Firestorm

I received an ARC by the Author in exchange for an honest review of the novel. Firestorm is the third installment of Shannon Mayer’s Elemental Series. The end of the second book, Breakwater, left us hanging, with Lark and Ash in the hot little hands of the Salamanders. The third book picks right up where the second left off, and is action packed from beginning to end. Welcome to the Pit! I love all the politics and court intrigue that each of the Elemental families use to rule their respective realms, and how Lark has to maneuver between what is best for the Elementals, what she wants and what destiny has in store for her. In between, there is plenty of action, drama, twists and dysfunctional relationships that will keep you on the edge of your seat, laughing, crying, and, most of all, turning the pages. Throughout it all, Lark struggles to prove herself worthy (although we already know she is), all while making decisions (both good and bad), suffering the consequences (both good and bad), learning, growing and ultimately becoming the champion that the Goddess intends her to be. I like that the characters in all three books of the Elemental series, while being supernatural, have flaws that that make them very, very human, and easy to relate to. Ms. Mayer’s descriptive and in-depth storytelling draws you into her world, and leaves you wanting more. And I do want more; the only negative thing I can say, is that the books are way too short for my reading pleasure. I wish the books/stories were longer. With that said, Two Thumbs Up for Firestorm! I can’t wait to see what Book 4 has in store for Lark and her friends!

Lark and Ash, elementals with Earth magic, are captured by the Enders from the Pit—in the first story they killed four Enders there and the price of killing an Ender is death—so are being taken back to the place where those with fire abilities live, for their execution. This is a place where people go swimming in lava. The stakes are raised as not only does she have to get Ash out of there, but rescue a childhood friend and according to the mother goddess, a whole lot of others. And in this one she picks up a familiar, the cat from the last book who wants nothing to do with Lark. We’ve also got an interesting bad person who I expect we’ll be seeing in the next book. I’m definitely enjoying the series and seeing Lark get out of some pretty impossible situations; at least most of the time. She’s kick butt, however not invincible, as well as compassionate. Her relationships with others, especially creatures not accepted by many, make her really likable to the reader. I don’t believe she’s prejudiced against anyone or anything that hasn’t done her any harm and she’ll go out on a limb for someone even when she has no reason to. And I really like Peta, her familiar. She makes a great addition. One thing bothers me and that's the resolution between two sides of a drama. They can't communicate with each other so how are they going to pull that one off?

PARTIAL SPOILERS: In my last review, I must admit, I got just a wee tad excited and just a wee bit ahead of myself. Um, sorry about that. There is one thing I have discovered about Shannon Mayer: the lady is NOT predictable. I thought I had it all figured out; Lark manages to harness ALL the elements, joins with Rylee in the near future (mind you I have not read Blood of the Lost yet) and together they would open a can of whoop @$$! Simple, right? WRONG... I did not get it right, as such, because Lark doesn't APPEAR to acquire the element of fire...yet..I don't want to spoil anything for anybody, so let's just say that Lark is really starting to grow on me. I loved this book! She is shaping up to be a WISE, as well as, very POWERFUL Elemental. I have a feeling we have got some real "wow!" moments coming up. Oh, and the exciting look at things through nePeta's eyes (which was so cool, by the way) in the little side novella "Peta" ? Another total blindside by Mayer. It was Sooo unexpected, and Sooo just like something (I'm beginning to realize) Miss Mayer would do! Loved it. As to this latest book, I am still in shock by the ending, because now, one have to pick back up with Rylee's story to catch up...whew!... So I am going to stop right here before I make a fool out of myself...again...I may add a bit more after I've processed this loop that Miss Shannon has thrown at us... in the meantime, I'm going to dig into the newest Rylee adventure. I MIGHT be able to figure out what in the world is going on here! But probably not. You see, I think Miss Mayer does SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY: She LETS HER CHARACTERS SPEAK AND ACT OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL! Sounds crazy, right? Well just consider this: Rylee, a brash, trash talking powerhouse that will ram a blade down your throat as she cusses until your ears burst into flame too! Do you think Miss Mayer talks like that? I would say, no. But her character, Rylee DOES. Miss Mayer has let Rylee off her leash. And be damned those that can't take it. Some people would say that's over the top. But in truth, that's what GREAT writing is all about. An author doesn't control their characters...no...they let their characters lead, and be themselves. Now, I've got another book to read. Hee hee!...there goes that maniacal giggle again... **NOTE** To all the cool people on GOODREADS: I really, honestly, appreciate the nods from you guys. I would get on GOODREADS and thank you myself..But unfortunately, I am Facebook phobic. But I always read over your profiles, and I think all of you are most excellent!

Firestorm hits the mark once again. Shannon Mayer's writing is, as ever, on point as she leads us through the life of Larkspur, learning to harness her connection to Spirit as she once again feels true connection to the Earth. And while her Spirit connection no longer hurts her...it does sometimes hurt others. Mayer's two main book series, the Rylee Adamson novels and the Elemental series, are starting to intertwine more, as we see the emergence of Peta once again. Peta is certain to play a key element as Lark's newly-minted familiar going forward. The end of this story leads us to believe that these two book series are about to get even more intertwined...but I don't want this to be a spoiler review, so I'll leave it at that. Larkspur is definitely more comfortable with who she is in this book, but her penchant for getting herself into trouble has not waned. She's still brash and rough around the edges, but because she has royal blood gives her (somewhat of) a pass. Her connection to the mother goddess is as strong as ever, and Lark's abilities give her the power to do things that others can't, and intervene in situations in which others would most certainly fail. The mother goddess uses that ability to its fullest, but Lark has a long way to go to use her abilities wisely, and without hurting others in the process. Yet another wonderful book by Shannon Mayer; can't wait for the next one!

I enjoy reading this series very much. The storyline keeps you so involved it’s hard to put the book down. I’m onto book 4. Happy reading ya’ll

Lark jumps into the realm of fire elementals andb is once more caught up in magic and politics. Another good addition to the series.

Where to start...we pick up right where Breakwater ended and the action is not far behind. We start to see another side of Lark's father and after wanting to punch him in the face in earlier books, I'm starting to feel a bit sorry for him. Lark and Ash find themselves in the Fire elementals domain once again to answer for the deaths of the Ender's they got into it with during Recurve in an effort to save their family. Right away they are taken to the fire queen and things go down hill from there. Ash makes the ultimate sacrifice for Lark but Lark being Lark isn't having any of that. She has just three days to clear their names and convince the queen to let Ash go but she's met with resistance at every turn. Their goddess is not help as she assures Lark she's put into this position for a reason. One of her creatures are being wrongfully harmed and she wants Lark to stop it. I was also glad to see our favorite familiar Peta back as the reluctant charge to Lark. Firestorm is action packed from beginning to end and I was hooked from the first sentence until 4.5 hours later I reached THE END. The next book is sure to be as outstanding as the rest. There were moments of laughter and others of anger over the injustice that Lark must face in this test of strength and will. I was glad to see the relationship that was starting to grow between Lark and Bella continue to blossom. We are thrown a curveball but I'll let you find that one out yourself although I must say I wasn't shocked when the culprit was revealed. I had a suspect of who it could have been and I was thrilled to find out I was right, although I'm not sure how Lark hadn't figured it out until afterwards. With gems like this Ms. Mayer continues to be a pre order, can't wait to get my hands on author for me. Bravo and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review but purchased my own copy because I absolutely love this book! Lark is becoming the ultimate heroine and whats awesome is she doesn't even know it. She is sensitive but strong, and she has not even discovered all of her talents. This book left me with more questions than answers and I am hooked, a total Lark addict. I won't go and write any details on the story because so many others do that so well but I will tell you I was screaming at some of the characters as they are very well written and you either love them or hate them. The wait until the next book may drive me insane. Lark is also part of the Rylee series which is also a must read and though I am upset that the Rylee series is ending, Lark is definitely stepping up. Thank you Shannon for this awesome world of elementals, shifters, vampires, demon slayers, trackers and all the other supernatural buttkickers! And thank you for the steamy couples for those of us who appreciate the love story between our favorite characters.. For those of you that have not read any of Shannons books, you are missing out on at least two of the best supernatural series that are out there. Give them a try and I look forward to seeing you on her fan page :-)

One of my favourites love it

Der dritte Band über Lark steht den ersten beiden Bänden in nichts nach. Lark und ihr Mit-Ender Ash werden auf Befehl der Pit-Königin Fiametta gefangen genommen und in den Pit verschleppt, um dort verurteilt zu werden. Dort trifft Lark wieder auf Peta, die ihr von der Muttergöttin als Familiar zugewiesen wird. Peta kennt man aus den späteren Bänden der Rylee Adamson Bände und es hat mir sehr gefallen, mehr über die Gestaltwander-Katze zu lesen. Peta hat alle ihr bisher zugewiesenen Elemental Schützlinge an den Tod verloren und wird im Pit als Bad Luck Cat verspottet. Die Abenteuer der beiden in den Lava-Strömen sind ausgesprochen spannend und gut geschrieben. Leider habe ich den dritten Band viel zu schnell verschlungen und wünsche mir nun, Frau Mayer würde genauso schnell schreiben wie ich lese.

Tome 3 de la série à lire dans l'ordre pour s'imprégner au mieux de la vie de l'héroïne, une princesse batarde qui se retrouve toujours dans les pires situations pour sauver ces amies et ceux qui la méprisent. Un vrai régal.

WOW! Done it yet again. I was lucky enough to have been given an ARC of this by the author. Lark is wonderful as ever and fast becoming a favourite heroine of mine. She is every bit as powerful and compelling as Rylee, yet totally different and I am loving watching these two characters' worlds slowly collide. Don't for one minute think that Lark is overshadowed by Rylee as she is most definitely not. It is a wonderful thing watching Lark evolve and boy did she! She learnt a lot about herself and those around her in this instalment. I spent a lot of this book biting my nails on the edge of my seat, it was truly gripping. Lark is plunged into the pit, literally kicking and screaming. What she learns there is terrifying and she comes up against her biggest battles yet but actually what stays with is her absolute humanity and loyalty and the depth of the relationships she has gained. For those wanting to see more of Ash he doesn't have a lot of page time but we do get to see much more of Cactus, which I really enjoyed and Peta, wow I loved that cat so much. She and Lark developed into an amazing team. We learn that life in the pit is not all it seems and strange things are going on, and Lark needs both her elemental sides to survive this time. Fiametta is a truly awesome queen and I found myself changing my mind about her throughout the whole book! The family that Lark gets to spend a lot of her time with are truly wonderful and I found myself with a tear in my eye a few times. The firewyrms were particularly awesome and I would love to see them again, the descriptions were so vivid I could practically see them in front of my eyes. All in all whilst Lark encounters another elemental family and much is discovered about this completely fascinating and original elemental world, many more questions are raised (no cliffhanger though) and I cannot wait to get on with the next instalment, what a delight that is to look forward to! I could stay for weeks in this world and be enthralled. A first class, well written and totally captivating book, go read it and everything else in this series if you haven't done so!

Wonderful writing. Awesome series. Can't wait for the next one. Recommend for everyone. They just keep getting better and better.