Book 1/30: Different (Tainted Elements Book 1)

Sadly, this isn't a very exciting way to start things off.  I had this book loaded onto my tablet when I decided to start all of this back up and I was pretty excited about a new fantasy-ish series.

First off, the cover looks great and represents the story.  That is not always the case with free books on Amazon.

Secondly, the plot sounded interesting.  Who doesn't love a world of people with strange elemental abilities?  Below is the synopsis straight from Amazon (because I'm lazy today):

Eighteen-year-old Moira, an air elemental, never thought that waking up with an unusual blue fire on her arm would turn her life upside down.

Determined to figure out why she has an element she shouldn't have, her parents take her to a secluded island to keep her safe from anyone who might want to experiment on her.

There she meets Noah, a boy who seems to know a lot about her elements. As he introduces her to a group of a new kind of elementals who are more powerful than anyone could have imagined, she doesn't know if she can trust them, especially because the group's leader, Jaiden, has an extremely dangerous ability.

But when her parents get kidnapped by a mysterious man, she has no choice but to turn to Noah and Jaiden for help.

 SO - now for my thoughts:

I didn't hate it.  I knew that I was reading a YA book, so my bar was set somewhere in the middle when it came to expectations.  I've read some amazing YA stuff before, and I've read some really terrible YA before - the result is that I never expect much going in.  That way I'm pleasantly surprised or only a little let down.
The author stays true to the mindset of a young adult and thoughts, or what I think of as mental conversations, tend to get repeated.  It inhibited the flow of the story a little for me, but perhaps it would help someone like my son to hold on to the information better?  Maybe he'll consider reading it and tell you what he thinks.
Overall, I'm cautiously optimistic.  Perhaps this was the author's first book (I couldn't find an absolute timeline of books she's written) and the next book will be written in a clearer way. Maybe this is just her writing style, done with intent, and the next book will be the same.  I know I'm going to purchase the second book and give it a shot - I'm just not running to my tablet to order it now.


If you like stories that fall into the categories the author has put her books in, according to her Website, then I'm sure you will like this book and perhaps you will be motivated to go further in the series, as quickly as possible.

  “Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” ― Voltaire