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Elemental Phases #1
Warrior from the Shadowland
Cross nearly triggered an apocalypse once before. The last of the Shadow Elementals, the weight of all the Darkness in the universe has fallen on his shoulders. The crushing power of it should have killed him long ago. Except, Cross knows his fated mate is out there and he’ll do whatever it takes to find her. …Even go to the horrible human realm.
Nia, of the Water House knows the human world holds the secrets to the Elementals survival. It’s also forbidden to their kind. When Cross arrives to save her from a plan gone horribly wrong, he’s gorgeous, angry, and maybe a little crazy. Not a problem! Nia will just save him along with the rest of the world.
Book One of the Elemental Phases, is a standalone romance but characters will appear in other books in the series.
M/F
Happily Ever After
Fated Mates
90,000+ words
Nia, of the Water House knows the human world holds the secrets to the Elementals survival. It’s also forbidden to their kind. When Cross arrives to save her from a plan gone horribly wrong, he’s gorgeous, angry, and maybe a little crazy. Not a problem! Nia will just save him along with the rest of the world.
Book One of the Elemental Phases, is a standalone romance but characters will appear in other books in the series.
M/F
Happily Ever After
Fated Mates
90,000+ words
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 27, 2012
182 people are currently reading
1035 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
June 6, 2018
Here are some of my thoughts:
• Cute. Can get cheesy at times, but it has a fun concept with the Elementals and interesting premise with the plague
• I felt really bad for Cross. The flashback scenes were so sad!
• I love Nia, Thar, and Ty. Great family theme.
• Uriel and Melanie’s scenes are the cutest! I really want to see a book/novella with them. Uriel is so funny with his straight-shoot talk.
• While I appreciate the multi-perspectives so I can enjoy learning more about Uriel and Ty, I do feel like it took away from Cross and Nia. They are cute, but I feel like I did not get to see them that much. The plot in general becomes slower and less eventful because we are busy visiting many characters’ perspectives. I think only a day passed by in this book, and not too many events happened in that time. In particular, I would have liked to cut completely (or reduced) the villain’s perspectives. It got redundant.
• The epilogue was surprising and made me super excited for the next book.
I enjoyed it. I liked it, and I’m curious to see how the series will progress especially with other characters being the main characters. 3 stars
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level? Other things to note?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scenes?
What age level would be appropriate?
• Cute. Can get cheesy at times, but it has a fun concept with the Elementals and interesting premise with the plague
• I felt really bad for Cross. The flashback scenes were so sad!
• I love Nia, Thar, and Ty. Great family theme.
• Uriel and Melanie’s scenes are the cutest! I really want to see a book/novella with them. Uriel is so funny with his straight-shoot talk.
• While I appreciate the multi-perspectives so I can enjoy learning more about Uriel and Ty, I do feel like it took away from Cross and Nia. They are cute, but I feel like I did not get to see them that much. The plot in general becomes slower and less eventful because we are busy visiting many characters’ perspectives. I think only a day passed by in this book, and not too many events happened in that time. In particular, I would have liked to cut completely (or reduced) the villain’s perspectives. It got redundant.
• The epilogue was surprising and made me super excited for the next book.
I enjoyed it. I liked it, and I’m curious to see how the series will progress especially with other characters being the main characters. 3 stars
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level? Other things to note?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scenes?
What age level would be appropriate?
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May 6, 2020
3 stars for a Cassandra Gannon book is the equivalent of 4 stars everywhere else.
Now, this is a long book but a quick read. The romance is a bit too sweet and predictable - mainly, I read this book because I wanted to get the books in the series which focus on couples I'm actually interested in - but it's pretty decent.
And, of course, there are a few lines of Gannon's trademark humour, which always is worth at least an extra star rating.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
Now, this is a long book but a quick read. The romance is a bit too sweet and predictable - mainly, I read this book because I wanted to get the books in the series which focus on couples I'm actually interested in - but it's pretty decent.
And, of course, there are a few lines of Gannon's trademark humour, which always is worth at least an extra star rating.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
Read
November 8, 201811.7.18- Calling it a day on this one. I'm not going back to this one. No rating as I didn't get very far.
Original bookmark: The writing style isn't really for me and I'm having a hard time connecting to the characters, the world, or the plot. I might return to this later. We'll see.
Original bookmark: The writing style isn't really for me and I'm having a hard time connecting to the characters, the world, or the plot. I might return to this later. We'll see.
May 23, 2024
3 stars
I picked this up because of the cover, take a look, it's pretty, don't blame me.
The curse of three 3 star reads is killing me though.
Anyhow, this was a fun time, sometimes super cringe but it did have a humorous tinge to it although it was slightly portrayed as high stakes from the beginning with the whole " the world is ending" plot.
So to summarise this with no spoilers, the world building goes as such: Creatures that are human like called Phases exist, each belongs in an elemental house, Water house, Magnet House, Stone House, Fire House, Wood House, Shadow House, etc..
Each House has a king and a queen considered the ruler. One day, someone from the Air House, released a virus that has plagued the Phases, it killed nearly all the elemental phases leaving very few in each house.
Elemental Phases have what are called Matches which are in other words, mates ( fated mates). Upon the destruction of the Shadow house where only one person was left, Cross, he felt the tug of his match keeping him in check, because he was in danger of dying since he was keeping the weight of all his Shadow house alone.
Nia, Princess of the Water House, as well as her cousin Ty, Queen of the Water House and Thar and their friend Uriel from the Wood house go on a searching spree to find the Quintessence who has a ultimate power and has magic beyond what any elemental phase knows, who was and was not an elemental.
Parald, of the air house found his Match in Queen Ty. She refused him, he is angry, he wants her. Chason, who has lost his match Mara to the plague released by the air house, wants to destroy Parald and Gion and everyone of that house, in doing so, the balance of elements will be destroyed and the world will end.
Now here is the confusion started for me, the WB is digestible once you get into it, it is easy to grasp and there was a certain plot and side plot but it all blurred together because it was not quite consistent all the way. There was , for example, this talk about how if Cross died, Nia would die as well because he is her match and because they can't survive without each other. But then Abel, the disgusting Stone phase, had a match and she died and he is not even concerned, let alone dead. Chason who has lost Mara is also alive and well but grieving, which is normal. So make it make sense.
Aside from that, the writing was a little wack sometimes, pardon the term. Not talking about the cringy moment but the actual conversation which was btw full of pop culture references, not that i disliked it but it was at times overdone imo.
The romance was so so, the chemistry between Nia and Cross was a little lackluster, Uriel and Mel have a funny bond idek and i see loads of potential for Tessie and Job.
I will reading the next books, because i sensed some enemies to lovers vibes from Gion and Ty and the world still interests me.
I picked this up because of the cover, take a look, it's pretty, don't blame me.
The curse of three 3 star reads is killing me though.
Anyhow, this was a fun time, sometimes super cringe but it did have a humorous tinge to it although it was slightly portrayed as high stakes from the beginning with the whole " the world is ending" plot.
So to summarise this with no spoilers, the world building goes as such: Creatures that are human like called Phases exist, each belongs in an elemental house, Water house, Magnet House, Stone House, Fire House, Wood House, Shadow House, etc..
Each House has a king and a queen considered the ruler. One day, someone from the Air House, released a virus that has plagued the Phases, it killed nearly all the elemental phases leaving very few in each house.
Elemental Phases have what are called Matches which are in other words, mates ( fated mates). Upon the destruction of the Shadow house where only one person was left, Cross, he felt the tug of his match keeping him in check, because he was in danger of dying since he was keeping the weight of all his Shadow house alone.
Nia, Princess of the Water House, as well as her cousin Ty, Queen of the Water House and Thar and their friend Uriel from the Wood house go on a searching spree to find the Quintessence who has a ultimate power and has magic beyond what any elemental phase knows, who was and was not an elemental.
Parald, of the air house found his Match in Queen Ty. She refused him, he is angry, he wants her. Chason, who has lost his match Mara to the plague released by the air house, wants to destroy Parald and Gion and everyone of that house, in doing so, the balance of elements will be destroyed and the world will end.
Now here is the confusion started for me, the WB is digestible once you get into it, it is easy to grasp and there was a certain plot and side plot but it all blurred together because it was not quite consistent all the way. There was , for example, this talk about how if Cross died, Nia would die as well because he is her match and because they can't survive without each other. But then Abel, the disgusting Stone phase, had a match and she died and he is not even concerned, let alone dead. Chason who has lost Mara is also alive and well but grieving, which is normal. So make it make sense.
Aside from that, the writing was a little wack sometimes, pardon the term. Not talking about the cringy moment but the actual conversation which was btw full of pop culture references, not that i disliked it but it was at times overdone imo.
The romance was so so, the chemistry between Nia and Cross was a little lackluster, Uriel and Mel have a funny bond idek and i see loads of potential for Tessie and Job.
I will reading the next books, because i sensed some enemies to lovers vibes from Gion and Ty and the world still interests me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2015
I didn't feel much romance between Cross and Nia. They just kinda accept that they're together. Book 3 with Gion and Ty was so romantic.
December 5, 2024
The multiple povs killed this book for me.
Everyone including the bad guys had their own pov
Info dump like crazy
Some humour which I like from this author
Cross and Nia were supposed to be the mcs but their relationship got lost in the clutter. Their relationship had some cute moments though
Out of all I actually liked Gion the most, considering he's a "bad guy" I'm not sure where that's gonna go but I'm curious to see if he matches with who I think he will or if he's just a bad guy
All in all this unfortunately left me with a headache
No cheating
Insta love between the two relationships as Elementals have "matches"
Interconnected plot one assumes
Attempted assault of the h
Lovely j/p H
Violence
Everyone including the bad guys had their own pov
Info dump like crazy
Some humour which I like from this author
Cross and Nia were supposed to be the mcs but their relationship got lost in the clutter. Their relationship had some cute moments though
Out of all I actually liked Gion the most, considering he's a "bad guy" I'm not sure where that's gonna go but I'm curious to see if he matches with who I think he will or if he's just a bad guy
All in all this unfortunately left me with a headache
No cheating
Insta love between the two relationships as Elementals have "matches"
Interconnected plot one assumes
Attempted assault of the h
Lovely j/p H
Violence
November 4, 2015
I have fallen in love with this authors books and writing style. this book reminds me of the characters from some f her previous books. Dont get me wrong now, they all share something in common, but are true and individual to their own books. I wish this book was a little bit longer and I go to read more about Cross, but it's the first book and it did not disappoint.
High 3 stars...i'ma give it 4 because I really liked this book now off to the next one in the series :D
High 3 stars...i'ma give it 4 because I really liked this book now off to the next one in the series :D
January 14, 2024
I can't believe I didn't mind the insta love insta lust of it all. It's just really entertaining and fun, and I just want to continue reading it and see where the story goes.
November 19, 2020
Very fun and cute. The plot is interesting but the execution was a bit weak. The characters are the main focus of the story and since I liked them I enjoyed this book. And Cassandra Gannon's dialogues are laugh out loud funny. Sometimes cheesy but definitely fun. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
June 30, 2018
I love this author’s style and the concept is interesting. Very readable and has good humour.
May 10, 2016
I just discovered this series this week, and I'm really enjoying it. The author has a clearly original idea, and she's built a great world from it. Her characters are well defined, the conflict is convoluted enough to entertain, and the romance is enjoyable.
While not being about vampires, this book reminded me of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. It had that well defined world building, that cheeky style of writing, the manly heroes, etc. I liked Gannon's heroine better, though.
I'm looking forward to reading the other four books in this series. The seeds for those stories were planted in this first book, and it's obvious that the characters in this book will be popping up through the rest of the series.
The only reason this book did not get the fourth star was that it needed some editing. It had a self-published feel to it: there were some spelling problems here and there, some word-choice mistakes, and some repetitive punctuation errors. However, the story was great enough to keep my cranky editor self reading even through all that.
This will be going on my keep and reread shelf.
While not being about vampires, this book reminded me of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. It had that well defined world building, that cheeky style of writing, the manly heroes, etc. I liked Gannon's heroine better, though.
I'm looking forward to reading the other four books in this series. The seeds for those stories were planted in this first book, and it's obvious that the characters in this book will be popping up through the rest of the series.
The only reason this book did not get the fourth star was that it needed some editing. It had a self-published feel to it: there were some spelling problems here and there, some word-choice mistakes, and some repetitive punctuation errors. However, the story was great enough to keep my cranky editor self reading even through all that.
This will be going on my keep and reread shelf.
February 24, 2024
Sets up a fascinating universe and I love the "Elementals trying to blend in with humanity but being absolutely weird" aspect of the story.
Cross and Nia have compelling backstories and decent characterization, but the relationship was a bit too insta love and could have been fleshed out more.
Multi-POV is a bit too much at times. The transition into different chapters felt a bit abrupt.
It's my second time re-reading this series, and I just wanna mildly complain about the constant mention of "curvy body = desirable and rare" and implying the other Elemental women were less appealing because they were "stick figures". I don't like body shaming on either end of the spectrum.
It's a decent start to a fun series.
Cross and Nia have compelling backstories and decent characterization, but the relationship was a bit too insta love and could have been fleshed out more.
Multi-POV is a bit too much at times. The transition into different chapters felt a bit abrupt.
It's my second time re-reading this series, and I just wanna mildly complain about the constant mention of "curvy body = desirable and rare" and implying the other Elemental women were less appealing because they were "stick figures". I don't like body shaming on either end of the spectrum.
It's a decent start to a fun series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2012
I enjoy paranormal books but this was different and I wasn't sure if I would like it based on the description alone so I downloaded the sample and i'm glad I did because I absolutely loved this book. The story was fabulous. The characters and the world were well developed. The story flowed well and I was completely drawn in. The only thing that kept me from giving it the complete five stars was that there were typos, enough that if I hadn't been so totally enthralled with the story I would have stopped reading it. I liked the story and characters so much that I've bought the other 3 books in the story. I love them all.
August 31, 2013
I love this series. It's got an interesting premise and cool characters. Basically, there are supernatural beings called elementals, who are caught up in a civil war that's nearly destroyed their world. Cross is the last one of his kind. He controls darkness and it's slowly killing him. Nia is his mate and he's desperate to be with her, only she's causing all kinds of trouble and drags him into it. Cross is a great hero. He's brooding and tragic, without becoming a jackass. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes supernatural romance.
September 22, 2021
I really liked the other series from Cassandra so I thought I would give it a shot- it was ok. I liked Cross and his Match but it was an ok start to the world of the Elementals. It was a little confusing sometimes, the switching of characters back and forth at the new chapters, and there were quite a few characters!
February 15, 2015
Quite liked it! Less typos than the superhero books, less humor as well, but there were still lol moments and the drama was GREAT!!!
October 20, 2015
A nice surprise! funny and different; refresing!
August 13, 2024
3.75 stars rounded up to 4 for this funny, plot heavy, Romantasy with a grumpy-sunshine pairing and a Shadow Daddy hero 🥵.
Cross is the last shadow element standing after a horrible plague has wiped out his entire house. He was the product of an affair from the queen and one of the Shadow King’s final orders was to kill him. To say the man has been through a lot is an understatement 😬 he’s also certifiably insane from holding all the elemental power of the shadow realm. Nia has been the only thing helping him hold on for the past 2 years and that was before she even knew he existed 😭😭
This book is plot heavy and light on the smut. It’s got subplots going on, and although it’s written in 3rd pov it’s often told from various character’s perspectives. I enjoyed the story weaving together, but at times it felt like the main couple’s voice was lost in the overall plot. I’m also pretty sure everything goes down in a single day 😂
What I liked:
Romantasy 🧚♂️
Shadow daddy 🥵
“Just so they were both headed in the same direction, he let Nia lead for a while. She was his only destination, anyway.” This sentence omfg 😭😭
Fated mates ❤️
Plot heavy. There are multiple plots going on at once and I’m here for it. There’s also a lot of setup for future books (some of which I’ve already read so it’s so nice seeing this foundation being laid 🥰)
Cross is everything. He’s got the whole tortured soul and literally acts on “touch her and die” 💁🏻♀️ when 6 air house warriors try to take Nia out 👏🏼👏🏼
So many strong friendships and connections in this book. These are community based people and it’s so lovely to see ❤️
Thicker than a snicker heroine
Consent is a big focus in the couple’s interactions and it adds a layer of sweetness because Cross is so worried about inadvertently hurting and losing Nia 😭
What I didn’t like:
Although I enjoy this series sometimes it felt like too many perspectives coming in but I also know this is world building for future books. However, it did decrease my enjoyment of the book overall.
Job is referenced a lot but we don’t get a full scene of him until the very end. We know he’s the hero for book 2 so it was disappointing the author didn’t make us fall in love with the him the same way she did say Uriel or Ty.
The smut was pretty light 😅 full scene isn’t until the very end, which is pretty standard in this series.
FAQ:
No OM drama. Except for a delicious “he touched her and died” scene because you don’t fuck with Cross’s Phase Match 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
No OW drama, like Cross literally didn’t self annihilate because of his love for Nia. He’s got zero desire for anyone else 😂
No third act breakup.
TLDR;
Not my favorite in this series (that would be book 4. It’s incredible). But it is a fun read especially if you like plot heavy Romantasy with fated mates
Cross is the last shadow element standing after a horrible plague has wiped out his entire house. He was the product of an affair from the queen and one of the Shadow King’s final orders was to kill him. To say the man has been through a lot is an understatement 😬 he’s also certifiably insane from holding all the elemental power of the shadow realm. Nia has been the only thing helping him hold on for the past 2 years and that was before she even knew he existed 😭😭
This book is plot heavy and light on the smut. It’s got subplots going on, and although it’s written in 3rd pov it’s often told from various character’s perspectives. I enjoyed the story weaving together, but at times it felt like the main couple’s voice was lost in the overall plot. I’m also pretty sure everything goes down in a single day 😂
What I liked:
Romantasy 🧚♂️
Shadow daddy 🥵
“Just so they were both headed in the same direction, he let Nia lead for a while. She was his only destination, anyway.” This sentence omfg 😭😭
Fated mates ❤️
Plot heavy. There are multiple plots going on at once and I’m here for it. There’s also a lot of setup for future books (some of which I’ve already read so it’s so nice seeing this foundation being laid 🥰)
Cross is everything. He’s got the whole tortured soul and literally acts on “touch her and die” 💁🏻♀️ when 6 air house warriors try to take Nia out 👏🏼👏🏼
So many strong friendships and connections in this book. These are community based people and it’s so lovely to see ❤️
Thicker than a snicker heroine
Consent is a big focus in the couple’s interactions and it adds a layer of sweetness because Cross is so worried about inadvertently hurting and losing Nia 😭
What I didn’t like:
Although I enjoy this series sometimes it felt like too many perspectives coming in but I also know this is world building for future books. However, it did decrease my enjoyment of the book overall.
Job is referenced a lot but we don’t get a full scene of him until the very end. We know he’s the hero for book 2 so it was disappointing the author didn’t make us fall in love with the him the same way she did say Uriel or Ty.
The smut was pretty light 😅 full scene isn’t until the very end, which is pretty standard in this series.
FAQ:
No OM drama. Except for a delicious “he touched her and died” scene because you don’t fuck with Cross’s Phase Match 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
No OW drama, like Cross literally didn’t self annihilate because of his love for Nia. He’s got zero desire for anyone else 😂
No third act breakup.
TLDR;
Not my favorite in this series (that would be book 4. It’s incredible). But it is a fun read especially if you like plot heavy Romantasy with fated mates
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2018
Having really enjoyed another of this author's series, which ended with an extract from this novel that I also enjoyed, I thought I'd give it a go. I was not disappointed.
The world building takes a little to get your head around but not in a boring or challenging way, just because there's lots of information given at the start to help you figure out what's going on. This series follows a race called the Elementals, who are responsible for keeping the universe in balance and ensuring each facet of nature and science continues working as it should. They are divided into Phases and each has its own homeland. They have a version of true love/ soulmates called Phase Matches, or just Matches for short. Generally, you recognise your Match quite quickly, and your Phase energy tries to connect with theirs and encourages you to complete the Phasing (i.e. sex). It is possible to Match with a Phase from a different area, but the powers are usually matrilineal.
However, all is not well in the Elemental world because a very nasty man called Parald has unleashed a plague upon his people which has decimated their population and has had serious repercussions. This novel focuses on Cross, an illegitimate child of the Queen's who has become the sole-surviving member of the Shadow House and thus its King. As he begins to lose control of the House (since it is supposed to be impossible to hold one all by one's self), he senses his Phase-Match and finds the strength to hold on until he can meet her. His Match turns out to be a Water Phase, one of the three remaining and one of the most powerful. Her cousin is Queen, and together with her brother they search for the mystical and mythical Quintessence in the hope it will lead their people out of the darkness they have fallen into.
Cross captures your attention immediately with his need and his dark past, as does Nia with her struggles to keep going and find a way through for not just the Water House but the Elementals as a whole. They work really well together, but obviously, their relationship has its troubles to work through before they get their happy ending.
I found this novel fascinating and enjoyable. I was disappointed when it was over and will definitely be reading more.
The world building takes a little to get your head around but not in a boring or challenging way, just because there's lots of information given at the start to help you figure out what's going on. This series follows a race called the Elementals, who are responsible for keeping the universe in balance and ensuring each facet of nature and science continues working as it should. They are divided into Phases and each has its own homeland. They have a version of true love/ soulmates called Phase Matches, or just Matches for short. Generally, you recognise your Match quite quickly, and your Phase energy tries to connect with theirs and encourages you to complete the Phasing (i.e. sex). It is possible to Match with a Phase from a different area, but the powers are usually matrilineal.
However, all is not well in the Elemental world because a very nasty man called Parald has unleashed a plague upon his people which has decimated their population and has had serious repercussions. This novel focuses on Cross, an illegitimate child of the Queen's who has become the sole-surviving member of the Shadow House and thus its King. As he begins to lose control of the House (since it is supposed to be impossible to hold one all by one's self), he senses his Phase-Match and finds the strength to hold on until he can meet her. His Match turns out to be a Water Phase, one of the three remaining and one of the most powerful. Her cousin is Queen, and together with her brother they search for the mystical and mythical Quintessence in the hope it will lead their people out of the darkness they have fallen into.
Cross captures your attention immediately with his need and his dark past, as does Nia with her struggles to keep going and find a way through for not just the Water House but the Elementals as a whole. They work really well together, but obviously, their relationship has its troubles to work through before they get their happy ending.
I found this novel fascinating and enjoyable. I was disappointed when it was over and will definitely be reading more.
February 6, 2025
I’m just going through a phase of reading all of Cassandra Gannon’s books (mostly because I LOVED *The Kingpin of Camelot* and *Best Knight Ever*), and honestly, I was a little disappointed with this one.
The premise was incredibly appealing (I’m a sucker for unhinged, grumpy MMCs who just adore the FMC above everything), and I was captivated by the world-building. I found that the first chapters explaining The Fall were wonderful, and throughout the book, we could better understand all the traumas it left behind.
The romance between Cross and Nia was fast-paced, which is expected in fated mates situations, but it didn’t feel shallow. We could understand why these two could love each other so quickly yet so intensely, especially with the exchange of memories.
The major downside of this book for me was the attempt to be everything and everywhere at once. The multiple POVs were tiring, confusing, and, most of the time, just plain annoying. We had POVs from Abel, Cross, Chason, Melanie, and it felt like I couldn’t just enjoy the main couple or understand them better because of all the different perspectives. Most of the time, I just wanted to skip those parts, but I couldn’t because they included important moments for the plot. It felt kind of lazy on the author’s part to create new POVs instead of finding ways to incorporate those same points from the perspective of the main characters.
Because of this, the story felt rushed in several parts. Some characters were mostly one-dimensional, and I couldn’t connect with their motivations because they felt shallow. Honestly, I think the book would have been a lot more enjoyable if it had focused solely on Cross and Nia’s romance and their relationship with Job, who was the next protagonist.
All the drama with the reasons why Chason is insane, Melanie’s cousin maybe not being 100% human, the tension between Ty and Gion… All those subplots could have been handled more superficially and explored in depth in the next books. It would have created a better flow between the books without throwing everything at us all at once.
Besides that, I think it was a good book, and I’ll probably read the next ones.
The premise was incredibly appealing (I’m a sucker for unhinged, grumpy MMCs who just adore the FMC above everything), and I was captivated by the world-building. I found that the first chapters explaining The Fall were wonderful, and throughout the book, we could better understand all the traumas it left behind.
The romance between Cross and Nia was fast-paced, which is expected in fated mates situations, but it didn’t feel shallow. We could understand why these two could love each other so quickly yet so intensely, especially with the exchange of memories.
The major downside of this book for me was the attempt to be everything and everywhere at once. The multiple POVs were tiring, confusing, and, most of the time, just plain annoying. We had POVs from Abel, Cross, Chason, Melanie, and it felt like I couldn’t just enjoy the main couple or understand them better because of all the different perspectives. Most of the time, I just wanted to skip those parts, but I couldn’t because they included important moments for the plot. It felt kind of lazy on the author’s part to create new POVs instead of finding ways to incorporate those same points from the perspective of the main characters.
Because of this, the story felt rushed in several parts. Some characters were mostly one-dimensional, and I couldn’t connect with their motivations because they felt shallow. Honestly, I think the book would have been a lot more enjoyable if it had focused solely on Cross and Nia’s romance and their relationship with Job, who was the next protagonist.
All the drama with the reasons why Chason is insane, Melanie’s cousin maybe not being 100% human, the tension between Ty and Gion… All those subplots could have been handled more superficially and explored in depth in the next books. It would have created a better flow between the books without throwing everything at us all at once.
Besides that, I think it was a good book, and I’ll probably read the next ones.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2025
Warrior from the Shadowland? Maybe like 1/4 of this is that book. This book should be called A Short Introduction to about 5 couples or at least one half of said couples in the Elemental Universe: Get Ready for the Series (and the spoilers!)
Really this book suffered so heavily by the drawn out introductions to multiple other couples. I was so intrigued by the couple who will be in book 3 that I really didn’t care anymore about this couple.
This is an issue for most first books of a new series of course, especially when the author seems to have the couples all worked out in advance. But in other series you are usually introduced to side characters who end up being one of the MCs in their own later books. But here we had a whole couple get together and a few chapters from their POV who don’t even get their own book, just the satisfaction of being a side plot. Then we have a very interesting couple who have very Rhys and Feyre vibes and I am dying for that book. But the giveaway is just too much. I already know in book 1 what I am sure is going to be what the FMC of book 3 just “cant quite figure out.” So I’m frustrated already lol. The epilogue of this book is simply entirely the lead up to the next book from the MMC of book 2’s POV. See what I mean? Where is that Warrior from the Shadowlands because I forgot I was even in his book.
As far as this book goes I suppose you probably need to read it to get the background on the other books.
Safe. Virgin heroine of course— this author is very bad for this. Hero doesn’t have a lot of experience but OF COURSE he isn’t a virgin despite being a complete outcast in his lands and basically living through a plague and then learning how to live with a debilitating condition for the last few years. Somehow he found the time to fuck around with willing women while his Match just sat around waiting for her Match.
Anyhooooooo no cheating. No on page with OW or anything like that. And his past is only mentioned once in a very throw away line.
Really this book suffered so heavily by the drawn out introductions to multiple other couples. I was so intrigued by the couple who will be in book 3 that I really didn’t care anymore about this couple.
This is an issue for most first books of a new series of course, especially when the author seems to have the couples all worked out in advance. But in other series you are usually introduced to side characters who end up being one of the MCs in their own later books. But here we had a whole couple get together and a few chapters from their POV who don’t even get their own book, just the satisfaction of being a side plot. Then we have a very interesting couple who have very Rhys and Feyre vibes and I am dying for that book. But the giveaway is just too much. I already know in book 1 what I am sure is going to be what the FMC of book 3 just “cant quite figure out.” So I’m frustrated already lol. The epilogue of this book is simply entirely the lead up to the next book from the MMC of book 2’s POV. See what I mean? Where is that Warrior from the Shadowlands because I forgot I was even in his book.
As far as this book goes I suppose you probably need to read it to get the background on the other books.
Safe. Virgin heroine of course— this author is very bad for this. Hero doesn’t have a lot of experience but OF COURSE he isn’t a virgin despite being a complete outcast in his lands and basically living through a plague and then learning how to live with a debilitating condition for the last few years. Somehow he found the time to fuck around with willing women while his Match just sat around waiting for her Match.
Anyhooooooo no cheating. No on page with OW or anything like that. And his past is only mentioned once in a very throw away line.
November 24, 2017
I like the world building but this seems not as strong a series as her fairy tale series. While the idea seems interesting, there are just too many things crowding this book, which makes it hard for us to really know the main couple well.
This is more of an insta story where there isn't really much push or pull between the protagonists. Instead it is about their dealing with this whole dystopian world, if this can be defined as such, as the human counterworld actually is functioning normally while the whole elemental world crashed and burnt.
Protagonists are likeable. H is a tortured soul having suffered much abuse and totally worshipped our h, and as always with Gannon, our h is strong minded, v confident and loving of our H. Both go all in so their being together isn't in question.
The plot itself is quite intriguing, except that because it is a first of the series, a lot of pages are devoted to explaining the world and hence there isn't really much going on story wise. There also are a whole ton of future protagonists introduced and another couple there somewhere, making the main couple pretty one dimensional. I was also quite disappointed with how quick and easy the baddies got dealt with, given all the build up.
In a sense though, it is still v intriguing, and I am reading the second one right away. To me it seems more like it is one big continuance of a story, and while I am a bit disappointed with this first one, I still look forward to reading about thr e future match ups and what can be done to turn around such a dire situation.
Not sure, seems this probably is an earlier work and Gannon definitely has improved a lot from then on.
This is more of an insta story where there isn't really much push or pull between the protagonists. Instead it is about their dealing with this whole dystopian world, if this can be defined as such, as the human counterworld actually is functioning normally while the whole elemental world crashed and burnt.
Protagonists are likeable. H is a tortured soul having suffered much abuse and totally worshipped our h, and as always with Gannon, our h is strong minded, v confident and loving of our H. Both go all in so their being together isn't in question.
The plot itself is quite intriguing, except that because it is a first of the series, a lot of pages are devoted to explaining the world and hence there isn't really much going on story wise. There also are a whole ton of future protagonists introduced and another couple there somewhere, making the main couple pretty one dimensional. I was also quite disappointed with how quick and easy the baddies got dealt with, given all the build up.
In a sense though, it is still v intriguing, and I am reading the second one right away. To me it seems more like it is one big continuance of a story, and while I am a bit disappointed with this first one, I still look forward to reading about thr e future match ups and what can be done to turn around such a dire situation.
Not sure, seems this probably is an earlier work and Gannon definitely has improved a lot from then on.
May 14, 2020
I had few preconceived notions about the whole elemental thing, expected a fated mates insta development and then to have multi-POVs from some of these characters right in the introductory book was just not looking good at first but surprisingly everything worked out quite well.
The different POVs was not what I wanted when we kept going off focus from Nia and Cross but honestly this time it helped towards world building especially to show this effect of Fall that is driving the story. It also introduced these characters that have piqued my interest that ensures I pick up the next book if I want to see their stories. This elemental world itself was much more worked upon than just having the Air, Water, Fire, Earth thing that's played in many of the other books with this similar theme. The author expands on these elements, adding details and depth to feel enough for a first book without it being overwhelming info dump.
The main characters Nia and Cross aren't anything new for this genre but they were decent. The relationship is the fated mates kind that I love if it's done right. At places, it does get too sweet or too easy but overall, it was trying to pace itself despite them being a done deal at first glance. The humour sprinkled throughout was nice, it cuts through some of the gloominess and makes the characters less dry and stiff.
The romance wasn't anything spectacular but the elemental world is interesting and some of the side characters that will get their own books have me curious to see their stories play out.
The different POVs was not what I wanted when we kept going off focus from Nia and Cross but honestly this time it helped towards world building especially to show this effect of Fall that is driving the story. It also introduced these characters that have piqued my interest that ensures I pick up the next book if I want to see their stories. This elemental world itself was much more worked upon than just having the Air, Water, Fire, Earth thing that's played in many of the other books with this similar theme. The author expands on these elements, adding details and depth to feel enough for a first book without it being overwhelming info dump.
The main characters Nia and Cross aren't anything new for this genre but they were decent. The relationship is the fated mates kind that I love if it's done right. At places, it does get too sweet or too easy but overall, it was trying to pace itself despite them being a done deal at first glance. The humour sprinkled throughout was nice, it cuts through some of the gloominess and makes the characters less dry and stiff.
The romance wasn't anything spectacular but the elemental world is interesting and some of the side characters that will get their own books have me curious to see their stories play out.
February 7, 2024
Well, I did it. I made it through the whole book. And it was difficult. For my personal taste, there were way too many POV’s. Too many characters and the world building (which has really great potential) was such an info-dump that it read like a textbook many times.
The only reason I slogged through is because of how many RAVE reviews I’ve heard about the third book in this series. And the only reason I’m continuing onto the second is because of that epilogue. I will be reading reviews in advance though, to see if the writing style gets any better.
For all of the reviews that said the romance in this was too sweet… what? Where was that? There was hardly any spice. One open-door ish scene near the end. Cross fights against completing the mating bond for a ton of the book. There are two couples to focus on, which I never enjoy. And there was lots of political drama that kept cutting up the storylines of the “main couple.” I enjoy romance novels that have intrigue/drama/mystery/action. But something about this author’s writing made it not mesh well for me.
One thing that helped me is that after about 25%, I stopped reading the random quotes that came with every new chapter. They were really distracting and took me out of the story, which I already struggled with.
I am intrigued and hope to make it to Gion and Ty’s story, because I really do hear amazing things about that book.
Here goes nothing for Job’s story.
The only reason I slogged through is because of how many RAVE reviews I’ve heard about the third book in this series. And the only reason I’m continuing onto the second is because of that epilogue. I will be reading reviews in advance though, to see if the writing style gets any better.
For all of the reviews that said the romance in this was too sweet… what? Where was that? There was hardly any spice. One open-door ish scene near the end. Cross fights against completing the mating bond for a ton of the book. There are two couples to focus on, which I never enjoy. And there was lots of political drama that kept cutting up the storylines of the “main couple.” I enjoy romance novels that have intrigue/drama/mystery/action. But something about this author’s writing made it not mesh well for me.
One thing that helped me is that after about 25%, I stopped reading the random quotes that came with every new chapter. They were really distracting and took me out of the story, which I already struggled with.
I am intrigued and hope to make it to Gion and Ty’s story, because I really do hear amazing things about that book.
Here goes nothing for Job’s story.
July 10, 2018
I am really really unsure how to rate this book. I will give it an uneasy, unsure 3.5 stars to start with.
The world Gannon created is intriguing. I adore really unique world building. The idea of the different Elementals, the Fall, Matches & Phazing...very cool. Very INTERESTING. I've not come across anything quite like this in all my PNR reading. So that bumps it up high in my esteem.
I also like the characters. Nia is a force to be reckoned with. She doesn't hold back,is insanely loyal, and is doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. Cross is weighed down by his demons, and although he literally is holding the world back from ending, had a very low opinion of himself. The rest of the side characters were intriguing enough to make me want to hear their stories.
What makes this book hard to rate is the writing. One--I wasn't a fan of how the book bounced between so many perspectives. It helped to give a deeper knowledge of the world,but I wanted more of Nia and Cross, not everyone else. Second--the writing voice was too "new adult" for me to completely love. I'm not against informal dialogue, swearing or any of that. But the dialogue was a tad juvenile, and I feel it hindered the story. It kept it from being great.
Overall, I like the world and the characters. But I'm not sure if I will continue reading the series simply because the writing voice is not my favorite.
The world Gannon created is intriguing. I adore really unique world building. The idea of the different Elementals, the Fall, Matches & Phazing...very cool. Very INTERESTING. I've not come across anything quite like this in all my PNR reading. So that bumps it up high in my esteem.
I also like the characters. Nia is a force to be reckoned with. She doesn't hold back,is insanely loyal, and is doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. Cross is weighed down by his demons, and although he literally is holding the world back from ending, had a very low opinion of himself. The rest of the side characters were intriguing enough to make me want to hear their stories.
What makes this book hard to rate is the writing. One--I wasn't a fan of how the book bounced between so many perspectives. It helped to give a deeper knowledge of the world,but I wanted more of Nia and Cross, not everyone else. Second--the writing voice was too "new adult" for me to completely love. I'm not against informal dialogue, swearing or any of that. But the dialogue was a tad juvenile, and I feel it hindered the story. It kept it from being great.
Overall, I like the world and the characters. But I'm not sure if I will continue reading the series simply because the writing voice is not my favorite.
May 7, 2024
There was a great deal of potential across a number of interesting characters, as well as a great story idea. But this felt very much felt like the prologue of the actual book.
Pretty much nothing happens. The cast breaks into a lab, the cops get there, everyone makes their way to the police station - the end. The entire "story" is told in flashbacks from a hundred different perspectives while they make their way from A to B in the course of a couple of hours. A great deal of dialogue was just empty flirting and pointless rehashing of one (1) argument.
I didn't buy the main couple. Not only were they the least interesting dynamic out of every couple that was teased, but it was the most boring kind of insta-love: the type where the author goes out of their way to say, "Yes, it's insta-love, but it's the SPECIAL kind. These two people who met five minutes ago would have loved each other deeply, even in a random coffee shop AU and they just know it."
All of their interactions and getting to know each other scenes were either tragic backstory dumps, followed by assurances that the insta-love holds true, or "we cannot be, because I'm dangerous!" - "But no! We are fated and I trust you." arguments.
I'll give the next book a chance, because at least there was some setup for the other pairs. I'm hoping the author will get into the groove then.
Pretty much nothing happens. The cast breaks into a lab, the cops get there, everyone makes their way to the police station - the end. The entire "story" is told in flashbacks from a hundred different perspectives while they make their way from A to B in the course of a couple of hours. A great deal of dialogue was just empty flirting and pointless rehashing of one (1) argument.
I didn't buy the main couple. Not only were they the least interesting dynamic out of every couple that was teased, but it was the most boring kind of insta-love: the type where the author goes out of their way to say, "Yes, it's insta-love, but it's the SPECIAL kind. These two people who met five minutes ago would have loved each other deeply, even in a random coffee shop AU and they just know it."
All of their interactions and getting to know each other scenes were either tragic backstory dumps, followed by assurances that the insta-love holds true, or "we cannot be, because I'm dangerous!" - "But no! We are fated and I trust you." arguments.
I'll give the next book a chance, because at least there was some setup for the other pairs. I'm hoping the author will get into the groove then.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2023
I've been devouring Cassandra Gannon's books since stumbling on her 'Not Another Vampire Novel' as a recommendation on Goodreads. I've read one series after another, rating all of them a 4 at lowest, but this one is getting a rare 3 for me- and it was get a 2 for the story itself, if it wasn't for the great world building it brought. I even went through all the books I previously read to see if this was the first one she'd ever wrote to explain why this particular one was just so...one note. The 'spicy' scenes were bland, the love interests were boring, and the immediate cliche nicknames (I love you, baby etc) was just...blech. HOWEVER- the characters THEMSELVES are very interesting, the world is unique, and the story around them is very interesting. I'm very curious to see how the story builds off of this first book, and I want to know more about everyone else that was introduced and what comes next. It doesn't grip me like the cast of characters from the WUB Club books do, but I'm still curious to see what will happen.
January 23, 2019
3.5*. Early series from the author and while i loved Cross and Nia, the story feels a little rough. Downside to me is all the different characters and storylines. I realize as an author you have a choice, either write each couple's story as a standalone and have some duplication between books or try to fit them all in from the beginning. With the second option, it felt like there wasn't enough time for the relationship to build. One minute strangers, the next soul mates for life. The author does a good job with this, it was me who wanted more time with Cross and Nia, ie more than one day 🙂
January 2, 2024
I want more.
Cassandra Gannon is one of my favorite authors because I love the ideas she comes up with, but this one was a lot to process because so much was happening at once. We have multiple POV's, and most of them are side characters; a pair of them also have their own love story, which gets in the way of the main couple and the overall plot. The FMC or the MMC could have provided some of the points of view that weren't necessary. The romance was insta-loved with grumpy sunshine vibes. The spice was perfect. I just wish there was more relationship building between the two main characters. Either the story needed to be longer or some points of view needed to be taken out.
Cassandra Gannon is one of my favorite authors because I love the ideas she comes up with, but this one was a lot to process because so much was happening at once. We have multiple POV's, and most of them are side characters; a pair of them also have their own love story, which gets in the way of the main couple and the overall plot. The FMC or the MMC could have provided some of the points of view that weren't necessary. The romance was insta-loved with grumpy sunshine vibes. The spice was perfect. I just wish there was more relationship building between the two main characters. Either the story needed to be longer or some points of view needed to be taken out.
February 18, 2024
It was fine, although it could be much better. Still, it got me interested in the world of Elementals and
getting to know the rest of the characters better.
My main complaint is that even though I don’t mind insta-love that much, I dislike when characters pretend their connection is much deeper than it actually is. The very beginning of the book and the MMC is saying that the reason he wants his mate so much is not only because of their Phazing energy, but because she fascinates him so much as a person; when in reality, they did not even have a one conversation, they just kissed, so this doesn’t make any sense.
getting to know the rest of the characters better.
My main complaint is that even though I don’t mind insta-love that much, I dislike when characters pretend their connection is much deeper than it actually is. The very beginning of the book and the MMC is saying that the reason he wants his mate so much is not only because of their Phazing energy, but because she fascinates him so much as a person; when in reality, they did not even have a one conversation, they just kissed, so this doesn’t make any sense.
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