.5 stars but rounded it up 4 because:

* I love the cover, the color easily captured my attention
* The world building is phenomenal, so vivid and fun
* I don’t normally read YA but I’m so intrigued about where this story will go that I MUST continue on
* I love the idea of the young heroine being bisexual (<-small spoiler), kudos to Ms. Ryan for tackling that issue
* I’m also interested in the journey that Lyric faces, the mission to find her true self and to accept her strengths and weaknesses
* The twists that the story takes definitely took me by surprise. How enchanting is that?

Now, here’s why I rated it 3.5 stars:

* Although I adore the premise of this story, I didn’t like Lyric too much! Horrible, I know and yes, I’m also aware that she’s only 18, she’s naive and inexperienced yada, yada, yada…but I wanted Lyric to have more gumption, to be more decisive! I’m such a character driven reader that it was a real bummer to not feel connected to the main character.
* Again, I know this is a young adult novel but I would’ve loved a little more romance. Then again, with how the story ends, maybe it’s for the best…

Overall, I’m going to continue reading this series, I have faith that Ms. Ryan will amp up the romance and give Lyric some tenacity. I’d recommend this one for anyone who enjoys a “clean” romance and a fantastical plot. Told entirely from Lyric’s POV with a cliffhanger that leaves you craving more. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

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About Carrie Ann Ryan

Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 3.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.

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