Firstly, I’d like to draw attention to this awesome, distinctive cover. Kopievsky’s RESISTANCE, book one in The Divided Elements series, is a wonderful debut novel. In this story, the post-apocalyptic world is inhabited by fire, water, earth and air elementals. Every person is aligned to an element, which dictates their roles in society, how they think, behave and interact with the rest of the world.
Aniya, the protagonist, is a fire elemental who works as an elite peacekeeper. One night, while on patrol, she discovers a mural urging for resistance. The strength of Otopor, the reason given for the community’s perseverance and survival against the harsh world is the strict adherence to the rules and beliefs of orthodoxy. As a peacekeeper, Anika is duty-bound to keep the law and to preserve the rule of orthodoxy. This mural is the first sign of a heterodox rebellion for a very long time, and Aniya is given a task to go undercover and find the ringleaders of the resistance. And this requires Aniya to undergo a radical elemental re-alignment. After being aligned to the Air element and finding friends amongst the Water, Air and Earth elementals, Aniya learns more about herself and about Otopor than she expected.
There are many twists and plenty of intrigue in this novel, Kopievsky’s writing brings all the action and characters to life, fully realised against the futuristic city. The worldbuilding here is wonderful, you get a vivid sense of Otopor, of the bars and nightlife, of the exhilaration, excitement, tension and danger present around any corner. One thing also worth mentioning is how well Kopievsky handled the protagonist’s change from one element to the other, how some senses were dulled and others highlighted, how her attitudes and understanding changed.
Ultimately, RESISTANCE is a great, immersive read, and I’m really excited about where the rest of the series goes. Kopievsky has shown a lot of vision and talent in creating an exciting and different world, and some wonderful characters. To find out more about Mikhaeyla Kopievsky and her work, check out her page here!
Austin P. Sheehan 