3.5 stars.

This was a comfortable read with a unique premise and a lot of room for a series continuation should the author be interested. It had a very interesting magic system that manages the earth's weather and other natural characteristics. There was an environmental undertone that wasn't totally overbearing, but did definitely come through as an allegory and something of an opinion piece. Some may be turned off by this approach, but I found it interesting.

The primary characters are fairly well constructed and their interactions feel mostly genuine, though there is a bit of instalove. The supporting characters could definitely be fledged out more and are a good portion of the reason that a series possibility exists. There is a lot in this world that could be explored and there is a lot more of the magic school that could be utilized as well. It's a bit of a treasure trove of imagination.

My primary issues with this book that prevented it from being rated higher were pacing and plot development. The pacing was a little bit slow due to some repetitious events in the plot that made things sometimes feel as if we were spinning in circles. There was a bit of monotony there that felt like the author was trying a bit too hard to get some points across rather than trusting the reader to fill in the blanks. The plot itself was overall good, but seemed a bit too restrained. There was so much more that could have been done with this premise that it felt like the story just didn't go far enough. Again, this is a reason why I think a series is a possibility.

Overall, a quick and comfortable read. Definitely not a bad debut and I think that Griffin is one to watch. She has a creative flare that is outside the norm and I think her writing could go in some fun directions.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *