Review: The Lost Elemental (Royals of Kingwood Academy, #1) by Tessa Hale

                                                         

Print Length: 288 pages

Publisher: Tessa Hale (July 20, 2022)

From Goodreads.com: It was supposed to be simple. Graduate, get a job to keep my mom from drowning in mountains of medical debt, and maybe score a scholarship to a decent college.

All of that changed in a single breath. Because it turns out I’m not human. And I just knocked out the power on an entire city block.

In a split second, all of my carefully-laid plans go up in smoke. There’s no chance for college because I’m being hauled off to Kingwood Academy. They say it’s for my own protection and those around me. But I know one thing for sure…

I’m not welcome here.

The mean girls don’t stop at insults and tripping you in the halls. They’re wielding magic that could cost me my life. And the rest of the school sees me as either a halfling that should be cast out or a powerhouse to be brought down.

Everyone except them.

The charmer. The gentle giant. The psychopath. And maybe even the cruel prince.

The royals of Kingwood Academy have taken me under their wing and I can’t help but notice how my skin hums when they touch me. I shouldn’t be dreaming about a single one of them, let alone all four. But I can’t seem to stop myself.

Only someone doesn’t like the attention the royals are showing me. And when the attacks start, the princes will do anything to protect me. But they don’t know the true evil we face. The kind who will do whatever it takes to seize our power, even if that means stealing the very last breath from our lungs…

  

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

I haven't read a reverse harem in awhile, and was in need of a palate cleanse from all of my usual genres, so I thought I would give this one a try. 

On the whole, I found it to be a decent read. I was able to finish it in just under two days, so it definitely held my interest, I just wish that it was a little longer and more fleshed out  than it was as the premise was definitely interesting. I wasn't even completely against the "instalove" that happened between Aura and three of the "Royals" as it made sense if she was to be their bond and their magic recognized hers. 

There were moments when I laughed out loud (like when Aura asked Phoenix if he was pouting because she told him he couldn't decapitate anyone, or when she pinched Kai's butt because he had tossed her over his shoulder). And moments when I wanted to whack one of the guys (mainly Riven) for being a jerk.  I also loved how protective the three of them were of her (although I can't say Riven wasn't protective of her, he went about it very differently and much more subtly than the other three). They not only stood up to other students, they even stood up to faculty, and on some occasions, kings, on her behalf.

But as I said above, there are things I would have liked to have seen expanded upon. There are also some things that I would like to have seen changed. To begin with, when we're first told that Aura is being sent to Kingwood Academy (even knowing they do have other classes once their powers are unlocked), I assumed that they would be experiencing the equivalent of at least an entire semester to learn the basics before anything else happened.

Except, it would seem as though everything happened within the span of two weeks. Aura went from taking classes with other students (even those who knew what they were)  where they were told how to feel their element (if they had the particular one that related to that class) and how to call it forward, and then suddenly they were having their abilities completely unlocked and being tested on how well they could use them. It just didn't make sense.  Nor did how quickly some of the other side-threads seem to be wrapped up. 

I am also seriously confused at how even knowing the sort of dangers that existed, and then finding out that Aura may be something they thought long gone not only didn't warrant her extra protection, but left her in  a vulnerable spot? Although I suppose if that had had happened, there wouldn't be a second book

Truth be told, at times, it appeared as though the author was trying to shove an entire series into a novella. This makes me curious about the other two books and to whether they will have that same rushed feeling or not.  I've already downloaded them, so I guess we will see.