Born of Water: Elemental Magic & Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Rise of the Fifth Order Book 1)

Niri was always expected to bring back every elemental she spotted. These elementals would be integrated into the Church and learn to control their skill with earth, air, fire, or water. But when Niri finds a girl who can use Magic, which has been forbidden, a curse is unleashed that could destroy them both.That's the best way I can summarize it. And now my review will begin. As usual, I'll be dividing it into: thinks I liked, and, things I didn't like. Be on the lookout for spoilers, since I sometimes do bring up events in the book.What I liked:- The Characters: Birt did a good job choosing the characters that would lead her story. They are all very different, have their own reasons to go on this epic journey, and their relationships with each other seem genuine and not forced.- The Setting: or should I say settingS. Birt introduces the reader to a completely new world in this book, and she had enough imagination to present us with a plethora of cities, each of which is memorable thanks to certain characteristics. The cities are well-described, from the buildings to the people, and the reader can see each of these places in his/her's mind's eye. It's not a book where one struggles to see the surroundings, but one where the setting flows out of the pages almost visibly. Speaking of descriptions, Birt is brilliant at discussing sailing (or, as far as I know, for someone who has never sailed before). I am willing to bet that she has sailed herself, as her skill in describing that art matches up with the two characters who are particularly good at it.- The Plot: the plot starts out simply enough: save Ria before the curse can kill her, but from this point it develops into a full-fledged novle-length plot. As they travel to save their friend, the characters find that their journey changes to discover how the Church was created, and how they can defeat the monster at its disposal. I liked the plot's slow growth, although I found that it was almost set on pause when they visit the forest city to make way for the romance. Speaking of...- The Romance: (SPOILER) No, this is not the romance that takes place in the forest city, but the one that slowly develops between Niri and Ty. They both start out wary of each other, but as time goes on and they spend more and more time together, they warm up to each other and eventually begin a romantic relationship. I liked the slow growth of this romance, which made it feel more realistic than the other one.What I didn't like:- The Romance: (SPOILER) This is the romance that takes place in the forest city, between Lavinia and Darag. It just seemed to be that insta-attraction that I hate so much. Not only that, but I didn't like the plot was basically put on hold while all this was happening. In the end, I like both characters, and I like them together, but I just wish their romance was slower and better developed.- Character Outbursts (or Over-Emotional Moments) - this book is full of them, especially from Ty, and it might have been just me, but a lot of them seemed to come out of nowhere. Ria yells at Ty once, and we are told they apparently had a few fights some time ago, but why don't we read about the fights rather than being told they happened? Lavinia runs away from Ty, who chases her angrily, which was honestly just a weird scene. Ty himself would fluctuate. There'd be a chapter written in from his point of view and I'd start to see some development, and then in the next he'd explode again. It was bizarre, as he sort of seesawed between the two seemingly without rhyme or reason.- Multiple Points of View: this doesn't always annoy me, but it does in this case, and I'll go ahead and explain why. First of all, I believe that if you're going to switch between focal characters, while doing third-person narration, there had better be a reason, such as each doing their own thing while occasionally interacting with each other. They should each have their own plot, their own goals, their own experiences. In this book, however, all characters experience almost exactly the same situations all together. Most of the book is all of them traveling together in a boat, and they are all after the same thing: to save Ria. I could tell the point of view was switching, but I couldn't always tell to whom. I occasionally had to reread the beginning of a chapter to figure that out. So, that needs some work and I didn't like it.- A Few Little Things: I kept feeling as if this book was rushed through the editing process, as I kept finding typos here and there, and even a few grammatical errors. There was also a moment when a character asked if they were "dating" and referred to someone as a "boyfriend," and since those words are so modern and don't correspond to the setting at all, I was kind of taken out of the story for a bit. So, like I said, little things, but they were enough to break the flow.- Overpowering the Character: Not going to go into too much detail here for fear of spoilers, but there were a few characters who definitely had too many powers compared to the rest of the characters in the book, making it almost unfair to everybody else and too easy to achieve a resolution.But, in the end, I enjoyed this book more thank I thought I would thanks to the plot and setting. It was a pretty good read, although nothing out of this world. I will probably read the second one, and I'll be sure to drop a review when I do. I hope this review was helpful while deciding whether to read it or not, and if you do choose to read this book, I hope you enjoy it.

I enjoyed the initial saga of the Rise of the Fifth Order fantasy series, Born of Water. In the magic-filled world of Myrrah, the Priests and Priestesses of the Church of the Four Elements can control earth, wind, water, and air. The Church maintains its position of power by “adopting” (kidnapping, was my impression) and training any children who show the power to control the elements. The story begins when a disillusioned Priestess of the Church, Niri, goes rogue. Niri refuses to report and “recruit” a teenage girl, Ria, who shows the potential to perform magic, an ability which could get Ria killed by the Church. In a danger-filled quest reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings, Niri, Ria, plus two other young adults, Lavinia, and her brother ,Ty, begin a worldwide search for a method to save Ria’s life from the Church’s Curse. This is also a story of personal discovery, growth, and developing relationships between young adults. As should be with any good fantasy series, the story comes with maps and detailed descriptions of the different races, their cultures and languages. Both fantasy and young adult readers won’t be left wanting—except for more. The story follows the logical order of the characters’ journey without backtracking to explain events. However, the pace can seem uneven at times, since the story often slows to develop the characters. The action scenes are exciting, short, and concise. But I was surprised, and sometimes disappointed, when characters suddenly discovered powers they didn’t know they possessed just in time to save the day. This distracted from the suspense for me, since the characters became almost god-like and undefeatable. I thought the characters were as well-developed as can be with growing young adults who still don’t know their own motivations and desires. Niri remained the thoughtful leader, struggling with her own fears and self-confidence. Lavinia is a budding young woman, battling the relationship with her brother, Ty, and learning to love for the first time. I found Ria the most interesting character. She struck me as a spoiled teen full of insecurity and fear. While Ria has most potential to perform magic, she’s also the most immature. I kept waiting for her to make some disastrous mistake. Ty is the most confusing character—as are most young men at his age. His guilt and anger often seem misplaced or ill-timed. The writing style flows smoothly. Although there are some edit problems, they weren’t bad enough to be distracting. I did have problems when characters switched to a foreign language. No translation was provided, leaving the reader to decipher what was being said. This came at a critical junction in the story when the characters learned important information about their abilities. I’m not a fantasy reader, certainly not a reader of YA fantasy. My limited experience with this genre left me making comparisons with the only YA novel I’ve read in recent years, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I enjoyed Born of Water more than Hunger Games. I felt the characters were better developed. The mythical world was better described. I bought Rule of Fire, the second book in the Rise of the Fifth Order series. I didn’t buy the sequel to Hunger Games or see the movies. I did, however, have the same problem with both Born of Water and Hunger Games. Whenever the characters were faced with certain death, they were suddenly saved by sources previously unannounced or explained. This fault distracts from the story and its credibility. I recommend Born of Water to both young adult and adult fantasy readers. Author: Autumn M. Birt Twitter: @Weifarer Website: AutumnWriting.com

I was reading this on another platform, so I know it's good. I now have 2 of this authors books, and will not only buy more, but will also but books by Autumn and another author, in partnership (as well as his own books). I have also been in contact with the authors, so they Know I'm showing an interest in their books, and that I like what they write.

This was an epic fantasy tale that took you to wonderfully described places with very interesting characters.The journey taken from start to finish lures you in and you can't escape the need to know what happens next. Just as you take a breath you are captivated by the next part of the adventure.This is a stand-alone story but there is another book and i will definitely be reading the next one.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and i would not hesitate recommending it. An absolute must if you love epic fantasies.

I enjoyed this book. It moves at a fairly good pace, and the story itself has lots of potential. The world and the magic are diverse and interesting. Some other reviewers found the character development slow, which I feel is due to the fact that there is no single main character but a group that grows. The story is really about Ria and yet Niri is the primary and more likeable character for much of the book. We don't really see much of the "baddies" but their threat is always there and even by the end of the book their motivations still need to unfold. I still enjoyed the book, and have just started the second. I'm pretty sure I will buy the final book in the series too.

While the story seems to take a while to get going, once it does it just keeps on going. Just finished reading this and have downloaded the reamaining two. So if i think its that good why only a 4* ? While the book is fairly enjoyable to read i feel the characters are quite two dimensional and little is said about their feelings in comparision to the expansive description of buildings and scenary.

Fantasy at its best.'Born of water' is a brilliantly crafted and well presented story that takes you on an adventure through a creative and magical world.The thread of the journey from busy cities, across seas and desserts stays true and written splendidly in great detail. All the characters are believable and the relationships between them felt real, showing empathy and deep emotions.