Monday, February 25, 2013

Book Review: Elemental by Antony John




Because he has no element, Thomas is an outcast on his island.  People shrink away from his touch for fear of catching the “nothing”. One day a storm comes and the children of the colony are separated from the adult Guardians (who are kidnapped by pirates). Trapped between the plague-ridden mainland and the pirates, Thomas will uncover long-buried secrets that could be the key to saving everyone.

ELEMENTAL is getting the Zombie Chicken Merit Badge for writing because I absolutely loved the way the writing made the setting come alive.  Thomas and the Guardians live on a tiny island separated from Roanoke (yes – the lost colony island!) and when they’re trapped on Roanoke, everyone’s powers become much stronger.  There’s definitely something creepy about this island folks!

Although the novel starts out with a hunter-gatherer society living on a beach, it soon becomes clear that we’re in a post-apocalyptic future.  The islands have escaped the plague, but other survivors are confined to ships.  We’re not sure about the larger state of the world, but it doesn’t look hopeful.

Much of the novel is about Thomas discovering truths about his world, his companions and himself. Though there are moments of heart-pumping action, the tension is mostly supplied by the well-paced teasing out of revelations.

Some things I loved: Alice! She had an awesome “element” and was just so kick-ass and unapologetic about it. The epilogue. Because it promises some awesomeness to come in future installments of the series. The cat. Post-apocalyptic kitties FTW!

ELEMENTAL is available now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC disclosure: Bought

7 comments:

LinWash said...

Wow. What a great premise! Love it! I'll add this to my list.

Zibilee said...

This is one that I can't resist. Pirates, plague, and children with extraordinary powers? Sign me up, please! Off to add this one to my library!!

Katie said...

I read this one late last year and really loved everything about it. Like you said, Alice was awesome. I loved seeing that it's okay to have a kickass guy and girl. Also, yay for the kitties!

Great review!

Christina said...

Alice sounds so great. I want to know what her element is! Also, post-apocalyptic kitties! Want!

Ali said...

I really love that setting! This sounds great, another one to add to my wish list for sure.

Kim (YA Asylum) said...

This sounds like an amazing book. If it gets the Zombie Chicken Merit Badge for writing, I'm going to have to read it.

Anonymous said...

I reviewed this book a couple months ago and loved it too (especially the twist at the end). I'm so excited for the next book!