Book Title(s): Five (#1), Dark Matter (#2), Genesis (#3), Horizon (#4), all in the Elemental Enmity Series
Author: Christie Rich
Genre: Fantasy/Action/Love Story
I'm putting all the books together in one review because I think it would make for a more coherent understanding of the series as a whole, at this point.
This story is a coming of age story, mixed with the bonds of friendship, love, lies, magic, and some chivalry thrown in for good measure.
I enjoyed the series and truly hope the author is going to add on to it, as she seems to indicate she might at the ending.
There were a few problems I had. First, the author was able to aptly describe the countenance of almost every character, except for a couple, which to me, were Rayla the lead female, and Heath one of her suitors and eventually her champion at one point. All I can tell you about Heath is he has a dimple, stands a little taller than Rayla and has dark hair. For some reason I was only able to visualize him as one of the main dwarfs from Lord of the Rings, just taller, braid and all. The ability to describe the architecture and surroundings was beautiful and I was able to completely visualize it. The characters were difficult, though their personalities were defined a little better than their countenance, I was still left scratching my head at times. The characters are in their 20s, which gave their actions merit given their lack of experience at times. And there are quite a few characters to keep up with.
There were questions not answered (MANY!), especially with the final book of the series. I thought the whole "climactic end" would help answer those questions I had and then I read the epilogue, hoping IT would finish that for me, but unfortunately, I really couldn't keep up with it. There were so many questions when I got to the end and it said: "The End (Or Is It?)" I was hopeful that my answers would come in a next book.
Regardless of the "huh?" moments I had, the books had some good story telling, action sequences, tension and overall I was pleased with how the books came together as one cohesive book in total, rather than four separate books. What I mean by that, is that the transitions from one book to the other were seamless, making the storytelling so easy to follow from one book to the next. Usually in a series, the first chapter or two, we're trying to catch those who haven't read the previous books, up to where the current book begins. However with this series the next book, starts off where the last book ended. Love that.
I would definitely recommend the series, just have a better memory than I or take notes, because there are so many Kings, Queens, Lords, Under Lords and other things you may get your characters mixed up, which is what happened with me, quite frequently I'm afraid.
4 out 5 bookmarks for the series
