My love of young adult dystopian literature is no secret. As someone who deeply loved The Hunger Games and spent too much time trying to find other dystopian series to fill its void, I hold a special place in my heart for the angst of the dystopian literature of the 2010s. Meghan Rhine has cleverly taken some of the tropes that worked so well in these dystopian series and placed them in a new adult fantasy world fit for a modern audience. Where forever wars, class divides, societal factions, oppressive governmental regimes, and, yes, even love triangles are staples to young adult dystopian literature, they work just as well, if not better, in “Of Chaos and Beauty.”

The Blurb:

“An earth bender who’s lost everything, and the air wielder who’s stolen it all from her. Who will rise and who will fall in this war of elements where winner takes all?

A fierce earth bending warrior, and the next in line to lead her faction, Kara thought an arranged marriage and all out war between the elements was as bad as things could get. That was before enemy elementals attacked her village.
With her home destroyed and all its survivors chained in transporters destined for enemy territory, every fear that Kara’s held of not being the leader her people need has come true. When she has nothing left, what is there to give those who still look for her to lead? Will she have one last chance to prove she can protect them? And could the very commander who overtook her home be just the one to help her get it back?

Sorren’s destiny is simple. He has a legacy to protect and a plan to uphold. Son of the greatest prime policymaker the Upper Region has ever seen, Sorren has a duty to build the region up to his late father’s grand vision. A vision almost completed before the fire benders assassinated him. Now Sorren will stop at nothing to defeat the Lower Region and force its inhabitants to serve the capital, just as his father planned.
But when a raid on an earth bending village goes too far, does he still have what it takes to succeed at all costs? When one decision can cost Sorren everything, can he choose duty over honor? When the woman he swears to protect is the same one he must take everything from, how can he choose between his home and his heart?

Perfect for fans of Air Awakens and From Blood and Ash, prepare to be swept away by this enemies to lovers (then back to enemies) fantasy, where elemental magic, and epic adventures, converge. Join us on this unforgettable journey that will leave you restless and yearning for more.

Of Chaos and Beauty is an intense, action-packed adventure fantasy, set in a harsh and war-riddled world of elemental warriors. Within these pages, you will find elements regarding war, battle, hand-to-hand combat, slavery, blood, intense violence, injuries, and death, all of which are shown on the page. This book contains mature sexual content shown on page. Readers who may be sensitive to the mentioned themes, please take note, and prepare to enter a world of chaos…”

Review:

Goodness, I loved this book. I really enjoyed all of the main characters, which is a rare feat for a book. While we only get the point of view of Sorren and Kara in this book, several of the “secondary” characters were well-developed characters in their own right, including Cinis, Ciel, and Kara’s mother. Each of these characters had a lot of depth, and I connected with each in different ways. The villains were delightfully villainous, and I loved to hate them; Malakai was evil incarnate, and Morgana wasn’t much better.

This is billed as an enemies-to-lovers romance, but if you don’t enjoy enemies-to-lovers, I would not let that dissuade you from trying this series. Sorren is not your typical bad boy “enemy” romance. He falls hard for Kara and fights against his people to correct past wrongs. And he doesn’t just turn good for a girl; Sorren has been having second thoughts about his city’s cruel practices for a while before encountering Kara. I would give this 2.5/5 on the spice meter and label this as New Adult Fantasy. Be prepared for some steamy scenes. However, at its core, most of this book is a fantasy and not a romance.

The magic here was chef’s kiss. I adored the different clans and factions, and I loved how their magic and abilities played off each other, canceled each other, and, at times, strengthened each other’s abilities. The Terra abilities were very well established, but I wish readers had a deeper understanding of the other elemental abilities. I know this will probably be explored more in the next book, and I cannot wait to see more of the Fire factions in action. The author includes helpful charts detailing the clans, factions, and their elemental abilities, so you never feel too lost when reading.

Final Thoughts: I cannot wait for the next installment in this series and to see where Kara, Sorren, and Cinis end up. We learn so much new information about their powers in the last few chapters, which has me itching for even more.

Rating: 5/5 stars

“Of Chaos and Beauty” released today on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! Find it on Goodreads here.

Thanks to the author for an advanced copy of the novel for review!