Review: “Water (Akasha #1)” by Terra Harmony

Elemental powers in the palm of her hand…and it won’t be enough to save her. When Kaitlyn Alder is involuntarily introduced to a life of magic, she becomes part of an organization hell-bent on saving the Earth.

Just as her new-found life holds promises of purpose, romance, and friendship, the organization divides and a rogue member holds Kaitlyn hostage. Now one of the most terrifying men the human race has to offer stands between her and Earth’s survival.

When I first saw Water on Netgalley, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I wasn’t going to love it. A novel about the elements, romance and friendship?! It was almost like this book was destined for success.

There was something about the way Water was written…so vividly descriptive and gripping, the way that as soon as I started reading, I was thrown into the action, diving straight into the unique and fast-paced plot.

I love, love, love a fantasy novel, they were the types and genres that I grew up reading; mystical worlds where anything is possible. I was so thrown by this unusual genre! I had never heard of an “eco-fantasy” book before, so this really got me interested, not just in the book, but in the brilliantly original concept and backstory of the novel.

It can be difficult with books like Water because they’re so well-written and descriptive, it’s hard to say much without giving too much away! But, regardless of keeping too tight lipped, this novel had a kick-ass heroine, Kaitlyn, who was very headstrong and fierce. It’s hard to pin-point exactly what the target audience for Water is, because, although it had a very adult-like story, there were some straight up YA themes, too. So, if I had to make a decision, I’d say this was a ‘New-Adult’ novel, leaning more on Adult than YA, though.

Water was a very powerful start to the series, and I was hooked from day one. The magical element was my favourite part, and the way I could connect easily with the characters; Kaitlyn, Micah, and Shawn. The whole way through, Kaitlyn was very much the heroine name she had been living up to for me, and even though I felt I wanted to read more, (hopefully with book two, I’ll be able to find out more!) I still loved almost everything about this uniquely, astonishingly written novel.

“He stepped forward and took the butterfly hanging around my neck between his two fingers: “This will remind me, both of my mistake and how much I care for you.” He took another step closer so we were only inches apart, and his hand moved to the back of my shoulder where Shawn’s mark stillscarred my skin. “And I hope this will never heal. It will remind me to never take anything for granted; other people’s intentions, your safety, or . . . you.”

Terra is author of the Akasha Series, a set of four contemporary eco-fantasy novels. ‘Water’, ‘Air’ and ‘Fire’ are available as e-books, and ‘Earth’ is due to release in spring 2013.
Terra also has a vampire short story anthology published as an e-book called ‘The Kindred Curse Anthology’.

Terra was born and raised in Colorado but has since lived in California, Texas, Utah, North Carolina and Virginia. Terra has served a 5½ year enlistment in the Marine Corp, has earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree and presently runs the language services division of a small business.

Terra currently lives in a suburb of Washington, DC with her husband of 13 years and three children.

I recommend this to anyone who’s looking for something unique and interesting in their next read! With thanks to Patchwork Press for the copy of this super-amazing novel.