Review: Elemental, Emily White

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should. 

But she wants to. 

For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers. 

Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories? 

Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed?  Goodreads.






I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like Elemental. My hat is off to Ms. White, and anyone else who can take a novel set squarely in the sci-fi  genre, throw in fairies and a few obscure King Arthur references, and make it all work.


Elemental opens with a dramatic escape, and the action doesn't stop until the last page. I had trouble putting it down, even for a minute. The world(s) that Emily has created could use a bit more description, but since this is the beginning of a trilogy, I am assuming more will be on the way. And the lack of description didn't  take away from the story at all because it is so character driven.


Speaking of characters, I love Ella. I don't think I've read another book where the heroine truly struggles with whether or not she is actually the enemy. I felt her emotions and it almost seemed like I understood what she was going through.


Meir just made me want to give him a big hug all the time. He's the ultimate father figure, with wounds and secrets of his own. Malik has me all sorts of confused. He goes from tender to jerk in .02 seconds, and yet I really wanted to like him. And the jury is still out on Cailen. I know. We're all supposed to squeal and say things like "swoon-worthy" about the love interest. And he is, don't get me wrong. But he's still too much of a mystery for me to fall head-over-heels. But, since romance isn't the point of this novel, survival is, I don't really see that as a bad thing. It gives us something else to look forward to in Fae.


This is a great start to a series, and I recommend it to sci-fi lovers everywhere, and also for fantasy readers looking to branch out. You won't be disappointed. 


Rating 5/5 stars


YA notes :Mild language.