Elemental Origins: The Complete Series Bundle: Water, Fire, Earth, Air, Aether, Ensemble Novel (The Elemental Origins Series)

Since I first picked up Born of Water, this series has had me positively enraptured. A tale of friends who diverge for a summer and return with elemental, mystical powers made for a fun read that I seriously devoured (I think I started reading them just a couple weeks ago). I love that the books took me around the world and acquainted me with new mythologies and legends. The way their powers work is well illustrated—I feel like I could see these in a series of films or in a TV show.A couple side notes per book:Born of Water: The sexiest of the bunch with one of my favorite love stories. I’m in love with Targa and her mom and I’m eager to read the other books of their experience. They weaved their spell on me!Born of Fire: Loved the family dynamics in this book, going back to Italy, and it definitely had a couple sexy scenes. I love Saxony’s spice and her compassion.Born of Earth: This one felt the least climactic for me, but it was still very endearing, and I loved the magic and how it tied into the paranormal and not just supernatural.Born of Aether: Probably my absolute favorite of the stories and mythologies. The most emotional for me. Love to finally see the perspective of the most elusive of the Saltford girls. This one I devoured the quickest.The love and family elements were so strong that it really tore at my heartstrings. Akiko has my heart. The most original in terms of story arcs in the series.Born of Air: Unexpected, but cool! Again, another one where the climax got a little lost; but it’s great to meet someone new in the series since I had been confused about where Petra was coming from (not until Elementals can you really see the scope of her power though).Elementals: I liked bouncing through the different perspectives for this book and seeing how all the girls try to manage their abilities together in the face of an unknown threat. It really tied all the abilities together well and brought together most of the bread crumbs that had been dropped since the beginning. Nicely done series (my only critique would be a proofread—since the editor in me cringed quite a few times, but I was so enraptured in the story I had to keep going! So there’s that!)Loved them! Eager for more of AL Knorr’s stories!

I am currently on the fourth book in this six-book series—and loving it. I read Bones of the Witch before starting the Elemental Earth series so I had already met Georgjie, the protagonist in the third episode of this series, and had already decided she was my favorite—young, female, strong, and fascinating—so I was really looking forward to getting to volume three. However, reading volume one and two, I came to the conclusion that Ms. Knoor could create and develop characters brilliantly. Targa, Born of Water, and Saxony, Born of Fire are both exceptional characters. But after reading volume three, I am happy to report that Georgjie is still my favorite.Update: Is it just me or do the books get better as we breathlessly make our way through the series.Akiko, book four, turns out to have the power of the Aether; she’s not an elementalist. Doesn’t matter. Her story is amazing. Not giving away any secrets but she has a ton of them.Book five introduces a new character to the group: Petra. Petra is not one of the original four friends and doesn’t meet them until book six. Turns out she is the most powerful, and potentially the most dangerous supernatural. While her elemental power is Air, her powers go way beyond. What a nail-biter.Book six brings all five girls together in a mind-blowing story. To be honest, when the plot was first introduced I felt it was a bit too cheesy, but Ms. Knorr quickly sucks you in. The conclusion is particularly unexpected, especially for Akiko.The plots and the worlds are, to be honest, off-the-wall, but Knorr makes them totally believable, creating wonderful images and scenarios is my head as I read. And talk about tension! Fast moving, no wasted words, (as I often find in my favorite fantasy author: Brandon Sanderson) Had me on the edge of my seat many times. So far, I have devoured the books—can’t put them down—and am truly looking forward to finishing all six.Update: Is it just me or do the books get better as we breathlessly make our way through the series.Akiko, book four, turns out to have the power of the Aether; she’s not an elementalist. Doesn’t matter. Her story is amazing. Not giving away any secrets but she has a ton of them.Book five introduces a new character to the group: Petra. Petra is not one of the original four friends and doesn’t meet them until book six. Turns out she is the most powerful, and potentially the most dangerous supernatural. While her elemental power is Air, her powers go way beyond. What a nail-biter.Book six brings all five girls together in a mind-blowing story. To be honest, when the plot was first introduced I felt it was a bit too cheesy, but Ms. Knorr quickly sucks you in. The conclusion is particularly unexpected, especially for Akiko.Clean—no on-page sex—and no cussing, so perfectly safe for YA, and even tweens.Highly recommend this series; I love love love it.

Which is saying something..because I start a lot of YA series but never finish them. Usually because the Heroines are whiney, selfish, impulsive...you get the idea. TSTL. The Authors use that immaturity to propel the plotlines. Surprisingly, I actually liked the different Heroines in this series. Each main book is about one of the friends who spends the summer apart from the group, and then develops a different elemental power. And each main book is a good length, unlike some writers who write short 'Episodes' instead of books--usually with cliffhangers. I was interested enough to buy the first 4 books individually, and then finished off the rest of the series with this boxed set. The final book brings the best friends back together, and includes a final action scene that is quite good, letting each girl perform in an heroic manner. And it has a good conclusion, although it appears that one of the girls may get her own spinoff series. Which is likely why the Author offered this boxed set at a reduced price.Overall, it was a decent series with interesting characters. The writing flowed well, but the books could use a little editing polish. As an adult, I'd consider it around a 3-1/2 Star series. But I'm sure that a YA would rate it higher. Clean--no strong language, light romance.