To celebrate the release of the Fourth Element trilogy boxed set, Kat Ross has stopped by Book Briefs with an awesome giveaway and sale! Right now, you can get the entire trilogy for only 99 cents! I am celebrating with a re-read of the first book, so I can jump in and read books two and three shortly thereafter.
The Fourth Element Trilogy: Boxed Set by Kat Ross
Pages: 922
Published by Acorn on September 22, 2017
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy & Magic
Source: ecopy from Publisher 
Gladiator meets Romeo and Juliet in this "spellbinding fantasy" trilogy (Kirkus Reviews) set in ancient Persia!
They are the light against the darkness.
The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.
And they use demons to hunt demons….Nazafareen lives for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King's elite Water Dogs is that they leash wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister.
Scarred by grief, she's willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius. Human in body, he's possessed of a terrifying power, one that Nazafareen controls. But the golden cuffs that join them have an unwanted side effect. Each experiences the other's emotions, and human and daeva start to grow dangerously close.
As they pursue a deadly foe across the arid waste of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, unearthing the secrets of Darius's past along the way, Nazafareen is forced to question his slavery—and her own loyalty to the empire. But with an ancient evil stirring in the north, and a young conqueror sweeping in from the west, the fate of an entire civilization may be at stake…
So begins an epic story of adventure, romance and betrayal that leads to undiscovered magical realms and a final confrontation with a demon queen bent on destroying them all.
Re-Read note: I liked this book even more the second time. I am glad that I took the time to read the first book again, because it helped get me familiar with the characters and the world. Even though, I knew what the surprises and plot twists would be, I still really enjoyed the story. Even more than the first time, which is a sign of excellent things to come in the series. Nazafareen feels like an old friend by now, and I can’t wait to jump into the second book. Here are my original thoughts on The Midnight Sea.
The Midnight Sea is the first in the young adult fantasy series, called The Fourth Element, by Kat Ross. The Midnight Sea is what I would describe as high fantasy, and I loved it. It kind of reminded me of the Storm Siren trilogy by Mary Weber. Kat Ross creates a rich fantasy world, full of new and scary creatures, lots of magical powers, and an intricately woven plot that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. (and then maybe even longer because there is a cliff hanger on this one.)
The Midnight Sea is the story of Nazafareen, and her “good” daeva, or demon, Darius. In this world they use the good demons, or demons who have been trained in the way of the light to defeat the bad demons- the Druj. Humans with powers, or the capability of having powers (I was a little unclear as to this part) are linked with a daeva, which creates a bond between them and their powers. It makes them stronger, allowing them to kill the Druj. But in the case of Nazafareen and Darius it also caused them to get closer and closer with one another. I loved this aspect of The Midnight Sea. It made for a really great, slow burn romance.
My only gripe about the story is that I wish it came with a glossary of terms and a map at the start of the story. Kat Ross has created a very intricate world with a lot of moving parts and new names, and I would have loved to have some context before I started reading. She does give a note to the readers at the end of the story that explain where in history we can place this story, and I loved that extra, but I think it would have worked better at the start of a story…with a map. Maybe it is just me, but I believe that every fantasy story should come with a map of the world. It helps me visualize as I am reading.
The Midnight Sea was a story that surprised me at the start, in the middle and again at the end. There were lots of plot twists woven into the story, some that I totally did not see coming at all! Fans of fantasy books will love this one. Do not miss The Midnight Sea. I can’t wait for the next book in the Fourth Element series.
Praise for the Fourth Element Trilogy
“A spellbinding fantasy with some moral weight and a meatier narrative than usual, one likely to leave readers quite satisfied… This tale’s grand scope is set off beautifully by its intimate start. The story grows wonderfully from such a small seed, and it is the moral and subjective implications of the vastness and impersonality of the Empire that work so well to drive the narrative. The plot builds effectively, and maintains a swift pace. Nazafareen’s initial simplistic motivation, hatred, becomes complicated by her link to Darius, and evolves into something much more intriguing and complex. This transition is helped by the clarity with which the characters are drawn. The immensity of the Empire occasionally threatens to smother the personal tale at the heart of the story, but, like shadows around a candle flame, it never quite manages that feat.” -Kirkus Reviews
“Fantasy lovers who enter this world will be wooed by its expansive world-building, soul-crushing romance, deeply layered characters, and page-turning twists.” –Flylef Reviews
“One of the best trilogies I’ve ever read. I will read anything by Kat Ross. Hats off to her for creating these wonderful characters and making us fall in love with them!” –Cover to Cover Reviews
“Kat Ross turned me into a puddle of emotions with her final book of the Fourth Element series! Action, betrayal, romance and demons conclude this story which can keep anyone captivated till the final page.” –Milky Way of Books
“An addictive, action-packed, glorious page-turner!” -Am Kinda Busy Reading
“I really hate the word ‘epic’ because, let’s face it, it’s so overused and it’s lost its true meaning, but this book [The Midnight Sea] deserves that word.” -Book Reader Chronicles
“This is truly a grand finale of a book, mysteries from the very beginning of the series are put to rest and our heroes win in unexpected ways.
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I love books that are full of surprises.
sherry @ fundinmental