Above
This fantasy contains enough twists, turns, and fantastical elements to keep audiences intrigued.
In a land where islands float in the sky and horses grow wings, Elia is adrift, caught in the middle of a deception that spans generations and worlds. Jason Chabot continues the fantasy and suspense of The Broken Sky Chronicles in book two, Above.
Stuck with marauders in the primitive lands of Below, Elia is dependent on Roahm, the chieftain’s son, for survival, but she continues to yearn for life in the glamorous and corrupt islands of Above. When Hokk, a renegade ally, stages a daring rescue, Elia jumps at the chance to return. A desperate landing on the Isle of Drifting Dunes and a case of mistaken identity find Hokk face-to-face with the twin Emperors, one step closer to solving the mysteries surrounding Elia and the royals.
The story opens with an eerie fog and a deadly arrow, immediately setting the tone and making Elia’s dangerous position evident. Those new to the series will be playing a bit of catch up, though, piecing together the events that landed her there in the first place.
Alternating points of view between Elia, Hokk, and Tashiera, a spoiled but adventurous baron’s daughter, give the narrative three distinct voices that become more entwined as the story progresses. Elia’s anxious urgency and Hokk’s cruel practicality are offset by Tash’s frivolity and penchant for romanticizing events, giving her an endearing likability despite her snobbishness, particularly when she proclaims Hokk a visitor from the moon, unknowingly giving the two of them access to the palace.
The lands of Above and Below are a striking mix of old and new, combining enough elements of a past Earth as we know it to lend it credibility, and cloak-and-dagger escapades in the Mirrored Palace, which bears an uncanny resemblance to a twentieth-century skyscraper, only add to the allure, giving a creatively unique twist to the dystopian- or speculative-fiction aspects.
Tensions build as Elia, Hokk, and Tash each attempt to navigate the socially stratified word of Above, a fast-paced suspense drama with enough twists, turns, and fantastical elements to keep audiences of any age intrigued and coming back for more.
Reviewed by
Pallas Gates McCorquodale
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
