Where the Lightning Goes

For starters this book is super queer, and I love it for that. And it’s queer in a way that is unique and rarely seen in books in that there is a romance that is queer but also the innate themes of the book are queer in a way I’ve never seen before. The queerness is not obvious in the summary, but it so queer. So, if you’re looking for a queer book for yourself or for your library, this is a great addition.

Generally, I’m an impatient reader and often find my attention lagging, but that didn’t happen with this book. The writing style is exactly what I love and even without that, I loved the characters and was completely drawn in. I did have a few questions about the world as I was reading in the beginning. These were explained later, and I’m the type of reader who doesn’t mind a little confusion about the world if I love everything else, which I did.

I loved all the characters, but I really loved Cypress. He's a fantastic villain and driving force of the story. The readers only know as much as Elle knows, which is not always my favorite type of story, but it's executed flawlessly here. Not knowing made me want to read more and root for Elle to find all her answers.

I enjoyed the climax scene with the fight and all the revelations. It was well done and hit all the plot points and emotional beats needed for a satisfying conclusion.

I’m hyped for the next book and more of Elle’s adventures.

I loved it! It reads like a fast paced, light hearted fantasy quest while also exploring some much deeper and thought provoking themes. I loved the whimsical characters. Salem does an excellent job of capturing exactly who her charters are flaws and all. This book is full of fantasy tropes with a fresh twist. I really enjoyed it from cover to cover.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Jackary Salem for early access to Where the Lightning Goes. The story had a great imagery and description with this fantasy book. I like the aspect of the good and bad magic and following Elle through this storyline.

Last year I read many fantasy books and I truly have to say that this book was unique. This book to me felt like the hobbit meets the hunger games set in one of the paintings of Dali (you know the one where the clock is melting over the edge of the table). The combination of magic and going on a quest is obviously not new, but the setting and the context of the story definitely gave it a new layer. The book also had a lot of mystery.

The pace of the book is very quick, which is an advantage, but in my opinion also a disadvantage. On the hand, it made it easy to read and really drew you in. I wanted to know what would happen and it fitted with the excitement of the story. On the other hand, due to the pace of the story, I missed some world building in the book, which in turn made it sometimes difficult to follow everything that was happening. I feel like this book in itself could have easily been double the size or two books.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to readers that love fantasy books. It was a well rounded story.

Where the Lightning Goes is the first in a new series by Salem. We follow Elle who knows she has fallen from the sky but has no real memories of before. She escapes her prison with a goal to find her memories and along the way meets new friends and foes. I really enjoyed this story and the crazy turns it takes. I guessed a few things but overall liked the twists. I will definitely read the next one just for more Cypress.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. This review is full of my own opinions.

A young adult fantasy adventure book. An enchanted world filled with good and bad magic, wizards, dragons, and demons. A young girl must navigate her dreams and empower magic to survive .Thank you to netgalley much appreciation to the author

I read this in one setting up half of the night to finish it because I was so entrantsed in the story. It was so good. I really liked this book.
I just reviewed Where the Lightning Goes by Jackary Salem. #WheretheLightningGoes #NetGalley
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A big thanks to NetGalley and Derealization Press for providing for an eARC exchange for an honest review. As well as Derealization Press and YABC for then providing a physical ARC.

What is your first memory? Perhaps it's something mundane like an early birthday or your first bicycle. For Elle, her first memory is falling out of the sky.

Where the Lightning Goes by Jackary Salem is a YA fantasy novel that follows the life of Elle, after a wizard tore her soul in half and stole all her memories. Just an ordinary Tuesday, right? Elle's only remaining memory is of falling out of the sky. Which leaves plenty of the plot to answer and fill in with mystery and intrigue you will only find in a Jackary Salem novel. Escaping from her bleak home, Elle is faced with a world that has a bite worse than its bark. And the only way she hopes to survive it, is by gaining her magic. But that's easier said than done.

What I liked most about Where the Lightning Goes is that it was a never-ending unraveling mystery. Where one mystery ended another began, and so on and so forth until we were met with that dramatic plot twist, then decent end. Which often lead to me being confused as to what was actually going on. But Salem had a way of reeling me back in with their delicate lyrical writing.

Though if I were to change anything, I feel Salem needed to add just a few more hints as to what all was going on. Their mystery and intrigue often muddled the story and hurt the plot. To the point that I nearly wanted to give up and pick something else to read. But Elle kept it going. Along with the awesomeness that was Adair, Honeycutt, and Leslie of course.

Overall, this is a solid fantasy that I would recommend to anyone just starting to get into the genre that won't mind a few head turns and confusion.

Description
After a powerful wizard tears Elle's soul apart and steals her memories, she's locked in a house to rot. Her only remaining memory is of falling from the sky,
I enjoyed this book over all although i did not particularly like all the characters in the book but the way they are written makes sense to the over all story and I did like the main character. I enjoyed the world building and magic system and found it interesting. I have read a lot of fantasy books lately and this felt different to what I have been reading which I found enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an
ARC of this book

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this early. So I was confused thru most of this book. It kept me intrigued to keep reading to finish but it just jumps off almost like you the reader itself has fallen from the sky. It’s good just know you will be lost. I am not sure I would reread this however due to that feeling.

Where the Lightening Goes by Jackary Salem is not categorized as a mystery, but it sure felt like it should be for most of the book. I was really pretty far into things before I felt like I have any sort of clue what was going on. And while the measured, deliberate approach to learning information in appreciated, here it just felt like it was being withheld without any real hints until very far along. Ultimately, I still don’t really feel like I understood everything that was going on even after finishing. In a series (which I see on Goodreads that this is numbered #1 as if there are to be more) where there is an overarching story, it makes sense to be left with questions so that a reader is enticed to read the subsequent book(s). Unfortunately, I felt like this was more of a case of the information not being thought through by the author versus withheld to make sure I read more.

Once we started to get hints and foreshadowing, I felt like I was getting hit over the head with them. Subtlety was certainly not he approach employed by the author. I don’t want to spoil, so it is hard to explain much, but characters and who they actually are in relation to one another (except our bad guys) starts to fall into place and was super easy to guess once the author actually does drop a hint or two.


Confusing in many ways, and throughout many parts, the book had a number of high points. There was imagery, like the descriptions of the impossible market, that were wonderfully crafted. The banter between characters was funny, sad, thrilling and enjoyable. The character development was really one of the best parts of this. And while there was clearly plot, to get us from the start where Elle falls from the sky to the end, I fell that the story has concluded without leaving me with the ability to explain the world that was built.

It also did have a decent ending. While (as explained already) I am still left with a number of questions – maybe I didn’t read it carefully enough (then agin maybe I read it too carefully as I will note there is a statement “Perun was always a god, yes…” and then again, there is a section later discussing how Perun became a god as a child and I hate inconsistencies like that so when I notice them, I tend to read the rest less carefully) but I still don’t have a great handle on the system of magic and why we have demons and magic without any real philosophical or theological road map to provide guidance on the story. The end tied up a lot, addressed the major issues and motivations of each character, and left me satisfied with the way the story ended. I didn’t feel cheated, and the questions I had weren’t about what happened to characters, and I liked that.

Elle, Honeycutt, Adair, Leslie make a pretty awesome troupe once they come together. It is interesting to see how the author sees the personification of certain traits or elements of a person, like a heart, and how they are expressed. The biggest promise for any sort of sequel, to me, is in the idea of a prequel or the backstory for Elle. Overall, if you are looking for a story about a magical adventure, in a decidedly unique presentation, this is not a bad read. I think on balance, it would get 3.5 stars.

This fun story follows Elle. She is 16, but has no memory of her past. The first thing she can remember was falling from the sky. Especially, the story follows Elle on her quest to recover her memories as she travels through a world full of magic and demons. I don’t usually read fantasy, so I found this book when I decided to give the genre a try. I found the book easy to read and the characters to be well written. Half way through the book, I (thought) that had figured out a major plot twist. I was, pleasantly, incorrect.

A young adult fantasy adventure book. An enchanted world filled with good and bad magic, wizards, dragons, and demons. A young girl must navigate her dreams and empower magic to survive. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to the book for an honest review.

Where the Lightening Goes is the debut novel for Jackary Salem. It is about a girl Elle who escapes the only life she’s known to explore a world full of magic, demons, and dragons. Taking place in an inventive world of magic, Where the Lightening Goes is sure to delight fans of the fantasy genre. With enough originality to keep you interested and a charming main character, the book is an exciting start to Salem’s Impossible Series. Looking forward to seeing what’s next for Elle!

Thanks to Derealization Press for the ARC!

This was a great start to the Impossible series, I was invested in what was going on and it did what I was hoping for. The characters were unique and felt like they belonged in this universe. I'm so glad I was able to read this and hope the series will continue.

"The only pain Adair could feel was physical, and no amount of sentiment would change that. At the same time, the deep emptiness inside him did spawn a sort of discontent and, with that, a yearning to be whole. They weren’t emotions, per se, but the parallel existed."

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review…. It’s a deal that occasionally I lose because the book isn’t actually worth my time to read or leave a review, this is not the case for Where the Lightning Goes. This time I came out on top. The the plot of the book felt familiar and comfortable despite its constant surprises. The characters are written in way that makes you interested and causes you to care about them without leaving feeling bludgeoned by the details. I raced to finish it and feel a loss now that it’s over. I hope with all my heart that the author will give me more of Elle and this world. I highly recommend this book even if you’re not into fantasy because in the end it’s a story we all can relate to.

Great adventure…quite complex at the beginning…it really pulled me into the narrative.I hope there is a sequel

Unfortunately, despite my piqued interest in this title, I no longer intend to read/finish/review this title. Thank you for the opportunity!

Elle has fallen from the sky…again.

With no memories of who she was, locked in a castle with demons, and the yearning for freedom and to figure out who she is, she’s finally escaped. And landed right in Adair’s backyard.

A man without a heart and an enchanted painting.

In Where The Lightning Goes, we’re thrown into a story of magic, lost love, and a young girl with determination. Jackary Salem creates a world where the characters are easy to love and yet frustrate you at the same time. Elle and Adair team up in order to figure out who she is and potentially help Adair become whole again.

The storytelling in this novel was so well done. And while I find myself a bit rushed in bits, it was incredibly enjoyable. I have more questions than answers after reading this book. Some things I just took at face value but others still have me wondering. For instance, I still don’t quite understand the way magic works in this world. But that being said, the story was incredible. If you’re looking for a new fantasy novel with a wholesome point, I highly recommend picking it up!

I received this ARC for an honest review.