Published: March 19th 2019

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy

Format: Kindle Edition 351 Pages

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 and 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, and she finds out that nothing is at it seems.

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

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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One thousand years ago, there was one realm of magic. The Maison Realm. It held five kingdoms with five kings or queens, who worked together to keep the Maison people safe and ensure the balance of magic. Over the last five hundred years following the Fall, the great war that began the fracture, many of the kingdoms’ inhabitants intermated, and the magics soon became tied to one another in pairs. Except for the Spirit Wielders. The two remaining kingdoms are now converging, and the veil between the two is fading. Only the human realm lies between the two, and no one there knows there is a war surrounding them.

Over time, certain children of the Fall began to leave their respective kingdoms to venture into the human realm in search of the prophesied Spirit Priestess who is said to wield the Elements of Five and bring the two fractured kingdoms together. For the realms are dying without their sister magics. And soon, there will be no more power left to rule the kingdoms, for there will be no more kingdoms left to rule.

 

A fun fantasy story about magic, friendship, love and destiny

From Breath and Ruin by Carrie Ann Ryan was a fun adventure story about magic, mystery, friendship, destiny, and romance.

I enjoyed the beginning chapters and was expecting plenty of action, drama, suspense, and romance. However, I found myself having a difficult time getting sucked into the story. After that intriguing start, I just felt like the chapters that should have been thrilling were dragged out and some dialogues were just kind of awkward. I thought it took to long to find what the characters were looking for and there wasn’t enough build-up for me. It just felt kind of flat. That being said, there were some good action and a little mystery so that was kind of fun. I also really enjoyed the last few chapters and the final battle scene. I think that’s part of why I bumped up my rating to 3. Cause those moments were so intense, exciting, and had me holding my breath. I really wish the story was like that the entire time.

Another issue I had was with the heroine. I just could not connect with Lyric and was for the most part annoyed with her personality. She had so many inner monologues and repeated so much of her nightmares, fears, and insecurities that it became too distracting for me. I did think she had potential and I liked that she was brave, cared deeply and was incredibly determined. BUT, her character development was a big letdown for me. I really hope she does a lot of growing up in the next installment cause she could be really great.

As for the other characters, well I guess you could say I liked them enough. Rhodes was the kind of hero who will do anything to protect the person he loves. Braelynn was the ultimate best friend and I loved that she was kind, courageous, and supported Lyric. Emory was spiteful and downright cruel sometimes, but she played her part so well. Easton was a nice surprise. There’s something about him that was so intriguing and charming. I have my own predictions about him and I really hope I’m right.

What made me really enjoy this book was the world-building and the magical system. Even though there were quite a few hiccups, I still thought it was incredibly creative. The concept about the five elements, the different kingdoms, the power, the ongoing war, the lost hero, and the soulmate bond were really fun and interesting to read about. I’m definitely curious to learn more about this world and hopefully get a better picture of how everything works.

Overall, I thought this book was a decent start for a fantasy series. Even though I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected, I still had some fun. I laughed a few times and I really did think that magical system was fascinating. Will I continue with the series? Maybe…maybe not. It’s not on my priority or anything, but there are some things I would like to know.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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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