The Perilous Sea

The Elemental Trilogy #2

by Sherry Thomas

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Magic, Adventure, Audiobook, Fiction

414 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

USA Today-bestselling author Sherry Thomas decided years ago that her goal in life is to write every kind of book she enjoys reading. Thus far she has published romance, fantasy, mystery, young adult, and three books inspired by the martial arts epics she grew up devouring. Her books regularly receive starred reviews and best-of-the-year honors from trade publications, including such outlets as the New York Times and National Public Radio.

A Study in Scarlet Women, A Conspiracy in Belgravia, and The Hollow of Fear, the first three entries in her gender-bending Lady Sherlock historical mystery series, are all NPR best books of the year. The Magnolia Sword, her 2019 release, is the first young adult retelling of the original Ballad of Mulan in the English language.

Sherry emigrated from China at age 13 and English is her second language.

“Sherry Thomas has done the impossible and crafted a fresh, exciting new version of Sherlock Holmes. From the carefully plotted twists to the elegant turns of phrase, A Study in Scarlet Women is a splendid addition to Holmes’s world. This book is everything I hoped it would be, and the next adventure cannot come too soon!” —Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author

“Thomas weaves a lush, intricate fantasy world around a gorgeous romance that kept me riveted until the very last page. What a breathtaking journey!” (Marie Lu, New York Times bestselling author of the Legend series )

"Sherry Thomas is the most powerfully original historical romance author writing today."—Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestselling author



Visit Sherry at her website

Follow Sherry on twitter

Find Sherry on Facebook

Reviews

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why can't all books have sky dragons and pegasi and impossible romance? *sigh*

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Perilous Sea opens with Iolanthe waking up in a desert with no knowledge of who she is or what she's doing there.



Nearby is a boy about the same age as she is who has no idea who he is, either. Injured, scared, and wary of each other, they have to team up to survive the forces that are trying to kill them before they can escape the sands of the desert.



Then the story goes back and picks up where the last book left off, catching the reader up on what went down in the meantime. The entirety of The Perilous Sea is told by flashing back and forth from the past to the present, and I thought it worked pretty well.



If you've read book one, then you know that Titus' entire life has been lived out while trying to fulfill his destiny, as told by his mother (a powerful seer) via her diary.
And while Titus has always believed that his destiny is written in stone, Iolanthe believes that visions of the future can be interpreted in many ways and that destiny is a choice.
This book plays heavily to those themes.
Also, some of the minor characters from the last book begin to feature more importantly. And while some questions are answered, more questions arise. I'm especially interested in Iolanthe's memory gaps.
I'm really interested to see how this all pans out!

Recommended.

I listened to the audiobook version by Balzer + Bray which was read by Philip Battley, and I enjoyed it.

[Keertana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I am still reeling from the aftermath of The Perilous Sea. With The Burning Sky, Sherry Thomas introduced us to a world of magic and destiny, one in which our protagonists--Titus and Iolanthe--had to battle the Bane, the deadly ruler of Atlantis. The Perilous Sea picks up shortly after The Burning Sky left off, only this time it is the end of the summer holidays and Titus, whisked away to princely duties in Atlantis, has not seen Iolanthe in months. Now, finally reunited, to two are determined to work harder, fight longer, and discover the secret to bringing down the Bane. Only, it seems fate--or rather the diary of Titus's late mother, a seer--has very different ideas...

From the beginning itself, The Perilous Sea sets itself apart from The Burning Sky due to its format. Thomas writes two different timelines simultaneously, meaning that every alternate chapter jumps between the present and the past catching up to the present moment. With cliffhanger endings concluding every chapter, it is practically impossible to set this book down once you've picked it up, not only because of the urge to discover the situation in the timeline you left behind, but also to figure out how our protagonists went from Point A to Point B.

Moreover, from the onset of this novel itself, it is clear that Thomas is choosing to focus on the age-old question of fantasy: can one truly make his or her own destiny? Very early on in The Perilous Sea a sequence of events plays out in such a way that Titus begins to doubt the veracity of his mother's prophecies. Or, at any rate, her interpretation of them. Thus, the lives and focus of both Titus and Iolanthe are upturned by these circumstances and the emotional turmoil they experience is simply heart-breaking. I love that despite the fact that we know both these protagonists so well from The Burning Sky, Thomas continues to challenge them, forcing them to become even better, stronger, and more confident versions of themselves. Additionally, these change of events cause The Perilous Sea to be far more romantic than we may have anticipated. In one timeline, circumstances allow for Iolanthe and Titus to fall in love all over again, albeit in a different way. In another timeline, Iolanthe and Titus must battle through their differences to find a way back to one another, despite the hurdles they themselves have erected in their paths. In both instances, it is abundantly clear once and for all that yes, these two truly do love each other and, above all, they are stronger together than apart.

The Perilous Sea continues to excel as a sequel, however, primarily because of the depth we gain about the secondary characters. I truly enjoyed the characterization of the secondary characters we met in The Burning Sky, particularly Titus's friends in Eton, but in The Perilous Sea we finally peel back the facades these boys put forth and discover the true individual beneath. The plot of The Perilous Sea is such that the secondary characters are just as important, this time around, as our two protagonists, so the depth they're given in this installment is a pleasant--and very welcome!--surprise. What's more, the Bane is finally unveiled for the true horror we are told he is. While we learn a little of this villain in the previous installment, The Perilous Sea travels deep into his past and--believe me--the atrocities he is capable of are cringe-worthy.

In fact, The Perilous Sea packs plot twist after plot twist, reveal after reveal, at such a breakneck pace that it is difficult to imagine what Thomas can possibly unveil further in the final installment. We receive answers about Iolanthe's past--everything from her origins to her memory keeper--speculate about Titus's parentage, and learn the minute secrets as to the true reality of Titus's mother's visions. It's such a spectacular sequel simply because we believe one thing to be true, only to find that it isn't what we thought it was. While this ensured that readers were constantly in a state of surprise, at times the narrative style of this novel became a detriment to the story as a whole. For me, at any rate, I didn't find both timelines to be completely necessary and, what's more, the fact that one timeline moved at a significantly slower pace than the other one, could be a bit jarring at times. Most importantly, though, I found the never-ending reveals to be pleasant--at first--but found myself needing slightly more detail or clarification than was provided. And, sadly, the political turmoil that marked The Burning Sky is mostly devoid in this novel as the focus is on overthrowing the Bane. I am hoping--and eagerly looking forward to--seeing more of Atlantis's political scheme in the sequel, along with the final battle that is looming ahead. The Perilous Sea is one of the strongest sequels I've come across this year and if Thomas continues to improve and build upon this series as she has, I do not doubt that the finale will be unforgettable.

[aqsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 STARS

I DONT THINK ANYONE UNDERSTANDS MY FEELINGS RN I AM SCREAMING

THIS WAS THE FUCKING BEST OH GOD ASDFGHKKLL

TITUS AND IOLA ARE MY FAVE OTP THIS YEAR. WON MY HEART AT FIRST SIGHT
SO PROUD OF THEIR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENTS AND CHEMISTRY ♥♥

ALSO, KASHKARI ILY BBY ♥

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Sequels are often compared to their predecessor(s), especially when with regard to deciding on a fitting rating, but I can tell you that this did me absolutely no good at all. Because The Perilous Sea seems so fundamentally different from The Burning Sky in many aspects.

The Perilous Sea was an exciting, gripping read and a worthy sequel for this series. The book excelled in taking the tension, the danger, and the action to the next level. Some of the plot twists in this book had me practically gaping. But I also felt like the overall drama factor was turned up a notch as well, and I don't know how I feel about that, especially where that puts me with the rating. I'm giving it 3.5 stars for now

The sequel implemented a different concept for the plot. Whereas The Burning Sky had followed a typical linear timeline, The Perilous Sea jumped between two timelines. At first, I thought I was going to be annoyed by this, because I really like linear and logical unfoldings of a story, but Thomas really made it work. The action-packed storyline in the Sahara desert balanced out the slow-going retrospective storyline in England, 1883. From the very first page, it was clear that due to some event in the past, the two main characters' memories had been wiped blank. Now, if you're not a fan of the memory loss plot device, you'll probably have a massive eye-roll coming on. Because yes, memory loss is an undoubtedly convenient device, especially when the effect is lifted in an opportune moment. I wonder whether a reason the author decided to go with a plot driven by memory loss was the romance. I occurred to me that, after the sizzling slow burn between Iolanthe and Titus VII in The Burning sky, the author was concerned that people would get bored with a now established romance, so she quickly wove in blank memories to make things interesting. I'm not going to lie: It worked to some extent because it kept me hooked to the romantic subplot as well. So, we then have a current, action-packed storyline in which their romance sparks anew and a retrospective, slow-going storyline in which there's trouble in paradise.

"You might be the scariest girl I have ever met," he told her.
"Let's not be dramatic," she said dryly. "I'm the only girl you can remember ever meeting."

I really adore both Iolanthe, because she's a spitfire in spite of her vulnerabilities, and Titus VII, because he's a fucking dreamboat. Their characterizations are fleshed out, relatable and well-balanced. Both of them experience a lot of turmoil in this book (not unlike the last book which had been an emotional rollercoaster already), and their pain was palpable and well-written. Characters who are strong as individuals usually make me enjoy a romance more. I also like what their romance stands for because what they have is a realistic and overall healthy relationship. Both of them are willing to abandon their romantic relationship for greater goals without being quite able to let go of their love for each other. I do think the author exaggerated a bit with the drama this time and it irked me to some extent. The rift driven between them due to an unexpected revelation seemed a bit forced and artificial. Nonetheless, they are still a couple I root for and I can forgive this small but dramatic lapse.

Apart from the romantic angst and drama, there were a couple of other things that didn't sit well with me. This book focused on a dramatic chase through the desert and a slow unfolding of an equally interesting, yet more subtle chase in England. However, the book also shed some more light on Iolanthe's past as she digs mercilessly for clues to her origins. The lack of an emotional response from Iolanthe when the identities of her birth parents are revealed was so anti-climactic and weird. Another aspect I had already remarked upon in my review on The Burning Sky were the similarities to other (urban) fantasy novel. I said the series read like a mash-up of Harry Potter meets Avatar the Last Airbender, and I stand by this statement. Though new magical elements are introduced, the series cannot shake its smell of previously written works and ideas. I cannot help but feel like the author stole the idea for the Bane's resurrection from Rowling's Horcruxes. The similarities are there, which is why this series, in spite of its overall enjoyment factor, will never stand out as unique among its kind. This saddens me a great deal because the potential is there.

Overall, The Perilous Sea was an intense, enjoyable sequel with a few bumps along the way. I really think this book could've done without some of the plot devices and the drama, but I cannot say it completely backfired, either. If you're looking for a lightly written, not demanding, but entertaining historical/urban fantasy – with great characters but without having high expectations with regard to orginiality –, then the Elemental trilogy might be your thing.

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[Marcy Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books that you read when you’re bored, simply because you’ve already started them, and hey, you aren’t a quitter. There are other books that whisper to you, calling out and distracting you from what you’re doing. Books that make you flirt with irresponsibility; the laundry can wait an hour or two, right? Surely that paper doesn’t have to be written until tomorrow? I love books like that.

There’s a third kind of book, though. A much rarer breed. There are books that don’t give you the choice to put them down. Books so intense that you accidentally skip your morning workout. Books so delicious that you forget to eat breakfast AND lunch, and by the time you realize that sound isn’t actually the dragons in the story growling, but rather your stomach, you’re already late for dinner. You make due with whatever is in your fridge. (For me this was birthday cake; vanilla with buttercream frosting.) The Perilous Sea, is one of THOSE books.

The Burning Sky was handily one of my favorite books to come out last year. More honestly, it was one of my favorite books to come out in the last century. As often happens with book two in a trilogy, I had prepared myself that, while I was still expecting awesomeness, it might not be as fresh and amazing as book one. It happens. I was still thrilled when a series of fortuitous events landed an ARC of The Perilous Sea in my hands. Even if it wasn’t all that The Burning Sky was, as the intro to TBS says, I still expected magic.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. I said it. I was WRONG. For all of the overwhelming genius that was The Burning Sky, The Perilous Sea was BETTER. Yes, I said it. It was even better. Everything that I loved about The Burning Sky, every spectacular element, appeared in The Perilous Sea, more polished and intricately woven with every page I turned.

Prepare yourself for quite the emotional roller-coaster. The layout of the book has you switching back and forth between two different points in the story timeline. You will go from grinning like an idiot one moment, then fall immediately back into despair and denial the next. And then back to the foolish smile.

I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to give any of the surprises away. There are many surprises. But if you loved The Burning Sky because of the strength of its characters, you will not be disappointed. If you loved The Burning Sky because of the intrigue and magic of its world, you won’t be disappointed. And if you loved The Burning Sky because of a particular doomed Prince with a penchant for distance spells and dragon slaying…
Well. That line forms behind me. ;)

Reread July 2015

[Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segunda entrega de la trilogía, Los Elementales, y creo que sigue manteniendo la misma esencia, o quizás la supero un tanto, que me cautivo en el primer libro.

La narración cambia en esta entrega, ya que la historia está escrita en primera persona, con dos puntos de vista, es decir, el de los protagonistas; entrelazando el presente y el pasado.

En el presente, los protagonistas han perdido la memoria, no recuerdan nada, se encuentran en el desierto y solo saben que deben huir de los Atlantes (antagonistas), ya que no pueden dejar que estos los atrapen. Y paralelamente, en el pasado van dándonos indicios de los sucesos que antecedieron a los personajes a terminar en tales circunstancias. He de admitir que la autora dominó a la perfección, el entretejer estas dos narraciones y logando unirlas sin perder el hilo de la historia en ningún momento; manteniéndome con la incógnita de como los personajes llegaron a ese momento.

El desarrollo es más dinámico; la autora nos va dando más descripciones tanto de los personajes como de hechos que nos ayudan a comprender aún más hacia donde va la historia.

Los personajes, en cada libro me gustan más; Iolanthe y Titus han desarrollado una relación que va más allá del cumplimiento de la profecía, la cual los mantiene unidos. Las escenas que desarrollan juntos son de mis favoritas, me encantan sus diálogos sarcásticos; cuando los leo consiguen hacerme suspirar, reír y entristecerme.

¡y ese final! Es que la autora nos deja en una escena en la que quedas total y absolutamente intrigado; ¡necesito leer el tercer libro ahora ya!

[Katerina Kondrenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

9.5 out of 10

Ревью в моем блоге/This review on my blog
Living A Thousand Lives (please use Chrome/Yandex browser or Android/IOS to see the page; otherwise, spoiler-tags I use to make my post compact may not work)

Short-Soundtrack:
Poets of the Fall – Locking Up the Sun
Simon Curtis – SuperHero
30 Seconds To Mars – This Is War

Stuff: mages, good vs. evil, elemental magic, parallel worlds
Fail: there are some boring moments in the middle of the book but not so long ones
WOW: chapter-structure, the prophesy thing
POV: 3rd-person, two perspectives
Love-geometry: is absent
Quote-Core:

Fortune favors the brave. And the brave make their own fortune!

Collage made by me. Pictures-sources are unknown.

They say, 'You’re a chosen one, let’s kill a bad guy who’s terrorizing people'. You’re like, 'Oh, no-no, dears, you’d better think how to do it without me'. But they wouldn’t let you be with all these honey, dragons, man-clothes, making-out sessions with a handsome prince, some lightning, and stuff. You’re getting used to and starting to enjoy your troubles. You think of yourself as a savor of the universe. Also falling in love. Hard.

And then, in book #2, they say, 'Surprise! The chosen one is not you'. Ta-duh-duh-duuuh.

Okay, it’s not how this book starts. That’s how it does:

“What can I say?” she said, her voice growing fainter. “This damsel loves rescuing princes in distress.”

No, I lied again. It happened a bit later, after a desert, two lone strangers: one wounded, both without memories; after Atlantis who were at the back of their pack. Chapters would interchange offering you to see the previous seven weeks' events and current situation. Cliffhangers alert, btw.

Romance, just like in The Burning Sky, is a background (I’m not amused and demand more Titulanthe) for adventures and unpredictable plot. Okay, some twist you’d definitely foresee, but Sherry Thomas knows well how to play on your nerves.

The book is funny:

“What’s the turbulence?” Fairfax mumbled, her eyes closed. “We dodged some distance spell-casting.” “My hero. But can’t a girl sleep in peace around here?” There was a hint of a sly grin at the corner of her mouth.

BTW, at the start, I was eager to ask what the hell was with this Eton College. This is a non-mage school but mages were everywhere. And then I was given with pretty good explanation and the problem was solved.

The Bain is a walking wise-ass. He's like Voldemort McCloud. In this book, we’ll know what exactly this man desires and why.

Secondary characters become as important as the main ones. Hi, Cooper! I loove your funny simplicity. Kashkari and Wintervale would change the curse of the story. Wanna a reason to worry? One of them would be hurt and badly.

Titus is still one of my book-boyfriends. Even when he acts like a dumb-ass, I can see his reasons and can’t be angry with him. Iola is great too. BTW, we’ll learn the truth about her parents. Titus’s dad would remain a mystery but we’ll get some clues about his persona.

World-building. We won't see much of a magical realm, Crucible's picture would grow larger, our human world would be represented by London and Sahara.

I have to say that the book is a page-turner, it's a smart fantasy with a good aftertaste. The story forces you to think, to guess, and doesn't try to cover the plot-holes with constant action.

The final is wow. Battle cries, cheerleading-chants, tears in the eyes. I love suchlike moments.

“You have brought war upon yourself, Titus of Elberon.”
“So be it.”

In short, the characters are in danger, the reader's in awe and her hands are already reaching for the sequel.

The Elemental Trilogy (Магия стихий):

— The Burning Sky (Пылающие небеса) #1/3
— The Perilous Sea (Опасные воды) #2/3
— The Immortal Heights (Незабвенные выси) #3/3

[gio · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Fortune favors the brave."
Another moment of silence. And then, Iolanthe found herself shouting at the top of her lungs, her voice nearly drowned by the bellow of all the rebels present, "And the brave make their own fortune!”

I could tell you that this book has its flaws. But the truth is: I didn't care. I loved The perilous sea anyway. And I mean, LOVED, not just "loved".

- The plot is more complex this time around. The book follows Titus and Iolanthe/Fairfax in the present and in the past, a couple of months earlier. I love it when books follow this kind of scheme because, even if it is confusing sometimes it's always interesting. It made me anxious, and it gave me some pretty hard...feels. But it was worth it.

- I love Titus and Iolanthe. Titus because...well, because he isn't your usual male character. Sure, he loves Iolanthe but he has a mission too and in this book he has doubts about everything. I wanted to strangle him at one point? Yes. Did I still love him? YES. I like that he feels like his mission comes first, even if it makes him unhappy. And I liked that in this book he finally understood that he has to trust himself and not just his mother's diary.
I've always loved Iolanthe. She isn't whiny, she deals with everything life throws at her, always trying to do what she thinks it's right.
And these two...OTP. Plus...that banter is everything.

"The night you were born, stars fell. The day we met, lightning struck."

- Finally even secondary characters had an important role. I really liked this since it's a rare thing in ya.

- The setting is one of my favourite parts of this series. England, Eton college, The Domain and this time The Sahara desert too. Plus I still want a Crucible guys. Best thing ever.

Soooo...no need to tell you I loved this book right? This review is all "I loved this, I loved that...and that too." But that's pretty much what I felt the whole time.

[Sam I AMNreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not going to bother with a review for this, but I read it in one sitting.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 (what was your name again) Stars



Girl that I am, the thing I really found lacking in The Burning Sky was kissing, okay that maybe wasn’t all that I found lacking but it is right up there. No worries because there is far more kissing in this book and much more time spent with our two heroes together, granted half that time they had no clue who they were but that maybe made it all the better.

The story is told during two separate points in time. The first is when a girl and boy wake up in the Sahara desert with no idea who they are and how they got there. Should they trust each other to survive or are they enemies? The second point in seven weeks earlier when Titus and Iolanthe go back to Eton and think they will start up training again in anticipation of going up against the Bane.

I think for most people this will be a love or hate it way to tell the story. I personally loved jumping between the present and past, trying to guess what could have possibly went wrong that would put our heroes in their current fate. As each chapter ended in precarious positions jumping back and forth really heightened the suspense. I also liked who Titus and Iolanthe got to be in each section and I think it answered the question ‘If they had met under any other circumstance as any other two people would they feel the same about each other?’ I liked the amnesiatic banter between them when they both had no clue who they really were.

“Come…” murmered Fairfax peering around him, “come a little nearer.”
“You might just be the scariest girl I’ve ever met.” He told her.
“Let’s not be dramatic,” she said dryly. “I’m the only girl you can remember ever meeting.”

In the Burning Sky, Iolanthe was very reluctant to take on the role of trying to defeat the Bane. The romance between Iolanthe and Titus was extremely subdued since he had compelled her help with a blood oath and only a true cad would take advantage of that. Iolanthe had decided to help Titus in his quest against the Bane and she will do anything she can to protect him as ‘the chosen one’. But when a glitch in the prophecies of his mother happen Titus discovers that maybe it isn’t Iolanthe that is destined to complete this task with him and if that is the case where are their places in each other’s lives.

"How to return to an ordinary life when she has come wholeheartedly to believe that she was the very fulcrum upon which the levers of destiny pivoted?"

Both Titus and Iolanthe really grow in this book. Titus must decide how much to trust the prophecies of his mother and how much to trust his own intuition. Iolanthe must decide what is really important to her and how much she is willing to fight for it. They both make decision that there is no turning back from.

Unlike some second books The Perilious Sea isn’t just a holding pattern that sets up for the final book of the Trilogy. There are quite a few revelations made about where Iolanthe really comes from, who her parents were and why she was sent away at birth. Lady Wintervale also has an unexpected past that I wasn’t expecting. Every discovery they make brings them closer to the answers of how to destroy the Bane (I have some very disturbing theories on who the Bane is but I’ll save them for the next book).
The story moves along at a nice pace and I enjoyed a lot of it. I only have a few nitpicky issues with it and they are probably minor for a YA fantasy series. A lot of the magic revealed in this book was just that, dropped out of the sky ‘Oh that must be a …’ followed by a quick explanation. The other minor point is that some of it seemed a little Harry Potterish. They are mages with wands but when in danger Titus pulls out his wand and sends a phoenix charge up into the sky. All I could think was “That’s a Patronus.”


Like I said they are really pretty minor.

Some of the awesomeness of this world is the use of magic carpets, dragons, a book that takes you into something akin to a hallo deck, Pegasi and fantastic magical trinkets and toys. I always enjoy when a new piece of magic is introduced into the story because it is always interesting and easy to imagine as it is described. The ending of this book was intense and it left off with a small cliffy.

I liked this more than the first book and the set up for the final showdown with the Bane is well underway. I look forward to seeing what other new twists are revealed in the final book and how all the players fulfill their roles. The challenge has been set and now it will be a fight to the death.

[Andye.Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 stars! Brilliant! This is without a doubt, one of my favorite series ever. This book was even better than the first. I can't wait to see where it goes next.

I loved THE BURNING SKY so much. But it didn't have NOTHIN' on this book!

Yes, I think THE PERILOUS SEA is my favorite read of this year (so far).

I just can't begin to describe the depths of my love for this series, these characters, this world, that ROMANCE, all that action, and the incredible, incredible storyline. There is nothing I would change. Nothing. I could read this book a hundred times and never get tired of it.

Sherry Thomas is a romance writer, and it shows.

She knows, with all the knowing there is to know, how to write an amazing, suspenseful, tension-filled romance. The feelings that Iolanthe and Titus have for each other are just palpable, believable, FELT IN YOUR BONES! I WANT TITUS. I WANT, I WANT!

But the romance is just the tip of the iceberg.

Thomas also knows how to create a world that is so completely fantastical, yet, at the same time, so believable. I don't want to say too much about this book in particular, because so much would be too spoilery. But let me just assure you that there is NO second book syndrome. AT ALL. Not with the romance, not with the storyline.

There's something that happens . . .

And the way she wrote it . . .

And the how things end up evolving, again . . .

It's just SO PERFECT!

We learn a lot more about Iolanthe, Titus, and even the illusive Bane. Creepy! The boarding school is still a main character, which I adore, but there are also adventures into the Crucible (Awesome), and into the desert (so mysterious).

If you haven't read THE BURNING SKY yet, just GO! READ! NOW! Some have said it starts out slowly (I disagree), but everyone I've talked to has ended up loving it. If you love magic (and if you don't how can you even stand living?), you must read this series!

Now Gimme Book 3!!!

[Susana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well... this was not what I was expecting it to be.:/

The world building continues missing in action, and if I could ignore that on the first book, in this one it was just too much to ask, considering that nothing much happens in this thing.
Boys having tea... boys playing cricket...Titus having an emotional breakdown...

I didn't enjoy the way the story was told: for me it was just a weak device to stall the story.
Selective amnesia? Really? Hey, lets get the main characters to fall in love with each other all over again! -_-

I have to say that this time the writing didn't work out for me: I couldn't see what I was reading, and I hate that. Well there was sand. A LOT of sand and some scary beasts with strange names that were chasing our leading characters.

The characters were lukewarm. I love Titus and Iolanthe, but after awhile one gets tired of mushy declarations of love.
The explanations for what does happen were contrived. The secondary characters have as much soul as... my purse!

For me this was a disappointing mess. Were it up to me, I would be done with this series.
Unfortunately I have an egalley of Immortal Heights to review.
Ai. o_O

[Ails · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS

SO GOOOOOOOD!!!

I love everything about it. E-VERY-THING. I'm definitely adding it to my top favorite books of all time. YES.

Here's my criteria ratings:

PLOT - 5
WRITING STYLE - 4.5
CHARACTERS - 4.5
ROMANCE - 5
UNPUTDOWNABLE LEVEL - 5

Now I can't wait for the third book!!!

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read: August 2014
Second read: September 2015 - even better than the first time around ♥

4 stars

The Perilous Sea, or as I like to call it "THE SEA DRAGON COVER I HAS A SEA DRAGON FWEEEEEEEEEEE", was - as you might already be able to tell - one of my very highly anticipated books of 2014. It's the sequel to The Burning Sky , which I absolutely loved in spite of its flaws. Though The Perilous Sea continues to fall short in certain areas, by the end of this book I was fully engaged and swamped with feels yet again.

The biggest weakness to The Burning Sky was admittedly the world building. Sadly, The Perilous Sea does not exactly make up for what was lacking in the first book. Some things are definitely more developed: I feel like the different kinds of magic were explored more - which I absolutely loved - and I gained a better understanding of the functionality of the Crucible. However, I'm still confused about the world in general. One of the big questions I had at the end of the first book was how exactly these mage and non-mage realms fit together - whether they were both on Earth, or whether they were in different dimensions, or what. By the way they have different systems of years, you'd think different dimensions. But then in this book, Iolanthe gets stranded in the mage realm (I think - it maybe wasn't ONE HUNDRED PERCENT clear) and travels back to England by various boats - noting passing by most of the African continent. I... just...



WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE US A MAP? IS IT SO HARD? I'm so lost, seriously. Is the Domain on Earth or NOT. Where is Atlantis, for that matter? Or am I just stupid and missing something blatantly obvious?

But, ehm, I knew that there was a high probability that the world building would still be a hot mess, so I didn't let that deter me from the story for too long. At least, I tried really hard not to let it. Point is, The Burning Sky introduced one of my favorite ships from last year: Titus and Iolanthe. They had a lovely hate-to-love transition with much bantering. Well, The Perilous Sea brings back the banter - that's for sure. I was giggling SO MUCH at this book. Titus is his lovely sassy self and I wouldn't have it any other way. Iolanthe is a worthy opponent, and the two are gold together. But for anyone who doubts how genuine their relationship is (I can't imagine you would, but just in case), The Perilous Sea shows them as clearly being amazingly compatible and drawn to each other - no matter the (spoilery) circumstances. And the lengths they'll go to to protect each other! FEELS. I was reminded all over again how great the dynamic between the two of them is and how badly I just want them to do nothing but kiss. Okay some other things too if you know what I mean.



The plotting also had similar issues as in the previous book. I mean, first off, I was pretty damn lost because I couldn't remember much of what happened in The Burning Sky. The Perilous Sea doesn't do the best job of jogging your memory. But even aside from that, the plot lacked direction, and for most of the book I was wondering what the fuck was going on, or whether this was a case of middle book syndrome. I'm still confused about Iolanthe's lost memories. Like, was that revealed in the first book already? Was it just about her mom - how she blocked Iolanthe from remembering her? Or were there other things too? SO CONFUSED. I did very much appreciate the way the story dealt with prophecies, however. How much of a prophecy is pre-determined - and how much is ensured by the receivers of that prophecy through hard work? I always love when stories make you think like that, and The Perilous Sea does a great job of fully exploring the topic, in a way that kept me on my toes and intrigued. There were some surprising plot twists, yes indeed.

The last 50-something pages pulled it all together again. And I'm SO GLAD it did, because before that I didn't have a single clue how to feel about this book. But seriously, Sherry Thomas pulled out a MASSIVE plot twist I NEVER saw coming. I literally just held the book in my hands, rereading a certain paragraph a few times, going...



Seriously, HOLY CRAP. Right when that happened, I was once again 100% invested in the story. The earlier plot lines finally started coming together, and though I was initially hesitant by the way the story alternated between two timelines, I finally saw how beneficial it was for the pacing of the story and that last POW, in my face. How does Sherry Thomas get me to feel so many things when objectively this series is still not the best? I dunno. I think she's a wizard.

Summing Up:

A MASSIVE thank you to Jamie for giving me her copy of The Perilous Sea! Though the world building and plot still lost me a couple times there, the level of feels for this series is SO DAMN HIGH. THAT FREAKING ENDING. ALSO TITUS AND IOLANTHE. AND AWESOME KASHKARI. AND CUTE COOPER. AND WINTERVAAAAAAAAALE. My mind is still reeling a little bit. Umm, can I have the next one plz?

GIF it to me straight!

We interrupt this normally scheduled GIF to instead bring you the most perfect freaking song...

http://youtu.be/v_XHTzc6lag



Recommended To:

Fans of feelsy fantasy, who can look past a few flaws.


*This review is of an ARC.

[Brittain *Needs a Nap and a Drink* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another one of those books where you can never quite figure out what your feelings are about it. Think of it as a cross between Harry Potter, Aladdin, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Hunger Games. There are wands, flying carpets, bending, and all sorts of other craziness that goes on in this book.



We meet back up with Iolanthe and Titus when they go back to Eton to take on the Bane and then everything starts going a little crazy. Does anybody else remember that season of LOST where they added the flash forwards and you could tell that it was important to the story line but weren't quite sure how and you were just struggling to keep things straight in your mind? It was a bit like that to me.



This definitely had a bit of Second Book Syndrome going for it too, which was incredibly disappointing. Titus kind of turns into a royal jackass and he loses all faith in who he is and what he is supposed to be doing. I can understand having a bit of an existential crisis but to me, he basically threw his hands up and said "Fuck it, we're all gonna die anyways!" which felt weak to me.



Truly, the strongest character in this series is Iolanthe because she not only is an incredibly powerful sorceress but also puts up with Titus' waffling and nonsense. She kind of felt like the sidekick that went along behind the steamrolling main character and cleaned up their messes and got them set back onto the right path. Titus seemed to miss the logic sometimes and she was there to tell him to slow down and think things through.



BUT! Big But!

I did enjoy the book. Once the plot got rolling, it was a fun read despite Titus acting like an idiot for the majority of the book. I enjoyed the banter between him and Iolanthe and there was a healthy dose of romance and cuteness to go along with it.

There was also a bit more *actual* action to this book. The first one seemed like there was a lot of planning going on but the flash forwards allowed for there to be more magic and fighting instead of just training and preparing. They weren't just running scared and trying to figure out what was going on. Once they had a plan, they attempted to execute it.

The ending though...it is a cliffhanger and this doesn't need a spoiler tag since it is pretty obvious from the first book that there is going to be a battle.



The author spends all of this time and effort building up to a battle and then just stops the book. I hope the next book isn't just about three or four days of the battle and right after because I will throw something. This book covered about 7 weeks of time. It wouldn't have killed the author to just add the battle at the end and then have the next book be the aftermath. But no. Just had to be a cliff hanger. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

But yeah...it's a good book but not one of my favorites. I'll pick up the last one when it comes out so that I can have some resolution but it felt a bit like a filler book and I wanted to punch Titus in the face more than once. It's a quick read and entertaining if you like magic and stupid boys.



Full review posted at http://tarabelletalking.blogspot.com/... Belle Talking

[Grace A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iolanthe more than ever, committed to fulfilling her destiny was disappointed when Titus switched gears and declared she was no longer the chosen one. This was devastating to Iolanthe, who’d just embraced the cause after much struggle, and in the process fell in love with Titus.
Things turned around very quickly as friends became foes and vice versa, and the unlikely became the centre of evil itself.
This 2nd book in the series built very well on the first book, and it was enjoyable and wholly entertaining.
4 stars!

[Mary Chin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas
Book Two of the Elemental series
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: September 16, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.

What I Liked:

HOLY GUACAMOLE, EVERYONE. This book was intense! It was intense and I LOVED it. Thomas keeps up the pace and the excitement set in book one, but adds twists and turns and puzzles that made this book feel like a pretzel or Twizzlers or something! Mind-blowing, that's what this book was.

Titus and Iolanthe survived the battle with the Inquisitor and the Bane, though the Bane still lives and must be destroyed. After a too-short summer, they find themselves back at Eton, where things just aren't the same. Atlantis seems to come closer and closer to Iolanthe, and even at the non-mage school, the prince and lightning mage aren't safe. Titus discovers new information that could jeopardize everything, and Iolanthe finds herself at a crossroads. As paths unfold and secrets are brought to light, Titus and Iolanthe must remember themselves and the love they hold for each other in order to survive and save everyone.

I admit, I was so afraid of reading this sequel. I LOVED The Burning Sky so much, so I didn't want to read this book and dislike it. I'd rather be ignorant and never know how book two ended up, it seems. Of course, I would never do that to myself, because I'm just too curious and I loved book one too much to NOT read book two. But still, sequel terror is real, everyone. Thank goodness this sequel did not disappoint! As I suspected it wouldn't. Even though I doubted. Oops?

The plot is incredibly complex and labyrinth-like. It amazed me how many twists and turns and curve balls that Thomas threw in this one book! Information was discovered left and right - new information that changed many, many things. Titus relies heavily on his mother's diary, but he soon finds out that his mother's observations of her visions are very... open-ended. Open to interpretation. This complicates things.

Also, there are two plots to this book. One occurs in the Sahara Desert, in which two people (who, of course, are Titus and Iolanthe) wake up in the desert with no personal memories, no memories of themselves, but memories of life in general. They do not remember themselves, each other, how they got there, but they remember about the Bane, Atlantis, etc. This plot worried me a bit, because of course the two people were Titus and Iolanthe. But this plot happens seven weeks after the "real-time" plot at Eton. So what if Titus and Iolanthe never regained their memories?! What if everything is messed up? Ahhh!

The second plot occurs seven weeks BEFORE the Sahara Desert one - but each plot is told simultaneously. So it's like we know the past (while we are in the Desert chapters), or the future (while we are in the England chapters). It's weird to think about, and it stressed me out to read the to (I hate dual plots like that, in which they are not synced in the same time, but one is in the future), but this one really worked, and the ending was very satisfactory.

Titus... I love Titus. I loved him in book one, and while he annoyed me a tiny bit with his unshakable faith in his mother's diary, he still amazed me in general. That boy is so powerful, so collected, so intelligent, so cautious. He's literally perfect without always acting or seeming perfect, necessarily. He never sleeps and is always taking care of others, so he definitely seems like a martyr, and not a spoiled prince. Titus, I'll be your Chosen One elemental mage any day...

And Iolanthe - I really like her. One of the things I really like about non-alternating dual perspectives in third person is that I usually like the protagonists more when the perspectives are in the third person. Iolanthe goes through a lot, emotionally, in this book, and I'm glad we witness that via third person narrative. I love that Iolanthe did and did not give up on Titus. I love her decisions in the end.

The ending! Oh my heart. I thought the ending would never come - I was so fearful for so many things. Things ended to my liking, not necessarily perfect, but to my liking. I LOVE how Thomas built this trilogy - the third book will be EPIC. The war with Atlantis and the battle against the Bane will definitely make a remarkable - INSANE - conclusion to an intense and immensely creative series!

What I Did Not Like:

Just a few small things, things that are definitely "Alyssa quirks". I really don't like the dual plot lines, in which one is in the future, so we know what WILL happen, because we see it happening in the future, as the "present" is also happening. It's not that it's confusing, but I just hate ALREADY knowing. And in this case, Titus and Iolanthe suffer from memory loss in the "future". Will they ever remember everything?! Will they ever love each other again?! Will they know who they are and their roles in the war against Atlantis?!

Of course, this just makes the book that much more infuriatingly engrossing - I just had to know, without looking at the ending, of course. So it's a good and bad thing!

Also, one thing I also mentioned in the dislikes of book one - more romance, pleaseeee! More Titus and Iolanthe. Alone. Together. Not trying to save the world or save each other. Another reason for an epic conclusion. *winks*

Would I Recommend It:

YEEEEEESSSSSSSS!! THE SERIES, IN GENERAL!! Definitely read The Burning Sky if you haven't already, and be sure to catch this sequel. Historical fantasy at its finest, in my opinion! You won't regret the decision to start this series.

Rating:

4 stars. More like 4.5 stars. I am convinced that book three will blow us all away and that it will be the best book of the series. I AM READY!

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fortune favors the brave, and the brave make their own fortune!

The Perilous Sea is the second book of the Elemental trilogy and the story picked up shortly after the ending of the first one, The Burning Sky. There were double threads of story set in different timeline; at first, I wasn't sure about what was going on between Titus the Prince and Iolanthe Seabourne(Archer Fairfax), the girl who brought down the lightning. But I soon found a certain pattern of the author's writing style and the truth of everything started to surface. As a result, the story made sense eventually. Better yet, several events connected not only in this book but the previous one as well. That totally eliminated my doubts and confusion about The Burning Sky, much to my surprise.

So far my favorite character is still Iolanthe, because I thought the same when it came to Titus's destiny. I mean, I really want to jump into the story through the Crucible portal(Oops!) and stop him from following his mom's diary and pursuing what she had foreseen. Iolanthe had said exactly everything in my mind so I like her a lot. She's one of my favorite heroines from now on.

Moreover, the relationship between Titus and Iolanthe is still good, though not my all-time-favorite OTPs. There wasn't much romance in the story since the protagonists were in war against the Bane, and that resulted in a real war against the Atlantis.

For me, you are—and always will be—everything worth living for.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

After reading these books from Sherry Thomas, I found her writing style quite unique for me. She likes to create some kinds of complicated but not entirely clueless settings and we can get the full picture in the end of the story. So I just did some research about her and the following quotes from her explained her type of story:

"I write complex situations with no pat solutions because they are what interest me as a reader: hard choices and what people do in the face of such hard choices. I am a seat-of-the-pants writer, so I’m always uncertain how I’ll bring it together. In the end, the characters themselves must have the strength and maturity to choose the right path."- Sherry Thomas

[Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm

A teenage boy and girl are in the middle of the Sahara with no memories of who they are and how they came to be there, and all they know is that they need to avoid the people from Atlantis. 7 weeks earlier Titus and Iolanthe have spent the summer apart and are eager to return to Eton to spend time together and to find a way to stop Atlantis and the Bane. However, when Titus makes a shocking discovery it changes everything about their relationship and the mission. With Iolanthe coming to terms with her new role and Titus finding out if he should believe his mother’s prophecies will they be able to avoid the Bane’s grasp and find a way to defeat him.

The Perilous Sea is a really good sequel, just as enjoyable as The Burning Sky. This book had action, romance, suspense and twists, and does not suffer from middle book syndrome. This book is really interesting as it is written from both the past and the present and it was fascinating how the character got from how they were to the present situation.

Everything Iolanthe believes in is challenged in this book and she has to discover who she truly is but like the last book she is a bit too perfect and good at everything. Titus has an internal battle in this book and he really struggles with what to believe in but I liked him better in this book compared to the last. The secondary characters are interesting, especially the Eton boys as we got to know them better.

There is a big twists at the end of the book and I am really looking forward to reading the last book in the series. I would recommend The Perilous Sea to fans of the first book The Burning Sky.

[Gelisvb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why should you read this book:

-The characters. Iolanthe is a great main character, she is strong, she is funny, she speaks her mind and doesn't let anyone tell her what she should do, she doesn't drama or love cloud her judgment, she is fierce and loyal and she never makes you want to slap her (which is becoming quite uncommon in YA world).

Titus, I won't tell you why I love Titus, read the book and fall in love.

-The funny moments, I found myself giggling in public places and smiling like an idiot.

Why I can't give four stars:

-The flying carpet. NO, lots of flying carpets. Spare flying carpets. Really?Sorry , I can't deal with flying carpets.
-The unhealty obsession with tea. Everyone keeps making or are about to have tea.
-The Bane. I'm sorry to say that he is one of the worst villain ever. The inquisitor was much creepier than him.
-The Oracles. Oh, God, the oracles...
-The Sahara part. Half of the book takes place in the Sahara and hasthe fucnction to makes the characters fall in love all over again.There was no need for that! Not for half of the books.And it was so silly!
-The plot in general.I often had a feeling while reading that Sherry Thomas wasn't even trying. I felt that everything was too rushed and the book was a mix of other stories. I felt like the author didn't really care about the story, but was preoccupied about writing a book that would sell.
And it's a shame because this book has so much potential!
I wish she could take it and rewrite it with a plot that makes sense.

[snowplum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was significantly less impressed with this book than I expected to be after raving about book 1 just a couple of days ago. The Perilous Sea isn't bad, but it is comparatively worse than The Burning Sky, where it ought to be at least as good or better. What's wrong with it? Two significant things, the first of which you can read no matter what, the second of which you should read only if you don't mind a massive spoiler.

1. The entire narrative jumps back and forth between two points in time, only 7 weeks apart, for absolutely no good reason whatsoever. We start 7 weeks in the future, where Iolanthe and Titus are in the desert with amnesia, and then jump back 7 weeks to hang out with them in school as they try to figure out what comes next in the battle against The Bane. Every other chapter alternates these two times, and it seriously accomplishes nothing. You could have started at school and followed the narrative straight through to the desert and NOTHING would have been lost -- and in fact, it might have felt like it mattered more that the characters had temporarily lost memories if they had more memories of each other to lose. I find unnecessary authorial obtrusiveness to be a significant fault in fiction, and this is a particularly obtrusive example of it.

2. (SPOILER. MASSIVE SPOILER. THE ENTIRE PLOT OF THE BOOK HINGES ON THIS. Don't say I didn't warn you) Remember how in Harry Potter, you find out late in the series that Neville fit all the same criteria to be the Chosen One that Harrry did, and ultimately the idea is that Voldemort turned Harry into the Chosen One through his own actions due to his belief that Harry was already Chosen? There's a whole fate/free will thing in the context of prophecy that Rowling introduces but doesn't dwell in extensively. I think Thomas co-opts this notion a little bit too specifically, especially given that she's writing the exact same genre as Rowling, and she does emphasize that issue of destiny/free will in a world with prophecy very heavily. All through book 1, the assumption is that Iolanthe is the Chosen One because she fits specific criteria... then in book 2, it turns out that another character fits the exact same criteria and there's one additional part of the prophecy that tips the scales in Character 2's favor. So we spend about 4/5 of book 2 with Iolanthe not being the Chosen One any more. There is actually another twist at the end that adds meaningfully to the plot and differentiates it from Rowling's, but it's a long time to wait for the payoff, and the entire time you're thinking that either Thomas has ripped off Rowling or else it's just a 300 page red herring, because of course you don't write a trilogy about a main character who is not the Chosen One, after all. Not that you couldn't -- but in mainstream popular fiction, I don't think it's likely to happen, so most readers are just going to be sitting there thinking, "Yeah right, she still has to be the Chosen One, so why are you pretending that you could trick me into thinking she's not?"

Overall, I'm not sure whether I would speak for a large number of other readers when I say this, but speaking for myself, I'll say that aside from the above issues, I just wasn't as interested in the themes and feelings Thomas chose to focus on in this book as I anticipated being. There's just a little too much hesitation, doubt, sadness, and failure to communicate -- all the trademarks of tiresome teen fiction, which comes as an unwelcome addition after the appealing boldness and confidence these characters displayed in book 1.

I'll still stick with the series, and I still appreciate how much happens in the books and how willing Thomas is to try a variety of ideas. I wouldn't want her to lose those instincts. But I definitely hope that Book 3 is more like Book 1 than Book 2 -- unless, of course, it's a magnificent new thing altogether.

[mich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was split into 2 storylines/timelines told in alternating chapters. Storyline one gets 5 stars; storyline two gets 2 stars. . .so I rounded it out to 4.5 stars (yeah, I know my math isn’t the greatest. Whatever, deal with it.)

The two storylines played off each other very well though, as you find yourself anxiously reading on to find out how the one turned into the other. This was a really good sequel, and I liked it even more than The Burning Sky

Why I loved storyline one: great suspense, good mystery, witty banter, warm fuzzies, lots of action, lots of tense moments.

Why I hated storyline two: sorry, I can’t say why without spoilers Stupid, unnecessary drama! Iolanthe really pissed me off for awhile here - the way she equated Titus’s love for her with his belief that she was the chosen One was so fricken stupid cuz hello, where the hell was it written that those two things weren't mutually exclusive? Her anger at him was incredibly unreasonable and it made the ensuing drama and angst seem really dumb to me and I wasn’t into it. When she finally stops being a dumbass and lets go of her anger, I just rolled my eyes and thought, SEE?! Unnecessary drama! All she had to do was realize she was being unreasonable and then, voila, stupid drama over. Shouldn’t have fricken been there in the first place. (Ugh, the part where she called his mother’s diary his true love made me want to kick something. So. Fricken. Stupid.)

Bottom line though, I gotta say. . .I love Titus! Seriously, everything about his character is fantastic. I love his meticulousness, his tireless planning, his competence. His bravery, his dedication. His humor! He doesn't have a big personality, but he's still quite memorable and makes an impact. I think he may be turning into one of my favorite, underrated YA heroes. Oh, my quiet, tragic prince! Don't break my heart now, Thomas!!

And okay, OKAY! I gotta give this to storyline two - the plot twists (there were several!) were pretty fricken cool. As were some of the big revelations (so did NOT see a couple of those coming!) Maaaaan, if that ONE thing that pissed me off didn’t happen (SO UNNECESSARY), I would’ve given this book 5 stars. I’m really loving this world (still totally digging the way Titus and Fairfax navigate their personas through nonmage London and Eton college, all the while working towards their bigger magey goals), I’m loving the characters (most of the time, anyway. Oh, LOVED Kashkari in this one! I really enjoyed getting to know him better. ), and the pacing is great -- Thomas really knows how to keep you turning the pages.

I sort of regret reading this book so soon after release though, because now the wait for the conclusion begins. Here’s to hoping it’ll be spectacular!

[Nouf *LostinFantasy* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is how a sequel can not only take a story forward but make the previous installment stronger! I loved the spin in this sequel - what is Iolanthe was not the Chosen One that Titus has been preparing for? And how that put their partnership and relationship to the test brought about some beautiful angst (yes, angst is good with me) that just made me love the couple even more. Not only that but running parallel with the present storyline is a near future with the pair stranded in a desert with no memories! The desert scenes were my favorite. I usually don't enjoy amnesia storylines but this gave such a fun way to see how they would partner up and get close, just as themselves, without a grand destiny binding them together. Also the chase scenes, the fights with wavryns (I still can't spell it - let's say dragons!), and their flirting with each other - all great fun!
And this book had some shocking twists and we finally learn even more about the Bane - who turns out is a really nasty villain.

Plus, this book gave room to get to know the side characters! I really liked Wintervale, Kashkari and all we find out about him. And Cooper added some much needed humor, if in small doses!

All in all, I loved this sequel!

[Nicole's Book Diaries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5
A very enjoyable read.

The book was split into alternating time periods. Between chapters, there would be chapter dedicated to the Sahara Desert where Titus and Iolanthe are lost in the desert. The other chapters focus on the events that led them to the desert. I loved seeing Titus and Iolanthe struggle to hold on to their relationship during their time at the school but falling in with each other again the in desert. However, after reading the whole book, I realized that their interactions in the desert were completely unnecessary.

It was a cute and lighthearted idea. I would have let this go because it was an enjoyable addition to the story but the ending seemed rushed and a little confusing. I wish the book would have spent a little less time on the desert and moved some of those chapters towards the end instead of having to rush it.

My other complaint lies with the great evil Bane. After reading this book, I realized that he is a very insignificant villain. Everyone seems to be afraid of him and claims that he's destroying the kingdom by staying in power but there seems to be barely evidence on those claims and even less information about the Bane's past. The only evidence of evilness I've learned about the Bane is how he stays alive all these years. Other than that, he's not a very developed villain which is disappointing. The whole goal of the SERIES is to take down the Bane. Yet his presence is hardly felt throughout the series so far.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book. The adventures and the rest of the characters were entertaining.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOOOOK BOOK BOOK BOOK YOU ARE SO GOOD I CANNOT HANDLE IT

PERMANENT MENTAL CAPSLOCK

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review from 2015

B for narration / A- for content .

The Perilous Sea is the middle book in Ms Thomas’ Elemental Trilogy , following on from The Burning Sky and leading into The Immortal Heights, which is scheduled for release this Autumn. Because the story is one that runs through all of them, the three books really do need to be listened to in order, although it’s just about possible to listen to The Burning Sky as a standalone. That said, I can’t imagine anyone who enjoyed that not wanting to continue with the series, because it’s just so damn good.



I’m not one who reads or listens to Young Adult fiction as a matter of course. I’ve read Harry Potter and Philip Pullman’s superb His Dark Materials trilogy, and that’s about it; but when I learned that one of my favourite historical romance authors was going to be venturing into the YA genre, I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist

It’s difficult to launch straight into a plot summary of The Perilous Sea without giving a bit of the background from the first book, but I’ll try to be brief. Our hero is Prince Titus of the House of Elberon, The Master of the Domain, a magical realm which has for years been under the dictatorial rule of the neighbouring kingdom of Atlantis. As Titus is only sixteen, the Domain is ruled by a regent (his uncle), but while he is closely watched and guarded at home, he is afforded a greater degree of freedom at the school he attends – Eton College in Victorian England.

For as long as he can remember, Titus has been aware that it is his destiny to overthrow the rule of Atlantis and destroy the High Commander of Atlantis, otherwise known as the Bane. According to the prophecies made long ago by his mother, a gifted seer, Titus’ task is to protect, at all costs, the great elemental mage who will ultimately cause the Bane to meet his end. The prince has had years to prepare for the coming of the mage – he has spent every second he can on learning spells, learning how to fight, learning… basically everything he can get his hands on, and he has also prepared for the coming of the mage, creating an identity for him and casting spells on his Eton housemates so that they will “remember” him when he finally arrives. In England the mage will live as Archer Fairfax – but when the time comes, Titus hits a snag. He hadn’t expected this great elemental mage to be a girl.

The Burning Sky tells the story of how Titus and Iolanthe Seabourne – who assumes the identity of Fairfax – progress from an initially hostile and difficult alliance to a strong working relationship in which they trust each other implicitly and would do anything to keep the other safe. Woven through all the action and the magic is a tender and well written romance, which is funny, deeply-felt and not without its heated moments.

The Perilous Sea opens on a scene which is completely unrelated to the events of the previous book, with a girl waking up in the middle of a desert, having no idea who she is, where she is or how she got there. All she knows is that she must evade the agents of Atlantis at all costs, and that she appears to have magical powers and a knowledge of potions and cures. While looking about her for clues, she sees a body lying face-down a short distance away and is instantly wary, wondering if this person – whoever he is – could be responsible for her situation and lack of memories.

Of course, the listener is well aware of who these people are, but one of the joys of the story is listening to them find out, rediscover each other and fall in love all over again. Once again, the romance running throughout the book is really well-developed and often very poignant, especially after Titus makes a discovery that turns everything he knows about his destiny upside down. He is faced with a difficult choice – to continue to follow the prophecies of the mother he never knew and risk losing the girl he loves, or to set aside everything he has ever believed to follow a new and unknown path with Iolanthe at his side.

One of the techniques Sherry Thomas frequently employs in her books – and one I really enjoy – is the use of flashbacks, and she uses them here to excellent effect. The story switches between the Sahara Desert, where Titus and Iolanthe are on the run from the Atlantean forces sent to capture them, and Eton College in 1883, seven weeks earlier. The locations alternate with each chapter, so that it’s easy to keep track of what is happening in each timeframe; and the way Ms Thomas brings the two timelines together towards the end of the book really is masterful. The plot is satisfyingly complex without being completely baffling, and I remember that when I read the book last year, I almost howled with annoyance that the story was over, ending as it does on an almighty cliffhanger.

Sherry Thomas’ writing is as vivid and beautiful as it always is, and she has once again created a pair of compelling and engaging protagonists in Titus and Iolanthe (if I were my daughter’s age, Titus would totally be a “book boyfriend”!), both of whom possess maturity beyond their years without being adult characters written into younger bodies. One of the things that makes this such a strong sequel is the way in which the protagonists are continually challenged to evolve into stronger, more confident versions of the characters we got to know in The Burning Sky – and another is the way in which the secondary characters – Titus’ and Fairfax’s friends from Eton -take on lives of their own and gain more prominence in the story.

When I saw that a male narrator had been chosen to narrate this series, I wondered a little at it, because I’d thought a female would have been the likely choice given that a large proportion of the story is told from Iolanthe’s point of view. But I wasn’t far into this audiobook before I realised that the male narrator was the right way to go for various reasons, the most obvious one being that the majority of the supporting characters are male – Eton is a boy’s school, after all. I suspect that choosing a narrator for a YA story can be difficult because of the need to strike the right balance between having a narrator with experience, but one who doesn’t sound too old for the material, and perhaps it’s an easier balance to find in a male voice. Narrator Philip Battley isn’t someone I’ve heard before, and a quick look around at Audible US shows only five titles to his credit (including this and The Burning Sky), but although I took a little while to warm to him, I ended up enjoying his performance more than I had initially expected to. His voice sounds sufficiently youthful as to be convincing when portraying a couple of sixteen-year-old protagonists and their friends, his diction is clear and he utilises a range of expression in both narrative and dialogue. In fact, that is what won me over to him – he really gets into the story and convinced me he was enjoying it as much as I was. He differentiates between characters principally by the use of tone and accent and doesn’t employ many changes of pitch – which means the majority of the characters are performed in the same register, but most of the time that isn’t an issue. There were, however a few times I would have liked there to have been a little more distinction between Titus and Iolanthe, because I occasionally had to rely on the dialogue tags to tell me which of them was speaking. My biggest complaint, however, is that Mr Battley pronounces “Iolanthe” incorrectly throughout (which is also the case in the audio of the previous book) – and given she’s one of the principals, it’s a very commonly recurring error. It should be pronounced “eye-o-LAN-thee” (as in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta) and not “EE-olanth” as he says it, which just sounds weird.

Taken as a whole, The Perilous Sea is an entertaining and enjoyable audio experience, although the narration – as is obvious from my grades – isn’t quite in the same league as the actual story. That said, Mr Battley’s narration has much to recommend it, and I’m certainly not averse to listening him to him again. I’ll certainly be checking out the final book in the trilogy in audio.

After all, Fortune favours the brave ;-)

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

For more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.

Honestly, I was a bit nervous to start The Perilous Sea or at least I was until the reviews started rolling in from friends. Though I loved The Burning Sky, I got into a Twitter conversation with some of its detractors and I started to worry I was wrong. What if The Elemental Trilogy fell apart at book two as series so often do? Such worries were completely unfounded. The Perilous Sea is, if anything, an improvement upon The Burning Sky. It’s a fantasy novel with a ship of gold, epic banter, and oodles of world building.

You guys, this is such a Christina book. So much. The sarcastic banter completes my life and makes it whole. Titus can be a bit of a stick-in-the-mud, much as I love him. Iolanthe, however, brings out the best in him, aka the sarcastic banter. I ship this ship like little else. They really do make an amazing team. They work together and protect each other and improve one another. It’s so beautiful. Normally I hate the “I’ll protect you” shtick in books, but that’s because it’s generally one-sided penises-must-protect-vaginas business, but Iolanthe also says that to Titus and the cute. Also, the two make dick jokes while traveling around the desert. If you don’t ship that, we’ll probably never ever see eye to eye on a ship, let’s be real.

I’ll admit that I was a bit confused as The Perilous Sea opened, and you probably will be too. It didn’t help that it had been ages since I read The Burning Sky and there have been hundreds of books in between. Plus, this world has a LOT going on. The Perilous Sea starts with Titus and Iolanthe in the Sahara Desert, both with no memory of anything before; the only thing they know is that they need to escape Atlantis. Whuuuuut.

This will make sense, though, I promise. The Perilous Sea runs along two timelines, the desert and the time before the desert. I know this technique annoys some people who don’t like flashbacks, but it totally worked for me. Because of this, we get to be carried through some relationship problems between Titus and Iolanthe by them bantering and falling in love again despite not knowing each other. MY FEELS. I mean, I also love that they have relationship problems to work through, because hello realistic.

One of the main criticisms I’ve seen of The Burning Sky is that people are so sick of the whole Chosen One thing. That’s not my favorite trope either, to be honest; I actually just reamed a book I finished yesterday for this trope. However, with The Perilous Sea, you’ll discover that Sherry Thomas also has some thoughts on the chosen one trope and they are beautiful. Things are not as simple as just following a prophecy, okay.

I’m sort of undecided on the world building. Sometimes I’m completely in love with it. I mean, the elemental powers are so cool, but I am admittedly a total sucker for such things. The Bane is creepy as fuck, possibly because he recalls Voldemort pretty strongly in how hard he is to kill. I feel like they may have to go find his horcruxes aka body parts in the next book. There are magic carpets and dragons and wands and basically every cool fantasy thing ever.

On the other hand, that’s a lot of stuff. The fact that the Elemental Trilogy is also set in the 1800s in an alternative history with magic is something I don’t know what to do with. I think the world building would be way easier to swallow if it were just in a fantasy world. However, half of the book is set in Eton. I don’t understand at all the divisions between the magical world and the nonmage world. Is the Sahara in the mage world or is it just unpopulated enough they feel safe doing tons of magic there? I could not begin to tell you. Then there’s the Crucible, the book that Titus and company can travel into for training. Mostly, it’s a safe space but in some areas you can die for real and there have been showdowns there in both books and that also is weird and wut.

What it boils down to though is that I really don’t care, honestly. I love the characters and the writing and the banter and the plot so much that I am completely willing to let some of the world building slide. The ending was intense and totally hurt my feels. The twist actually surprised me. The ROMANCE. The fact that Kashkari got to have a large role in this one, because I love him so much. Basically, this series is boss, unless you’re more of a world building reader than a character reader. You’ve been warned.

If you like your fantasy filled with romance that will make you squee from the amazing bantery connection, then you need Sherry Thomas’ Elemental Trilogy in your life. ASAP.

[s · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.

Ya all ready for some more LOK and ATLA gifs? ;)

I liked this book so much better than the last one.

THAT ENDING! AND ALL THE SHIT THAT HAPPENED THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.



What I liked:

●Cooper
●Cooper
●Cooper
●The plot twists.

What I wanted more of:
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Those images basically mean I wanted to see the elemental mages use their powers in some spicy action.

And I want more Cooper.

Now let's fangirl about Cooper. he is the cutest little piece of shit I've ever seen. I wanted to rip him out of the book and hug the life out of him. I wanted to smack the back of his head for being an idiot. I wanted to read him bed time stories and bake cookies with him. Cooper was just so naively stupid and freaking adorable.

This gif is just me whenever it comes to Cooper.



"He looked so hopeful she hadn't the heart to turn him down. Titus could thrill Cooper by saying no, but that was because Cooer viewed Titus as a demigod, powerful and capricious, not to be reasoned with. Iolanthe Cooper considered a friend, and he was much more sensitive to how his friends treated him."

"'If you don't want to go out to the Wyoming Terrotiry, you could come and work at my father's firm,' said Cooper, with wholehearted hope. 'Maybe lawyering wouldn't be so terrible, if I had a friend nearby. And you'd make a good solicitor-I'd stake money on it.'
She didn't know why her eyes pricked all of a sudden-perhaps it just felt good to be needed.

"The prince walked in then. He took one look at Cooper and said, 'Leave us.'
As always, Cooper was delighted to be sent packing by His Highness, who looked at the door a moment after it had closed. 'Someday I might actually miss that idiot.'"

Iolanthe and Titus' relationship was annoying. Love/hate. Even in the first book they hated each other at first, but they couldn't help but falling in love...and that love/hate shit continued in this book.



Iolanthe was started to really annoy me when Titus told her that she wasn't the elemental mage he was preparing his whole life to protect. She said shit to him and started to ignore him. Titus was an okay character. I still can't take him seriously.

The plot gets a bit more complex in this story> There are two different storylines we read about, but they both connect to the main storyline. I liked how it was a fast paced read. I couldn't even tell the book was that long, it really absorbs you in.

I loved the plot twists and secrets-have-been-revealed shit. It was so exciting and had me turning pages to find out more. I loved how finding out these things made me shocked and desperately wanting more. I liked how all these secrets cleverly connected to one whole big thing.

I can't wait to read the next book. I am definitely hoping there is more Cooper.

Pleaseeee let there be more Cooper.