Monday, September 25, 2017

Review: Roar

Roar (Stormheart, #1)
Title: Roar
Author: Cora Carmack
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: June 13, 2017

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.

I first picked up a copy of Roar at ALA midwinter back in January, because I've read some of Cora Carmack's NA romances, and I've loved them. Lucky for me, Ya fantasy is my favorite genre. So while I may have been surprised when I read the jacket copy, I wasn't disappointed.

Months went by and I never got a chance to read it. In fact, it wasn't until a couple months after I bought a finished copy that I finally dove into it. And all I can say is wow. Just wow.

I absolutely love the characters in this book. Roar is Princess Aurora of Pavan. She also goes by Rora. So to keep things straight, I'll just call her Roar. When she starts out, she's very accepting of her fate to marry the prince of Locke, Cassius. But when she hears him say something to his brother, she's determined she's never going to marry him. The only problem is that she doesn't possess any of the storm magic her family is known for to keep her kingdom safe from the incredibly deadly storms.

Roar goes through such an incredible journey throughout the entire book. I cannot wait to see how things play out in the next book.

Cassius. Oh Cassius. He's a great character. He would be terrible as a love interest. He's manipulative and cunning, but these make him a very compelling character. He has so many secrets, that I'm certain we haven't seen the last of them. I can't wait to see how his character might develop and to see what more he's hiding.

The worldbuilding was incredible. Deadly and violent storms with a mind all their own, intent on destroying people? Yep. Not to mention all different kinds of magic. I could talk a lot longer, but unfortunately, I don't have the time.

Overall
I'm glad I finally read this one. The next book is going to be one of my most anticipated reads of 2018.

5 stars


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