Fire Falling by Elise Kova is the 2nd book in the Air Awakens series. Most of the novel covers Valhalla and her friends making the journey to the North for the war. Valhalla, however, has no control over her powers and no prior combat experience, so she trains for most of the journey. Her training leads her and Alderik to explore the magical bond and its properties. Through this and some misunderstandings, she and Alderik become closer and learn how to communicate, trust, and heal. As her power and control begin to grow, so do the threats to and control over her life. However, she doesn’t plan on being completely complacent; she will fight.
Fire Falling is captivating and engaging. I loved the way the writing and story drew the reader in. I liked reading about Alderik and Valhalla’s relationship progress, but they did not talk about Elecia and who she is to Alderik for slightly too long. I enjoyed reading the characters talk through their trauma and help each other mentally prepare for what lies ahead. However, it did seem like Larel was doing most of the work with this, and I think Valhalla needed a few more moments with her that weren’t trauma related. Honestly, the characters were fantastic and well-written outside of Larel and Valhalla’s friendship. For instance, Baldair’s character was a refreshing take on the womanizing prince character. Fire Falling delved more into the bond and explained what it is and does way better than Air Awakens. While it expanded on and explained more of the lore and worldbuilding, I wish there was more.
I give this book four stars; it entertained me for the next installment.
