She’s the man!

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

The Skinny: DOON… Veronica doesn’t think she’s going crazy. But why can’t anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna’s great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica’s daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they’ve longed for…or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.  -From Goodreads

BFF?: Iolanthe… first off, I LOVE her name! I had to Google it to see how it was pronounced, but once I listened to a soundbite I fell in love with it. Iolanthe was constantly surprising me. One minute she was serious and determined then nervous and somewhat timid then before you know it she was acting like one of the guys – literally. I found myself wondering if I could have pulled off the incredible stunt she did, fitting into Eton and disguising myself as a boy. (answer: no, I could not) I loved watching her come into her powers, but more I loved watching her grow into this powerful person. Iolanthe definitely became a memorable character and I am very excited to read more of her!

Readability: While the characters aren’t narrators, focus shifted between Iolanthe and Titus consistantly. At times I felt like I might have looked forward to Iolanthe’s scenes or perspectives a little more than Titus’, but after a while I really began to enjoy more of Titus’ scenes. It was interesting getting a guy’s perspective on what all was going on. I also had a VERY hard time putting this one down and craved getting sucked back into it.

Crush Level: 7
Often when I get to peek into male characters’ heads I find my crush level diminishing. I feel like sometimes it breaks the spell or the fantasy. Not so in this case! I think I only got just enough of a peek inside Titus’ head to enhance his swooniness. Mostly because his confusion over his feelings and his actions, both towards Iolanthe and his situation, made him part adorable, part admirable. I also loved how fake cocky he was, but how sometimes his conceit toed the line between acting and real. Also, the Sleeping Beauty part? Sa-woon!!!!

Bonus Points
Magic Book

Alright, it’s not really a MAGIC book in that there are spells and such in it, but Titus has this book that basically serves as a training ground for him and Iolanthe, and he can “write” the training programs in it. I’m probably not explaining it very well, but trust me when I say it was pretty neat.

Eton

I always think of Colin Firth when I think of Eton. Not quite sure why. I also always think of those historical romances I used to read when I was younger; all the super hot love interests went to Eton. But I didn’t really know anything about it other than it was where the uppercrust sent their sons to be educated. I loved getting this little inside glimpse into the inner workings of this elite school and seeing the camaraderie.

Elemental Powers

While I don’t think this is anything new, I really haven’t read much on characters who can control the elements. I actually really enjoyed seeing Iolanthe’s abilities and how she controlled the various elements. I always feel there’s something kind of graceful about this… don’t know why, but it seems like a very classy talent to have. (I do not think Voldemort is classy)

Yearbook Quote: None! ARC (Yes, I know this book has been out for a while… but this honestly was an ARC I received and just never got to)

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