As a writer, I get a lot of books recommended to me during the critique process for various reasons. Sometimes it’s because the author uses a similar technique, others for a similar premise or plot point. Discovering new authors is a great side benefit of the critique process. I’m not sure I would have heard about this one or picked it up on my own otherwise. So, thank you to Melanie Conklin for directing me to Sherry Thomas and THE BURNING SKY!

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she’s being 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 greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.

Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he’s also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to revenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.

But Titus 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 Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life.

Here the five things I loved most.

1. The footnotes – I loved the way Ms. Thomas used reference texts from within the world to provide background. My only caveat was that I wished the footnotes had been on the actual pages instead of having to flip to the back of the book, but they were long footnotes, so I can see why the publisher decided to do it that way.

2. The new twist on an old story – Is it a Chosen One story or not? With the prophesy, it certainly sounds like a Chosen One story, but it’s not that simple, and the question of how much control they have over fate becomes central to the story. I’m interested to see how it plays out in the rest of the series.

3. The romance – I was a little nervous going in about a romance author switching to young adult, but Ms. Thomas handled it very well. It had just the right amount of adolescent tension, particularly for the first book in a series. And I love Titus, with the multiple faces he puts on depending on his audience!

4. The magical elements – I liked they way Ms. Thomas pulled in a number of magical elements that seemed familiar from existing stories and still introduced new concepts. It made the world easy to relate to and yet offered more to discover. I think this is a hard balance to achieve.

5. The enemy – The Bane remained a complete mystery to me at the end of the book, and that was kind of amazing considering it was a hefty novel. Quite a lot happened. I think that’s because one of his underlings was the more immediate threat, so now I’m hooked and intrigued about this villain and what is in store for Titus and Iolanthe in the next book.

Have you read THE BURNING SKY? Are you anxiously awaiting the next book in the series? Are there any authors you’ve discovered thanks to a recommendation from a critique partner or beta reader?