jbronderbookreviews

Born of Water (The Rise of the Fifth Order – 1) by Autumn Birt

In the buried archives of the Temple of Dust may lie the secret to defeating the Curse, a creature which seeks to destroy 16-year old Ria for the forbidden gifts she possesses. But it is from among the ranks of those who control the Curse where Ria will find her best chance of success.

Only the Priestess Niri can save Ria from the forces that hunt her, if Niri doesn’t betray the girl first. Along with Ria comes Ty and his sister, Lavinia, both bound to defend Ria from the Church of Four Orders. However, Ty has been living a life less than honest and keeping it from his sister. To survive a journey that takes them across the breadth of their world, the four must learn to trust each other before pursuit from the Church and Ty’s troubled past find them.

Born of Water is the first book in the Rise of the Fifth Order Saga full of elemental magic and epic fantasy adventure. Welcome to the mythical world of Myrrah, ruled by the Church of Four Orders – Fire, Earth, Water, and Air.

My Review

5 stars

Niri is a Priestess of water that failed to identify an elemental during the festival. She wants to make amends to her order and goes on the hunt for this girl. But when she finds Ria she realizes there is more to this girl than what she originally thought. So she goes on a quest to find out the truth about Ria’s powers and her own. Lavinia and Ty are brother and sister and friends to Ria, they go along to keep Ria safe but end up learning more about themselves. But this is a race against time since the Curse has been released to hunt down Ria. But secrets about the church are going to be exposed and Niri is going to learn that although she is the weakest of the elementals she has more power in her than she knows.

When elementals are discovered, they are taken away from their families and indoctrinated into the church.  This is the only life Niri has known for years and at first those teachings is all that she sees. But as the story progresses she learns that there is more to the story of the church and it is not as wonderful as she has been told. Ria has this amazing power but she is scared to use it because of the Curse hunting them down. I loved watching her grow throughout the story.

Ty has his own secrets and at first hates Niri. But when you learn about his apprenticeship you can understand his feelings. And then there is Lavinia. She is a young girl ready to go into her apprenticeship and along for adventure but finds her own, unconventional place in the world.

This book is full of action, adventure and wonderful locations. It is very descriptive and draws the reader in. I listened to the audio book and couldn’t wait to get back to it as soon as I had to stop. Thom Bowers did a wonderful job of narrating. It was easy to follow along with each character.

If you are looking for a new young adult fantasy series, this is the series for you. I strongly recommend checking out Born of Water. As for me I can’t wait to read Rule of Fire or even better listen to it on audiobook.

To purchase Born of Water make sure to check out Amazon, Audible, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and Autumn Birt’s website.

I received Born of Water for free from the author in a giveaway.

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Soul Slam (Soul Warriors – 1) by Allie Burton

An ancient Egyptian amulet.
A pharaoh’s soul inside demanding she obey.
A double cross that ends with a curse.

On her first heist to steal an ancient Egyptian amulet, sixteen-year-old Olivia inadvertently receives the soul of King Tut…and the deadly curse that comes with it. And Olivia’s not alone at the museum.

A member of a secret society, Xander believes it’s his place to inherit King Tut’s soul and justly rule. He knows nothing about the society’s evil plan to control the world or the curse. Now, he must deal with the female thief who stole the amulet.

When the two teens find themselves up against the secret society, they reluctantly join forces and must figure out how to end the curse before it turns deadly. On the run and unable to touch because of the curse, Olivia and Xander develop a connection during their quest.

As the mystery surrounding the amulet unfolds, Olivia and Xander fall for each other. But is love enough to save them and the world from destruction?

My Review

5 stars

Olivia has been living on the streets for a lot of her life. She is ordered to steal the Mighty Amulet of Aten. But when she gets to the museum she finds herself interrupting a magical ceremony and ends up with the soul of King Tut inside her. Xander was the one that has been groomed for the soul of King Tut and is initially upset that Olivia has the soul. But he ends up helping keep her alive.

This book is full of action, adventure and a great story. Olivia has been through the worst but instead of letting the defeat her, she keeps fighting and trying to protect the kids. Xander is under the impression that he is destined for greatness but quickly realizes that he was just being manipulated. Both teens go on the run and end up developing a bond. But things are not easy as King Tut is constantly trying to get his own way.

I loved how this story had Egyptian mythology mixed with it. There are not many stories that have this in them. This is a great story and a wonderful beginning to a new series. I can’t wait to see where Allie Burton takes the story from here.

To purchase Soul Slam make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and Allie Burton’s website.

I received Soul Slam for free from Candid Book Reviews in exchange for an honest review.

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