#Review - The Elements of the Crown by Kay L. Moody #YA #Fantasy

Series: The Elements of Kamdaria # 1
Format: Kindle, 478 pages
Release Date: February 17th 2021
Publisher: Marten Press
Source: Amazon
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

She wasn’t supposed to become so powerful.
She wasn’t even supposed to survive.

In an empire divided into three rings, Talise is from the lowliest and most dangerous outer ring. To escape that life, she just has to do three things.

1) Attend an elite academy for manipulating the elements of water, air, earth, and fire.
2) Become the most powerful student in her year.
3) Prove her magic is the best in a competition in front of the emperor himself.

Everything goes according to plan until a handsome and rich young man shows up with just as much skill as her.

She has to win. She has to hate him.

But when the competition falls apart, the emperor forces them to work together instead. Their growing attraction only distracts them from dark truths that the empire has hidden for too long.

Secrets lurk in every shadow of the palace, hiding a conflict that sits on the brink of war. But Talise has secrets of her own. Secrets that could destroy her.

A war is coming. Talise can only hope she’s powerful enough to meet it.

If you like fierce females, enemies to lovers romance, royal intrigue, and shocking plot twists, you’ll love this complete epic fantasy series.

The Elements of the Crown, by author Kay L. Moody, is the first installment in the authors The Elements of Kamdaria series. This series was originally published as short novellas: Ice Crown, Wind Crown, Dust Crown, and Flame Crown. The story actually begins with 7-year-old Talise and her guardian Marmie who have lived in the lowest of the low places called the Storm. The Storm, the poorest and most dangerous place in the world, populated by criminals and families of criminals.

Talise is a girl who has the ability to manipulate all four elements which is almost unheard of. Upon arrival at the Gate, Talise shocks the testing officers with her ability to wield all four elements. This gets her immediate entry into Academy training. Academy training lasts for 10 years. The only way to stay out of the Storm and bring one's family out of poverty is to win the academy's greatest honor, being chosen by the emperor as the Master Shaper.

During her 10 years at the Academy, Talise rises to the top of the class and is eager to prove herself to Emperor Flarius who will decide her fate. She far surpasses all of her peers, except one, and she is the only person who can successfully manipulate ice. She's made friends with Wendy, who can control air, and Cyrus, who can control earth, but her real nemesis is the son of a former traitor, Aaden Sato, who may be even more eager to become Master Shaper to prove that he's worthy of getting rid of his father's stigma.

Being a Master Shaper is an honored position in the palace court and military. Each year, the emperor chooses one student to receive the title. During the competition to see who gets this years Master Shaper designation, the Emperor throws in a surprise. He's impressed with the great skill both Talise and Aaden possess. He presents them with a set of trials, and she knows this is the chance she needs to prove herself. As long as Aaden doesn’t ruin everything.

But secrets hide in every corner of the palace, masking a conflict far more dangerous than her previous home in the outer ring. Now, she must play along with the emperor’s lies and games, or else she will lose her life to an enemy she never expected. This book, as previously stated, is a combination of four books: In Ice Crown we are introduced to Talise and her friends and to Aaden her competitor for the job of Master Shaper. In Wind Crown the competition is won and we get to learn more about Talise and Aaden as they study and have to compete against themselves in trials set to challenge themselves. 

In Dust Crown Talise and Aaden must become Master Shapers for real and become leaders to the solderers and survive the bad guys. Of course things are not as they seem and more secrets are revealed that make the nest book killer. In Fire Crown Talise must survive being kidnapped and tortured by the rebellious Kessoku who are searching for the Emperor's heir. There are of course spoilers involved so let's just stop here.  

Yes, I would love to continue to read the rest of the books in this series. I would love to see what happens next in the series with Talise and Aaden, and how his choice at the end of the book turns out. However, due to the unfortunate idiocy of my complex owner raising my rent $200 which is going to likely force me to either move back to NY, or find a cheaper apartment to live in, I will need to hope that this book becomes free, or part of a giveaway in order to continue. 

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