Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision
Release Date: May 20, 2014
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
ISBN: 978-1494955847
Source: Received ebook ARC & Paperback by Author, Bought ebook
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Sixteen year-old Breena Perdit has spent her life as a barmaid, innocent to her father’s past and happily free from the Elemental gifts that would condemn her to a life in the Egrian King’s army. Until the day that three Elemental soldiers recognize her father as a traitor to the throne and Bree’s father is thrown in jail—along with the secrets from his last mission as the King’s assassin. Secrets that could help the King win a war. Secrets he refuses to share.

Desperate to escape before the King’s capricious whims prove her and her father’s downfall, Bree bargains with him: information for their lives. It’s a good trade. And she has faith she’ll get them both out of the King’s grasp with time.

But that was before the discovery that she’s the weapon the King’s been waiting for in his war.

Now, time is running out. To save her father’s life and understand her own, Bree must unravel the knot of her father’s past before the King takes his life– and uses her to bring a nation to its knees.

Fantasy is a tough genre to nail and for me, fantasies are truly hit or miss but Jennifer Ellision’s debut is easily a hit. You might be wondering why. Well…

For one, the main character, Breena is wise beyond her years and responsible. She willingly steps up to the plate every single time which is more than I can say for many other characters I’ve read about and followed. She knows that everything (mainly actions) has a time and place and she thinks before acting. My favorite quality? Her drive. The fight in Breena. This is a story about Breena’s fight for her freedom. From the moment everything is taken away from her and she’s taken away (along with her father) from what little is left, she never stops figuring out a way to free herself. That alone makes Breena one of my favorite heroines. This is a true example of a heroine.

I also loved the relationship between Breena and her father. They respected each other, treated each other like the smart and responsible individuals that they are. They worked so well together. I loved it. I loved it so much. I don’t remember the last YA book I read, if anywhere where the parent treated the child with this amount of respect. Not to say that parents are disrespectful (most aren’t), but Da doesn’t treat Breena like a child or like someone who needs his wise advice and training OR ELSE. He’s done his job as a parent and he knows Breena’s character and that’s enough.

All of the main and minor characters and relationships were well developed (and there is a tiny bit of romance but I’m not really into that) but Breena and Breena’s relationship with Da were definitely worth mentioning above all else. I also did not see that revelation coming at the end in regards to Breena and Da and that’s all I will say about that to avoid spoiling anything for you. I also want to point out that Jennifer twists what you’d expect from characters who can control the elements and delivers such a strong, enthralling voice through Breena as we follow her journey and interact with many others who have elemental powers. The elemental powers was one of my favorite aspects of the books as I’m always down for the supernatural. There’s a lot going on in this book but it’s never overwhelming and always exciting. There’s just the right balance of all of the ingredients that make a satisfying fantasy here.

What really makes a fantasy memorable (in good and bad ways) for me though is the world building and execution of such. Jennifer’s attention to detail is clear and I’m so happy to say that I could envision this fantastic world so easily! Simply put, I loved what Jennifer has created here and wanted even more showing off of everyone’s elemental powers. This elemental world brings so much action and political drama and with that, mystery. It takes a lot of work to create the amount of detail and depth needed to present an entertaining, thrilling, thought provoking, engaging fantasy so Jennifer should be very proud.

This book might be over 300 pages long but this story flows so well and is not surprisingly, quite the page turner. I was hooked within the first few chapters and found myself at the end in no time. In a matter of hours to be exact. I read this book in one sitting and that’s more than I can say for most fantasies I’ve read. That’s not easy to do. Bravo! So if you’re looking for an exciting high fantasy read, this is what you’ve been waiting for! Be sure to get your copy today!

Extra: Dream Casting with a Twist!During the #TOSAS Twitter Chat, instead of asking the typical dream casting question about actors, I asked Jennifer which directors and/or screenwriters she’d like to see adapt her book if it were ever made into a movie (or TV series) which led me to creating my own list!

I chose directors and screenwriters whose work I’ve obviously seen and respect for various reasons. Some of those reasons include nailing the tone of a story, having adapted previous stories well, understanding the world in which they have to bring to life on screen, and so on. Here are a few names of options I’d love to have for directors/screenwriters adapting Threats of Sky and Sea. What do you think?

Directors
Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Insurgent)
David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Michelle MacLaren (Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad)
Emmy Nominee, Michael Rymer (Battlestar Galactica)
Emmy Winner, Jack Bender (Under the Dome, Lost, Alias)

Screenwriters
Gary Ross (The Hunger Games)
David Koepp (War of the Worlds)
Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries, Smallville)

Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision is available today as a Paperback or in ebook form on Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, iBooks, and Smashwords.

Be sure to visit all of the Threats of Sky and Sea tour stops, listed here!