I was so tired last night, but I stayed up until who-knows-when (I refused to look at the clock) finishing this because I could NOT put it down.

I have no idea how to explain the awesomeness of this series to you. English is not even the author's first language. You'd never know. Her prose is lush and evocative. Thomas is apparently a well known romance author, and I haven't read any of her other stuff. The Burning Sky trilogy is her first foray into YA fantasy. There is romance, but it's YA appropriate. There is a fade-to-black scene (not until the 3rd book, though there's some tame discussion of the intention in the 2nd), and some discussion/ribbing of said fade-to-black scene. Just FYI. Just a bit of cussing, no f-bombs.

It's beautifully written. Has incredible characters. Super strong female lead, a really interesting male lead (love interest), colorful supporting cast, and all kinds of surprises and plot twists. Thomas handles the prophesy thing with enviable aplomb, and somehow all the lines she casts come back and weave a gorgeous tapestry without any loose ends. I feel like I will be studying this trilogy for a long time to figure how in the world she pulled it off. My brain hurts just trying to figure out how she plotted this thing. It's a pretty amazing feat of organization and imagination.

The trilogy is set in the late 1800s, but it also has its own time/year for the mage worlds (eg: Year of the Domain 1021). There is a really nice overlap of non-mage and mage worlds, and that, along with the historical feel add a lot to the story. I keep saying this, but though some of the magic ideas feel familiar, it feels so much bigger and more fleshed out than the Harry Potter world (and I am a bit of a Potterhead, so this is like, a huge compliment). Magics are bigger and more historically rounded without the need for an expansion Pottermore because so many fantastic tidbits are included in the footnotes... they read like quotes from various magic books and interviews and such, it's very well done, even if you skip them and read them at the end.

The historical non-mage world makes a really a wonderful backdrop for the whole thing. Thomas does a spectacular job of painting a pretty large world -- our protagonists travel all over the globe -- and we also get a nicely diverse cast as well. For those who keep track of such things, there isn't representation for LGTB until the very end, where it does make sense, but also feels just a *little* tacked-on. I didn't mind it at all, just FYI for those who might.

The villain, the Bane, is so well done. His power and might would make Voldemort die of jealousy. He has some similar motives as our old pal, Voldy: fear of death and desire for immortality (though no Hitleresque Eugenics), but the Bane's disgusting dark magics result in a much more suave and handsome (and therefore 10x as creepy) persona.

Spoilerish about the ending:

Spoiler

Those who get annoyed at female heroines falling in love at first sight and tying knots and ringing wedding bells at 17 years old will LOVE the ending, but Thomas handles this really beautifully and the ending won't annoy those who enjoy the 'happily ever after,' either.

Ugh, you guys, it's so good.

I tried to write out my favorite bits, but it just got so long and nobody reads my reviews anyway. So I'll just make a note for myself: Wyverns, dragons, giant serpents, Pegasi, THE CRUCIBLE!!!, Helgaria, lightning bolts, folded spaces, vaulting aids, emergency bags with love notes, super complicated memory magic, switched babies, SACRIFICES OF AMAZING PEOPLE, the Bane holy cow, and complicated plotting wizardry.