ALA Booklist

Two teen mages plot to overthrow the Bane, the despotic conqueror of their domain, in this trilogy opener. Prince Titus has spent his entire life preparing for his deceased mother's prophecy, in which he sacrifices his life to defeat the Bane, with the aid of a great elemental mage. When the sign he has been waiting for comes summoned lightning bolt that sets the sky ablaze races to protect this rare and important mage, only to discover an untried girl named Iolanthe. She has led a quiet life studying to be a scholar but is now hiding in an unfamiliar world neteenth-century London a boy's school. She is ill prepared for the destiny Titus claims is hers, yet she needs him to survive long enough to decide. Titus is prepared to die she? It's easy to confuse the details of this multiworld, multi-magic-system fantasy, but it's just as easy to be absorbed by the delicious, troubled romance between Titus and Iolanthe and their desperate situation. Strong focus on characters and world building make this a fantasy saga to watch.

Kirkus Reviews

An award-winning adult romance author's debut for teens bids fair to be the next big epic fantasy success. Iolanthe Seabourne's quiet life as an elemental mage of middling power explodes when she summons lightning from the sky. Suddenly the 16-year-old is on the run from villainous Inquisitors. That same lightning bolt galvanizes the carefully nurtured schemes of Titus, the teenage figurehead prince, to free his realm from domination by Atlantis. The only problem is that the great mage whom seers foretold Titus will sacrifice his life to protect was supposed to be a boy….Multiple tropes--of heroic quest, gaslamp fantasy, fractured fairy tale, school story and doomed romance--are gracefully braided into a hefty but ravishing narrative. In its two alternating viewpoints, three worlds and four distinct magical systems are all masterfully delineated through delicate prose and subtle characterization. Iolanthe may be excessively perfect--beautiful and powerful and brilliant--but her prickly independence and wry self-awareness give her depth; Titus' status, talent and stunning magnificence is less compelling than his boyish vulnerability and tortured determination. Too often in fantasy, when prophecies are both accurate and specific, characters can seem mere puppets of fate. Here, the conflagrant climax is true to their choices, with a satisfying happy-for-now resolution that whets delicious anticipation for inevitable sequels. It caters to very specific tastes, but teens and adults in the target audience will devour it. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Thomas, who-s built a strong reputation in historical romance, turns to YA fantasy with aplomb in the first installment of the Elemental Trilogy. Sixteen-year-old Iolanthe Seabourne is an elemental mage with a gift for fire; she has trained in obscurity with her drug-addicted mentor for as long as she can recall. When their quiet life suddenly turns to chaos, he-s coherent enough to help fling her out of danger but into a world she does not know-late 19th century London, a -nonmage- society that coexists with the rival mage realms of Atlantis and the Domain. Rescued by the Domain-s young master, Titus Elberon, and disguised as a boy attending Eton College, Iolanthe has to learn who and what to believe. Titus will do anything to overthrow Atlantis; Iolanthe dreams of becoming a mage scholar. Only one of them knows that death is imminent. As expected, Thomas-s romantic touch is sure, but she is just as adept with fantasy world-building, carrying the banners of Anne McCaffrey and Caroline Stevermer, among others, in a wonderfully satisfying magical saga. Ages 14-up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-When her guardian purposefully ruins her meticulously prepared potion to prevent her from performing a rite at a local wedding, 16-year-old Iolanthe Seabourne tries to revive it by bringing down a bolt of lightning and instead brings down a load of trouble. Turns out, Iolanthe has been kept hidden her whole life because of a prophecy that she would destroy the Bane, a powerful mage and tyrant who rules the Realm. The teen would be happy lying low, but Prince Titus has spent his life training to avenge his family and restore power to his throne, and he is determined that she fulfill her destiny. The fun begins when Titus brings Iolanthe to London-real, nonmagical London-and pressures her to enroll in Eton College with him disguised as a boy named Arthur Fairfax. Though Iolanthe is initially furious at Titus, romance quickly begins to crackle as they plot how to save the Realm. This first book in a trilogy thankfully lacks a cliff-hanger ending, instead promising more adventures in a vividly realized fantasy world. Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA