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

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