I recommend getting both The Breathing Sea I and II I was glad I started with I and thrilled to have II already on hand!

The Breathing Sea I Burning and The Breathing Sea II Drowning are Books three and four, respectively, of The Zemnian Series. I haven't read the first two books in the series and I want to address a little bit about that first. Anytime I do choose a book that happens to be part of a series I realize I'm taking a gamble of feeling like I'm missing information needed to fully understand the plot and/or characters. I'm happy to say that was not the case with TBS I Burning! It wasn't until the end that I was reminded it was part of a series but crafted so well that unless you knew otherwise it could pass as book one of a series! Usually if I'm going to be reviewing more than one book in a series I write my review at the end of each before I start reading the next. This time I couldn't do it! Author Elena Clark had captured my attention from the start of TBS I Burning, kept it throughout it's many pages (about double of the average fantasy ebooks, more bang for your buck) until the cliffhanger at the end!! I had the next book in my possession ......It was too late that night to work on a review but too early to go to bed...... I had to know what happened, so yes, I started the next book fully intending to write the review in the next day or two! But once started I couldn't put it down! TBS II Drowning does pick up exactly, I stress exactly, where TBS I Burning ends. That was why I was so thrilled to already have it on hand! Clark gives a good synopsis on the first couple pages for those who did not read Burning first but obviously the experience would be drastically different if I hadn't read Burning first. I sooo enjoyed these books and want future readers to have the same full experience so I decided to do this joint review without giving any specifics (spoilers) but to encourage future readers to read the book as it was meant to be! In my opinion Clark is doing what she was meant to do! Often times it seemed as if I was watching a movie, she brought these characters to life in such a way that I felt true emotion towards them all, varying levels of good or bad but never indifferent. Clark's skillful writing made it easy to picture them, what they were doing and where they were, showing she has a knack for painting a picture with her words where others fail by getting too wordy or adding too much fluff. Do not let the length of the books deter you, it's a bonus here, the storyline is kept on track adding new and interesting characters along the way with events continuing to unfold adding more dimension to the plot without any lulls or fluff! Magic is the running theme throughout in its various forms, some new and never seen before and some going far back in mans history. But human nature in its various forms is just as much a running theme showing both the good, moral, tender side of humanity as well as the dark, mean spirited and even evil side.

I obviously enjoyed these books and encourage reading TBS I Burning first if you happened to have stumbled on to TBS II Drowning first, you won't regret it! Its been quite sometime that a book became so vivid in my mind, with characters that I felt emotionally invested in and a storyline that was completely engaging from beginning to end! I definitely want to get my hands on the other books in the series!!

My reading dates are both books combined because I honestly can't remember when I finished Book I & then started the same evening Book II. ( )