Water's Wrath (Air Awakens Series Book 4) Kindle Edition

I signed up and received an advance copy of the ebook for free in exchange for an honest review.In the first few chapters of the book, it was shocking for me to see numerous events happening consecutively. So I found them too fast and too much to handle too soon. I even wondered why Elise made a terrible thing happen to a side character (that I've already grown to love from TFTF and EE) in the beginning. It was an emotional torture! I was already thinking that it was a negative thing at that time, but then I thought that it could be her style to catch the reader's attention right from the start.From that point moving forward, everything became smooth. Finally, Elise was able to write events of Vhalla spending time with her friends from the Tower and the Golden Guard. It was a breath of fresh air to have the focus on them and not on her and Aldrik all the time. This was what was missing in Fire Falling in my opinion - there, Vhalla spent too much time with Aldrik that when Larel died, I wasn't devastated because I didn't feel that deep connection between them. I even felt that Larel was more of Vhalla's assistant than a friend and a mentor. So here in Water's Wrath, I saw that the author took her time to build and really show the relationship between Vhalla and her friends. But I'm still looking forward to her truly reuniting with Roan maybe in the last book.Because of the good narration and flow of the story, I was able to relate well to Vhalla. I really felt what she was feeling all throughout her journey. I was greatly affected and it was as if I could feel the same emotions as her when she was hurt, in grief, jealous, and longing for Aldrik. However, it's not all bad feelings. While the book made me sad at times, it also made me happy. When I got upset and was devastated, there were also situations wherein I felt elated. I did cry like a baby at one point, and that proves how good and effective the author is in pulling me in and getting the right emotions out of me.I was also relieved that both Vhalla and Aldrik showed their maturity when they learned to move forward on their own at some point. They had to learn and grow on their own without having to always depend on each other. Because of this, they were able to change and develop into better characters. Vhalla became braver, stronger and bolder than ever, and I can even say the same things for Aldrik.All in all, I totally love the flow of the story. The pacing was just right, and the element of surprise was there - most of the events were very unpredictable. I'm glad that with the answers and other clues given in this book, I was able to further build my theories and broaden my thoughts again - oh, the possibilities!So far, Water's Wrath is the best book in the series (okay, I said the same thing after reading FF, then EE, and now this). It definitely caught me unguarded emotionally - pulling all types of emotions possible out of me. It kept me really guessing and interested all throughout and it made me love all the characters (old and new) even more. There were new alliances formed and new enemies made, so I certainly can't wait for the last book to come out!*Oh, and the cover! Just take notice of Vhalla's expression and of the man next to him. I won't say who, when, how, and what was happening in that picture. There's a symbolism there and I find it really clever.

After having a bit of lull in my need to finish reading Earth's End, I was once against excited to reenter this book's world.Majority thought - I really liked this book and what it brings to the series.Minority though - there were times where I just didn't quite understand where or what Elise was getting at in certain parts.Since there's no way to hide spoilers here, I'll keep it as vague as possible.The book starts off a few months after the end of Earth's End. The first few chapters were a smidge slow, but considering what was going on in the world at this time, I can understand why it had that feeling of dragging (since there's nothing really interesting about that specific background activity).As I mentioned before, there were some "huh?" parts:- The incident with Jax -- the whole scene made me questioning if I had overestimated Jax's skill and intelligence. Was I just projecting my mental ideal of Jax onto the character? I really don't understand why he did what he did and what he was expecting to accomplish. The scene seemed to become ridiculously one-dimensional and too simple. Vhalla's reaction after the situation seemed to be ignored too. I would have expected her to have more of a reaction to be honest.- Vhalla's reversal of the major decision she made at the end of EE -- She makes this huge decision at the end of the 3rd book, holding on to it for a good bit of time, then just all of a sudden, NEVERMIND. It just seemed a bit sudden for me and I was left blinking at the page for a couple seconds. Then again, I guess it could have been influenced by the whole Jax situation?- I was a bit sad to see that after everything that Vhalla has been through, she didn't see the major problem until it was almost too late :( Sure, it could have been due to her focusing on her emotions regarding certain people or over-gravitating towards people that had been helpful/kind to her in the past, but if so, it was never really touched upon or even mentioned. It very well could have been implied that she became ridiculously distracted with everything that was going on and had happened, but I'm not so sure it's exactly easy to pick up on that. Just seemed a bit confusing for her character to seem to become less complex at this part in the series.In regards to some of the decisions she makes, I understand her reasoning behind a good majority of them, although I personally might not agree with them. One of the decisions she makes with the princess in the end of the book seems a bit drastic, but it's not a be-all-end-all choice and can be reversed after a certain amount of time. Is it a difficult decision? Absolutely, but the reader has to realize that Vhalla is tired and exhausted and desperately wants peace. And if you haven't realized that she (for the most part) is rather self-sacrificing, then you should probably reread the books.To sum it up, was this book the most comprehensive and/or interesting of the series? Not really.BUT! - Like most middle books, it gives you some backstory and sets up the scene, motivation and drive for the conclusion. Solid 4/5 stars for me. ONWARD TO JULY!