An accurate portrayal of what went through my head as I attempted to review this book
Me: I love the writing and I love storms omg can I be a storm??
Also me: but… the romance
Me, trying be positive: NOVA IS THE BEST
Me, failing at positivity: Locke can go hop into a storm and never come back
NOTE: For some reason, my original review of this has somehow gotten deleted, so I’m uploading it again! I wrote it quite a while ago, so I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE IF IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.
(Never trust anything written by fetus me. Even if fetus me is just me from a couple of months ago.)
Synopsis
In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.
Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.
To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.
Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage.
She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.
Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.
Rating: 3.5 stormy stars.
“You are lightning made flesh. Colder than falling snow. Unstoppable as the desert sands riding the wind. You are Stormling, Aurora Pavan. Believe it.”
Roar follows the adventures of a young Stormling princess born without any magic, who falls prey to a charismatic man’s deceitful charms and then proceeds to run off into the wild (both figuratively and literally) with a troupe of friends.
I have to admit, it was the description that really intrigued me, not to mention that gorgeous cover art (it resembled a certain dragon princess on Game of Thrones…WINK WINK WINK).
At first glance, this seemed like just another one of those typical, “vulnerable princess discovers she’s a special snowflake” fantasy novels. It sort of, kind of is, I guess? However, I was also pleasantly surprised by the heroine’s stubborn refusal to stay caged.
Carmack repeatedly emphasizes that the protagonist, Aurora– sorry, Roar— is bold and powerful and fierce, just like her namesake. But in some ways, she still resembles a fragile little girl in need of protecting. Which makes complete sense— after all, she lives her entire childhood sheltered under her proud, stern, yet loving mother, isolated from the world and from friendship.
I felt truly immersed in the Stormling world– the sharp divide between the sheltered castle environment and the commotion of the black market was especially well done. Mrs. Carmack did a wonderful job weaving together descriptions and anecdotes to create a fascinating kingdom filled with mystery and magic, storms and illusion. The writing is truly beautiful. I’m SERIOUS; it really, really is.
I especially adored Nova’s character— she is such a fantastic friend to Aurora, even after being ignored by her for practically her entire childhood. Plus her name is a super fun play on the word, “supernova”! Basically, SHE IS SUCH A PURE SOUL AND WE MUST ALL PROTECT HER.
Buuuut, in comparison to her world-building, I would say that this story was a little lacking in the romance department. Actually, a better way to say it would be… a little bit too excessive. To put it bluntly, I personally didn’t care for the romance. At all.
“I’m the first to touch this mouth? To taste it?” Her nails dug into his shoulders, and her blue eyes flashed with heat. She nodded, her tongue darting out to soothe the skin he had tugged between his teeth. “That means it’s mine. My territory. And I’m prepared to protect it, every hour of the day if I must.”
This is a perfect example of a it’s not you, it’s me moment– my burning hatred dislike is simply a matter of personal taste. Roar’s amorous relationships give off the whole “brooding-dark-cave-man-woos-delicate-princess” vibe. I could practically taste the manliness oozing off of Cassius and Locke. Fear not, it is not a love triangle in the least, although I harbor a dark suspicion that one is currently brewing.
I have to admit, it’s quite unrealistic (and very disturbing) to see some of the characters lusting (*cough* you know who I’m talking about)- yes, lusting– after Aurora. Why do certain people keep trying to “claim” her like she’s some sort of possession? Obviously Roar doesn’t stand for it, which I appreciated, but… Please take it down a notch, thanks.
Cassius’s annoyingly aggressive attitude TRULY rubbed me the wrong way, though I admit that I was oddly fascinated by his character. He suffers from an enormous bout of TS– short for Testosterone Syndrome, an unfortunate disease that plagues many an alpha male love interest!!**
**Symptoms include: excessive broodiness, inflated ego, weirdly territorial actions, and of course, unnecessary acts of aggression. (Like… yes, we get it, Cassius, you’re very strong and manly and have many many Stormhearts.)
HOWEVER, I would like to once more emphasize that Aurora does grow significantly as a character, and I do want to see where she’ll end up going next. As naive as Aurora initially is, she stands up for her beliefs. She starts out shaky, vulnerable, and unsure, and that’s perfectly fine. Everyone has their insecurities; you’d have to be practically inhuman not to. Most importantly, though, Roar plants her feet on the ground and gains her confidence.
Sometimes she was Aurora. Confident. Clever. Cultured.
Sometimes she was Rora. Afraid. Alone. Ashamed.
And more and more, she was Roar-bold, brash, and increasingly baffled by the situation in which she found herself. And sometimes she was none of them, lost and adrift somewhere in between, like the wildlands between Stormling cities.
Basically: The character development is definitely there, but I just couldn’t connect to her.
Moving on, the plot dragged at a couple of points, particularly when Aurora was off– ahem– dilly-dallying with a certain love interest, but I did get highly invested in the story later on. That ending! That cliffhanger! *shivers in anticipation*
Overall: Undoubtedly a light, fun read that I would recommend to fans of YA fantasy, though the romance definitely wasn’t for me. Considering that this is only the first book in a series, I know that we readers are in for a long, steamy, and storm-filled ride.
Many thanks to the publisher, who kindly provided me with an ARC kindly via Netgalley.
with luhhhvvv,
LUCKYYY!
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thanks!! 💓the book has been published for a while now though; you should definitely check it out!
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I should definitely!
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The summary sounds really exciting. But that quote. Creepy!
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Yes, it is SUCH an interesting idea, and I think Cora Carmack really pulled it off!! (And yes, the romance really was a bit creepy…)
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i was planning on reading it but the romance sets me off!! i hope it gets better through out the series!
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unfortunately, I also didn’t really care for the romance, it’s not my kind of thing. :// but you should definitely try finishing up the book!! the writing is gorgeous 🙂
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maybe i will on some point!
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That cover art ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ You’re gifs are perfect Hannah! Especially the “woah there” gif! The storms premise sounds sooooooo good too but I’m just not a fan of constant “distractions” from the plot… haha but now I’m so intrigued about that ending you loved! Great review 😁
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Thank you!! ❤ And that cover art truly was amazing, I wanted to squeeze it to my chest and weep over its beauty. IRL, though, the cover didn't live up to expectations, probably because the material/texture was different. /:
And yes.. beware of distractions. Though who knows?? You might end up loving the romance (unlike me, who is a COMPLETE hater, unfortunately)!! 😀
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No your example was enough for me Hannah… actually that is something I love about your reviews… you use quotes to really good effect! ♥️
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Ahh, thank you so much!! It means a lot 💓
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Omg great review!! It was hilarious to read, and you also made great points, I loved it 😀
luuuuuuuuuuu
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Yay, thank you~! 💖 I was afraid it wouldn’t make any sense, because I really do NOT trust fetus me :’)
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AW YOU’RE WELCOME! I don’t trust FETUS me either, fret not. IT MADE SENSE, DW.
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Ah this was a great review! I totally enjoyed it. 😉 I kiiiind of was interested in this one? But I saw another review really talking about how awful the romance is and I’m like nooope. OUTTA HERE. I hate aggressive-alpha-male romances.😒 I don’t find it sexy or anything, just totally awful ugh. I’m glad Roar develops as a character! I also think the cover is GORGEOUS. But I’m a bit tired of Special Snowflakes at the moment so I probably won’t be running out for this one. 😂😂
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Ahhh, thank you so muchh!!! ❤
I know many people have enjoyed this, but yeah, NOPE, the romance definitely isn't my cup of tea. Over-the-top alpha males really rub me the wrong way, unfortunately. *subtly side-eyes Cassius*
On the positive side, the cover really is beautiful; Roar looks TOTALLY badass. ❤
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Loved this review! 😀 So far, I’ve read quite a few middle of the road types of reviews for this book. I’m still really interested in reading it, mostly because of that gorgeous (Dany-inspired) cover, but it sounds like I might need to kee my expectations a little lower than I had them haha. I’m so tired of the broody-overly possessive aggressive type of male love interests. I don’t see the appeal LOL. It’s so frustrating the romance is like that for this one, but at least the MC develops well as a heroine! I’ll pick this book up one day, but no rush. Again, great review 🙂
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I know, right?!! The cover reminds me so much of Dany, and I loveee dany. 😻
And thank you so much!! The romance definitely wasn’t for me; I usually hate alpha male characters with a passion. He was literally oozinggggg manliness. 🙄 If you do decide to pick it up, I hope you enjoy!! 💓
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The cover does have some serious Dany vibes. I have this on my TBR but it sounds a little cheesy.
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Tbh, the writing itself and the world building was really beautiful– it was the romance I found really cheesy. Cassius and Locke need to stop acting like cavemen. :^)
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Damn tho attractive moody cavemen X3.
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so true. I feel like a conversation between them would go something like this
“ME BROODING. ME HAVE ABS. ME HOT. ME LIKEY YOU.”
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I’m dying.
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OUF alpha male syndrome *runs away*
Hehehe oops. But seriously, the trope is SO tired and blech, I would not care for it at all. I’m glad Roar stands up for her beliefs? But also special snowflake?
*runs away again*
Erm, I think this book is NOT calling out my name right now, buuuut I loved this review! It was so detailed and fun to read. 😀
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thank you so much!! ❤ and yep, *sighs* alpha male syndrome strikes again. not really my sort of thing, ever. :')
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Great review! The gifs and quotes really give a good feel for the book. I’m agreeing with all the other commenters though-
Yuck to the caveman romances and I love Daenarys. And now I want to talk about the finale but I don’t want to spoil anything!! I wish he would finish writing the darn books!
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Thank you so much!! Gifs are actually my FAVORITE THINGS EVER. there’s one for practically every situation. 😀
OH MY GOD YES THE FINALE. DANY <33 IT WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE. tbh I haven't read the book yet *hides* but I'm planning on reading them soon!!
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I am totally with you on this cover. It’s gorgeous! And the synopsis? Ding ding ding– Winner! Buuuuut… Your wonderful review covers so many aspects so well, I think you’ve convinced me to pass on this. I hate overly romantic books when I want something else. It’s one thing when I pick up a romance (yes, I am known to do this occasionally)– but it’s completely different when I am trying to read FANTASY. No lusty soft-core texts. Yuck. Plus. alpha males make me want to punch someone. Stupid men.
Is this book part of a series? Do you hope to keep reading?
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right?? MAJOR MAJOR PROPS to the cover designer, and the synopsis writer. The synopsis makes the entire book sound so INTERESTING. ❤
Romance is arguably one of the main points of the novel, so it kind of made the whole "alpha male caveman" romance seem even worse. I mean, I'm sure plenty of other readers have loved it, but it's definitely not my sort of thing. it made me want to literally shove both Cassius and Locke into the middle of a storm and never look back.
to answer your last question: yes, I believe this is a duology!! I'll probably still keep reading because I don't like leaving series unfinished, and also that cliffhanger was prettyyy fantastic.
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It’s those cliffhangers that will get you EVERY TIME. I have totally continued series I shouldn’t have (*coughDivergentcough*) due to cliff-hangers. Silly me. I hope that the second book is more enjoyable for you. i.e. Less wanting to shove the romantic interests into storms. Perhaps you’ll only want to bop them on the head once or twice?
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Cliffhangers are truly evil little creatures, but I can’t seem to get enough of them. *sniffs* and oh, I hope with my heart that I’ll want to keep the shoving-into-storms to a minimum with the next book. :’)
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Great review! I definitely have to give this book a go some time in the future… So many books, so little time. xD
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Thank you so much!!
And that’s soooo true. That’s practically by life motto.
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