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Series Review: The Suitable 'Verse by R. Cooper

Greetings and welcome to Reviews That Burn: Series Reviews, part of Books That Burn. Series Reviews discuss at least three books in a series and cover the overarching themes and development of the story across several books. Full Audio Here Powerful noble families known as the beat-of-fours, answerable only to a ruler and the mysterious, godlike fae, scheme and squabble amongst themselves, and go to war for the chance to put one of their own on the throne. But the fae might be pulling more strings than the nobles realize and they definitely have their favorites. A series of love stories loosely centered around the political crisis that led to the current ruler, featuring oblivious librarians, crafty though loving kings, an innocent half-fae noble, a legendary outlaw turned conqueror, worried warriors, clever guards, and an infamous beauty. PUBLISHER: Independently Published LENGTH: ~1000 pages so far AGE: Adult GENRE: Fantasy, Romance RECOMMENDED: Highly Queer Rep Summary: m/m and m/m/...

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (The Elemental Trilogy #1)

It all began with a ruined elixir and a bolt of lightning....

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation - or so she's been told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of the Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the most powerful tyrant and mage the world has ever known. This would be a suicide task for anyone, let alone a reluctant 16-year-old girl with no training.

Guided by his mother's visions and committed to avenging his family, Prince Titus has sworn to protect Iolanthe even as he prepares her for their battle with the Bane. But he makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the tyrant closing in, Titus must choose between his mission - and her life.

The Burning Sky the first book in the Elemental Trilogy - is an electrifying and unforgettable novel of intrigue and adventure. 

TITLE: The Burning Sky
AUTHOR: Sherry Thomas
PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray
YEAR: 2013
LENGTH: 449 pages (11 hours 36 minutes)
AGE: Young Adult
GENRE: Fantasy, Romance
RECOMMENDED: TBD

DNF 5 hours in (43%).

I thought I was going to read a second-world fantasy, not boarding school in magic-adjacent Britain. The magic system is probably the best thing in the book, but I tuned out as the relationship between the main characters became explicitly manipulative. The girl-disguised-as-boy seemed like it was using queer-adjacent tension to drive a m/f relationship, which is fine I guess, but I didn't get far enough to evaluate how that's handled overall.

Moderate CW for homophobia, racism, bullying, emotional abuse, fire, blood, toxic friendship, toxic relationship, injury detail, medical content, colonization.

Minor CW for drug abuse, drug use, war, self harm, death.

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A sky full of flame above a castle


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