Imprison the Sky is book two of The Elementae Series and it immediately jumps into action. Having not read book one, Reign the Earth, was not a problem. Author A.C. Gaughen, makes it possible to pick up the series in book two without being confused. She makes several references to the previous book, but you don’t feel left in the dark. There is definitely darkness in the story, though. Just the thought of slavery and all that comes with it is so heartbreaking. Gaughen finds the right balance of providing enough details to make it feel real without making it too difficult to read. The characters we meet, several of which were once slaves, have lived some pretty painful lives but have found hope and friendship despite their awful backstories. The way they support each other is inspiring. 

There are a few elements to the plot that give this story a slight Peter Pan-feel, and it is reminiscent of Sara Saedi’s Never Ever with younger characters running the show. It also has similarities to Sharon Shinn’s Elemental Blessing Series due to the characters having special abilities that are tied to the elements. With that in mind, it still has plenty of its own uniqueness. Appealing to both male and female audiences, Imprison the Sky has a lot to offer.

Favorite quote from Imprison the Sky: “Are is the language of hope.” –Aspasia

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  106 mild obscenities; 4 religious profanities; 3 derogatory names; 3 scatological words; 3 anatomical terms.

Violence/Gore:  Many (46) brief incidents including character jokes about hurting self and others; character says that something feels like knives slicing skin; character thinks sister died; verbal threats; character tells another that she’s going to get killed; characters want to hurt others; planning an attack; reference to killing people; reference to “sick experiments” on people; second-hand report that characters tried to burn a ship and threw themselves overboard; references to death; reference to killing many and torturing pregnant woman; second-hand report of attacking and killing; second-hand report of character causing scar to her own face; references to slaves getting beaten; second-hand report of character losing a leg; discussions of war; reference to mother dying in childbirth; reference to a lot of blood; character throws something at someone else without hurting them badly; character scratches her own face; slaves gets punched and beaten; characters attack others; character cuts one and stabs eye of another; five incidents of attacking and killing including one extended incident.

Sex/Nudity:  Many (57) brief incidents involving teens with teens and adults with adults including kissing; flirting; touching hands and knees; hugging; arms around; holding hands; dancing; character bathes naked in a lake; references to bisexual and homosexual characters; innuendo; women shaking hips to get customers; reference to a brothel; male character looks admiringly at female character in wet clothing; girl watches boy bathe and finds him handsome; girls kiss girls; references to breasts; a few incidents of characters sleeping beside each other; cuddling; reported sex between minors; character touches another’s breasts; two incidents of sexual activity without explicit detail between characters whose age isn’t for sure but likely at least 18.

Mature Subject Matter:

Slavery, including adults and children; death; homosexuality; sexual activity.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Reference to drinking; characters drink with meals. (Most characters drinking were likely 18 or older.)