I was quite intrigued by the premise of this book and the beginning truly captivated me. Mareau is a broken man with a tragic past and is suddenly offered a second chance.

Elemental magic is my favourite magic system and the “Avatar” vibes were quite intriguing. The plot is solid and Lykkebo created a wide range with characters with lots of potential, but I felt that the worldbuilding was lacking and a little more background story and lore would help set the pace. We don’t learn what the pacts are about and while the magic system is just elemental magic, we don’t know why some people can wield it, who the “Masters” are and why some wielders are stronger than others. We know that metal inhibits their powers, but have no idea why.

I also would like to have seen more development for the characters. Mareau had such an interesting character arc, but then he goes in the background too quickly and Storm feels too adult for a teenage girl.

The end left me confused. I am not sure what happened.

Despite this, it was overall a fun read and very well written. Anyone looking for YA fantasy should give this story a chance.