This was a great start to an exciting & easy to follow new romantasy series! I really enjoyed the magic system with different elements controlled by each of the four siblings, and I especially liked the MC Arabella and all that she could do with her power over air. Not only was she powerful and compassionate, but also very witty & sarcastic. Things get interesting when the siblings learn they are to compete in a tournament for the title of heir to the throne, while also dealing with unrest & disappearances in the kingdom.

There’s a sort of love triangle situation between Arabella, a childhood friend, and the prince of a neighboring kingdom. Although Arabella’s choice wasn’t surprising, I was definitely shocked by how certain things turned out. The love interest captured my heart by the end and Arabella’s story was wrapped up nicely while also leaving things open for the next book which I look forward to reading.

Thank you to Bees & Honey for the ARC!

Natalie Cammaratta’s “Princess of Air” surrounds four royal siblings each one ruled by Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. The Princess of Air is our MC Arabella who is participating in a trial hosted by the Queen (her mother) to see who will be the next heir to the throne of Alchos. Of course, it’s not as simple as that: Arabella is caught up in somewhat of a forbidden love triangle twisted up with an arranged marriage.

This lighthearted young adult romantasy novel has an interesting world and magical system that was easy to follow. I admire the relationship that Arabella has with her siblings - my romantic preference for her was pretty solid from the beginning, and although it felt a bit predictable there are impressive plot twists that I was not expecting! Arabella’s character develops through her family duty and the expectations she has as a potential heir, but she also has a strong sense of self and owns her individuality. I enjoyed the heartwarming moments that involve the supporting characters. I look forward to continuing with the series and following her siblings’ stories.

This story would be appropriate for teen & younger adult audiences as it’s not too heavy with violence and there isn’t explicit smut. I think if you enjoy magic, witty banter, and want a fun, quick royal fantasy read that isn’t going to stress you out or keep you up at night - you’ve made a great choice.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bees & Honey for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Princess Arabella has never wanted the throne. She's happy to use her magic to help her people and is sad to give up her friend and lover Tomas to marry a perfectly nice prince from the neighboring kingdom. When her mother announces that the four royal siblings will compete to win the crown, a rivalry emerges that will either break the siblings apart of weld them together.

This novel turned quite a few tropes upside down. The competition was a battle or might, magic and wits. Winning was a matter of making good leadership choices. There was no clear villain in the romance plot - just circumstances that played against Arabella's heart. There was a secret outside source of conflict that will propel the story forward. I very much enjoyed this and look forward to the next book.

What I Loved
The best thing about “Princess of Air” is how well it builds the world and the cool magic system. Cammaratta’s world is so vivid and immersive, it’ll make you want to explore every nook and cranny. Arabella and her siblings have pretty cool elemental powers that make their characters so much more entertaining. Also, the clever back-and-forth dialogue adds humor, making the overall conflict feel less heavy. This romantasy has a love triangle, which I love. The romance, fraught with tension and uncertainty, will keep you enraptured, unsure of which path Arabella will ultimately tread. And I won’t spoil it for you, but I’ll just say that it wasn’t what I expected.

Sibling Dynamics and Character Development
One of the novel’s standout features is the portrayal of sibling relationships, a cornerstone of the narrative. Cammaratta does an excellent job of developing the unique personalities of each sibling, enabling readers to form authentic bonds with them. Since I am an only child, I live out these kinds of relationships vicariously through others. The dynamic interplay between the siblings, fueled by both rivalry and camaraderie, adds layers of depth to the story, which I loved. By the end of the book, you totally get why each sibling does what they do.

Areas for Improvement
Although “Princess of Air” is impressive, it has some minor flaws. Sometimes, the dialogue feels a bit stiff and doesn’t flow like the rest of the story. In the book, it is emphasized how comfortable and informal the royals and family friends are with each other, however, the dialogue came across as excessively formal and bordering on stiffness. I still enjoyed the book, but the formality stood out.

Emotional Resonance and Plot Twists
Cammaratta masterfully writes about themes of love, betrayal, and sibling rivalry, imbuing the narrative with emotional depth and resonance. The plot twists are mind-blowing and will keep you hooked. Even I couldn’t see them coming and I’m usually pretty good at sniffing them out.

Conclusion
In conclusion, “Princess of Air” is a mix of adventure, romance (and spice), and political intrigue that is sure to hook you. With its vividly imagined world, fully fleshed-out characters, and unexpected twists in the plot, this novel firmly establishes itself as a must-read romantasy lovers. Although it may have some minor imperfections, Cammaratta’s storytelling is undeniably brilliant, capturing readers’ attention and leaving them eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

The Princess of Air follows fun and exciting magical powers held by four siblings, each possessing a power of natural elements passed down from their mother; Earth, Fire, Water and Air. The Queen, their mother, decides to host trials to see who will become King/Queen of the kingdom. As the trials proceed, many elements in our main characters life, Arabella, become complicated and she has more on her plate than just going against her siblings for the throne.

This story takes an exciting turn, including elements of arranged marriages, forbidden relationships and sibling bonds being explored. The story kept me reading on, and I am very excited to continue the story in future books. The love interest plot was exciting to read, and kept me up late wanting to read on. The ending of the story allowed for more to be explored in future books, which I will definitely be picking up to read!

Thank you NetGalley and Bees & Honey Publishing for allowing me an early readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

DNF

Thank you Netgalley and Author Natalie Camarratta for this early arc copy for an Honest review.

I DNF this around page 100.

I truly tried to give this my best shot but It just wasn't for me but that doesn't mean you cant try it.

I still fully support this author and would love to try something else by her

this book was a regal hunger games.

my personal thoughts
~this felt like a history book to me
~ I couldn't get into it. I never wanted to pick it up
~ it felt like hunger games which just isn't my vibes

HAPPY READINGS BESTIES

ANYWAY JUST MY OPINON

first ARC 💪🏻
first DNF 😭

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a much lighter book than what I normally read, but nevertheless it got me hooked and I finished it in a couple of days. I thought the magic system was interesting, and it was refreshing to read about a competition between siblings that wasn't overly cutthroat and violent. In addition to the main character, her siblings felt like distinct characters with fully fleshed out personalities. The world building was relatively simple, but there were some curve balls thrown in toward the end that will hopefully be more fleshed out in the next book.

I have to say my biggest issue was with the romantic plot line. It followed a pretty classic love triangle "arranged marriage but I'm already in love with someone else" trope, and ultimately fell a little flat. I didn't feel particularly connected to either love interest, and the main character's constant guilt over waffling between the two made her kind of unlikeable. The spice was nice and well written, but relatively tame (fade-to-black before they go all the way) and I don't know that I would go so far as to call it "steamy."

Overall, I think this is a great book if you're new to romantic fantasy, looking for a bridge between YA and NA, or if you're looking for a change from the darker or more epic fantasies.

I enjoyed this book! Hoping it will continue as the ending is left open. This romantasy shows the relationship between siblings who have different powers given by their mother, they have competition and rivalry. The world it was created and the way the story was written had me hooked!
Thank you Netgalley and bees&honey for this ARC in exchange for my review

3½ ⭐

This ARC was very kindly received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a lighthearted romantasy, and I enjoyed it. Arabella was a spunky heroine who is exploring the reach of her power, and I liked watching her get to use it more and more throughout the book.

I thought the book struggled with pacing issues, however, and I would have liked to see the characters do even more with their magic. I felt like it got lost in the love triangle for most of the middle of the book, and while I love a good romance this just made it drag a little bit for me. The time jumps were also confusing and clunky at times.

My favourite part of the book were the dynamics between Arabella and her siblings. They were so interesting to me! I liked that they were complex, and that they could be spiky and weren't afraid to go for what they wanted, even if it meant fighting against one another for power. Overall, it was a fun read!

Princess of Air by Natalie Cammaratta is fantasy romance novel. What an exciting read. I really did not want this book to end. I mean yes there is another book coming out after this but still I wanted more now. The characters were well written and so interesting. They fit so well into a well developed and thought out plot. There is action, adventure, romance with some spice, drama, and more. The world in which they exist is fantastic and a place I want to explore.

The Queen has decided to name her heir by having her four children of the elements compete. Arabella, Princess of air, is one of the siblings that now must compete for the title. This story is not just about that though but about the growth of the character overall and family dynamics.

I really can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next. This book was exciting and a worthwhile read!

A well t=written story of sibling rivalry, finding one's true path, and finding ones inner strength! Princess Arabella is the second child of four in the Kingdom of Achlos. She is gifted the magic of Air, and struggle with deciding if she will fulfill her duty as princess, or follow her heart to be with the one she loves.

In a powerful Kingdom, 4 magical siblings must balance their power and positions as royalty. One is set to inherit, but are they the right choice?

Arabella's magic is the element of Air. Using it comes almost instinctually and with a level of power she wasn't even aware she possessed. She must prove to herself, her siblings, her parents and surrounding kingdoms that she is worthy of her magical abilities.

Princess of Air is a wonderful story of politics, self-identity and courage.

Natalie Cammaratta tells the powerful story of a woman finding herself and accepting her own power, wherever that might lead her. Through excellent world building and detailed character development, you see the people and landscape through Ara's eyes, feel what she feels and hurt when she hurts.

For those drawn to strong heroines, complex story lines with twists, turns and a little magic mixed in, Princess of Air is definitely for you!

3.5 stars.

This was Bridgerton mixed with elemental magic. I enjoyed it a lot.

However, my biggest critique is that at times the romance took over the whole story and the plot would check out for a while. The first half had a bigger focus on the romance and then the ending had all of the action.

Another issue I had was the ending had such a big ordeal and new character introduced that was very rushed. I know it’ll probably be a big part of whatever sequel is written, but I felt like it could have been expanded upon just a little bit more in this book so that it didn’t feel like someone just dropped it in the story randomly.

This was a good start to a new romantasy series! I really loved the world-building and found the four elements for each sibling fun! The sibling bonds/rivalries were very realistic and I loved it! There is a love triangle and honestly, while it was clear who the author was going to have her pick I was really rooting for the other guy, I just didn't feel a connection to the man she choose and he really didn't do anything that made me like omg until basically the end. The end of the book definitely has me intrigued for book 2 and I think I'm gonna like it even better than the first!!

I really enjoyed this, it's a lush fantasy romance with an interesting magic system. At times the dialogue felt a tad stagnate to me, but the evolution of Arabella as a character made up for that. It was really easy to relate to her, and I loved the sibling rivalry and slow burn romance.

The short chapters kept me reading, and it felt like a cosy and enjoyable read after recently struggling through some high fantasy!

I do love elemental magic, and I thought Cammaratta did a really good job with fleshing out the magic system, the siblings and love interests. People who are fans of Avatar, love triangles, political intrigue and immersive fantasy will love this.

I know I'll definitely be picking up the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really was hoping I would love with book and was wishing it was higher rating but I just could get understand where the story was going. The cover is really pretty and the title of the book got my eye, I loved all the people the book and I did find it was easy to easy. I'm just sad that didn't know where the story was going.

This is the first book of a series that I will absolutely be following along with. I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

I had a great time reading this, it was easy for me to get through and it was so enjoyable. I was laughing hard at many points. And the spice hits.

Trials, love, sibling rivalry, elemental magic and tension, what more could you ask for?

*Thank you to Net Galley and Bees & Honey for the opportunity to read this ARC. I am leaving an honest and voluntary review*

Thank you to Net Galley and Victory Editing for this ARC for the Princess of Air! When her mother announces that she will determine the next in line for the throne by having trials instead of birthright, Arabella (the Princess of Air) and her 3 siblings (each having their own powers derived from earth, fire, and water) will have to fight their way to the crown. I thought the book would focus more on these trials, but there were other twists accompanying the story, making the book more interesting.

I loved Arabella's character - she seemed fun and sassy, yet resilient and empowered (it was nice to see her grow more mature as the book continues). The other characters were also well written, and made an intriguing cast. I loved the banter amongst Arabella and her siblings and the rest of the characters. There was also a bit of a love triangle among Arabella, Jamys (a prince from another kingdom and who Arabella is betrothed to), and Tomas (who Arabella had prior/current(?) relationship with). The world building was great and it helped out in the story - I could easily picture the atmosphere the author describes.

As for pacing, a good chunk of the book was well-paced - in between the action of the trials, there are more calmer (and a bit spicier) scenes that helped me take a breath. I found that it got a little sad towards the end, then quite fast paced near the end. The ending made me want to read the next book in the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

In Mirador, the gods gifted a single queen with elemental magic only to be passed down to her heir. All others in the land possess no such magic.
Queen Elea split her magic between her four children, The eldest and supposed heir to the throne Rylan, Prince of Earth, Arabella Princess of Air, and the twins Nina, Princess of Fire and Marcus, Prince of Water.
Princess Arabella and her three siblings are told that the heir to the throne will not be given to the eldest child as is customary but will instead be determined by three trials to see who is best fit to rule their kingdom.
Meanwhile, there are rumors of disappearances and odd happenings spread throughout the continent. Unrest is spreading and an unknown danger is lurking.

I was not prepared to love this much as I did. I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in 24 hours! I absolutely cannot wait until the next installment in this series.

I loved the family dynamics between the siblings, it felt like such an accurate depiction of having a big, lively family.

The romance was both sweet, spicy and swoon worthy.
The love triangle gave just enough tension while also giving sweet and tender moments along with fierce passion.
In romantasy we’re all very used to the tall, dark and handsome morally grey enemies to lovers tropes, but Princess of Air gave us such a refreshing change with the two main love interests.
Both Tomas, her life long friend, and Jamys, her betrothed, were both different and incredible characters. I loved seeing their interactions with Ara.

The plot was filled with adventure, mystery and wild twists. I loved seeing how things played out throughout the book and was absolutely shocked at where this story took us!

My only complaint was that we’re never told how old the characters are! Theres only mention of a flashback when Ara was 10 which was “a long time ago” so I just assumed that she was around 20.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review is posted on good reads and
I will post my review on Instagram at @Vik.Quinn.books closer to publication date.

Arabella is the Princess Of Air. Her three siblings control the other elements (earth, water and fire). It has always been assumed that the oldest of the siblings will inherit the crown to their kingdom so it's a big surprise for the siblings to discover that they will have to compete against each other in a series of trials and the winner will take the crown. Our protagonist is already betrothed to a Prince in another kingdom so just plans to go through the motions and get the trial out of the way.

I love a good fantasy romance, and on paper I thought I was going to love this, and it was good but it fell a bit short for me. The pacing felt a bit off, and I didn't really connect with the characters.

It's got:

- Trials
- Forbidden love
- Some mild spice
- Arranged marriage

I've rounded up the stars here but it's solid 3.5/5 for me. It kept me interested enough to read the whole thing but I'm not sure I'll continue the series.