Reign the Earth (Elementae #1) - A.C Gaughen

“My honour has nothing to do with what man is married to me, or touching me, or loves me. I will not be diminished or belittled by the choices of men around me.”

Firstly, thank you so much to Bloomsbury Publishing (specifically Catriona) for sending me a finished copy of Reign the Earth. This is no way alters or influences my opinion of the book.

Reign the Earth is set in a time period where there are two specific beings, we have the normal people of the society and the Elementae. The Elementae, are magic welders that possess abilities such as earth, fire, air, water. We follow the story through female protagonist Shalia, a seventeen year old daughter of the desert who makes the ultimate sacrifice for her family and for peace between her land and the Bone Lands. She married the King of the Bone Lands in the hope of bringing peace to her world and stopping the bloodshed between the resistance her brother is apart of, and her new husbands kingdom. Within a few weeks of her marriage, Shalia realises she possess the magic of the earth, able to manipulate and wield the earth to her command. She must keep this secret from her husband as he is hell bent on wiping the Elementae from existence out of fear of their power.

Book 1 Reign the Earth featured at the front, Book 2 Imprison the Sky in the background.

There are themes of violence, physical and emotion abuse, so if you are sensitive to these themes be sure to prepare yourself or decide if this is the book for you

Firstly, the world building and visual imagery within this novel was phenomenal. The description of the world and the setting was not overly done, nor neglectful and gave me the perfect visuals for engrossing myself in the story.

The characters were complex, compelling and fascinating. Shalia was a character that wasn’t naive or childish even though she is quite young. She displays understanding, courage and bravery without being overly impulsive or too rebelious. She was a game player from the beginning which I found wonderful, she knew how to handle every situation without coming across to weak or manipulative. Honestly, pregnant Shalia is even more badass and I loved reading the final chapters of the book with such admiration and astonishment at the things she pushed herself to do. She is a phenomenal character.

Calix was just an outright piece of shit. I couldn’t stand him from the get go and even in the beginning when I was trying to accept this entire situation I just couldn’t like him and I wished a better life for Shalia. The moment he strikes Shalia across the face for having no proof of her disloyalty had me nearly throwing the book across the room.

Galen was just ugh. perfection. I love characters like Galen who are the friends, protectors and real love interests of stories. I found it beautiful the way Shalia and Galen fall in love as its so honest and real. The ending of this book was compelling, perfect, shocking and honest.

Thank you Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me this finished copy of Reign the Earth. I look forward to reading the ARC of Imprison the Sky that you also sent me.

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