A review by dreamofbookspines
The Elementals by Francesca Lia Block

5.0

This was a beautiful surprise. While much of her language choices and imagery remains the same, this stands out from Block's more recent books in my opinion. The story is much more developed using less flowery prose, and you really get to know the character, not just their deepest secrets. Ariel is a wonderful narrator, and you build a great deal of empathy with her as she grows. The way the loss of her best friend Jeni is written got me sobbing unexpectedly. As retellings of fairytales go, this is on the more coherent end of them, in that you're not overwhelmed by Block's typically lush prose. For people who complain about this in her other books, I think you'll find it to be far less of a problem in this one. (Personally I like the lush prose, but that's not super-relevant at this point.) Very much loved this book, quickly to my favorites list.