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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Here we follow multiple perspectives; Miko, the bastard princess of an empire. Rah, the exiled captain of a wandering people. Cassandra, assassin, whore, and host to some form of entity and power. Two of these perspectives (Miko and Cassandra) are interesting enough from the off to have lead a solo book. I disliked Rah’s initial chapters as his character didn’t feel like it acted with the principles and honour he spoke of – and he speaks constantly of principles and honour.
Despite my initial dislike of Rah, I’d say this book is full of strong characters (even without having read the preceding Vengeance Trilogy), with political machinations, both known and unknown, casting shadows over everyone’s words and actions, leaving you guessing at people’s true motivations and allegiances. I’d potentially even argue that not having read the previous trilogy strengthened the book in some way as I assume some of the accusations being thrown around were events in those books.
We’re fairly quickly seeing cross-over amongst the main perspective characters, while not initially directly meeting, supporting cast members cross paths, the same names are mentioned, machinations are spoken about from multiple sides. Multiple perspectives can be a strength and a failing depending on how they’re weaved together and here it’s a treat. Rather than constantly yearning to move back to another perspective, there’s always something interesting happening in each.
If I had to point to any factor in the book that I didn’t like, it would be the way that sometimes action scenes were glossed over a bit. These tend to be the bigger battles and it makes some sense that they’re less important than the direct conflicts between named characters, but still felt a bit weird for a battle to be done in a couple of lines.
Overall there was little I didn’t like about this book as it provides a great opening state of affairs to be resolved in the rest of the quadrilogy and mysteries yet to reveal.
Despite my initial dislike of Rah, I’d say this book is full of strong characters (even without having read the preceding Vengeance Trilogy), with political machinations, both known and unknown, casting shadows over everyone’s words and actions, leaving you guessing at people’s true motivations and allegiances. I’d potentially even argue that not having read the previous trilogy strengthened the book in some way as I assume some of the accusations being thrown around were events in those books.
We’re fairly quickly seeing cross-over amongst the main perspective characters, while not initially directly meeting, supporting cast members cross paths, the same names are mentioned, machinations are spoken about from multiple sides. Multiple perspectives can be a strength and a failing depending on how they’re weaved together and here it’s a treat. Rather than constantly yearning to move back to another perspective, there’s always something interesting happening in each.
If I had to point to any factor in the book that I didn’t like, it would be the way that sometimes action scenes were glossed over a bit. These tend to be the bigger battles and it makes some sense that they’re less important than the direct conflicts between named characters, but still felt a bit weird for a battle to be done in a couple of lines.
Overall there was little I didn’t like about this book as it provides a great opening state of affairs to be resolved in the rest of the quadrilogy and mysteries yet to reveal.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Even though this was a MacHalo buddy read, I ended up soloing it. I guess no one was really in the mood for an epic fantasy, but I always am!
So glad I read We Ride the Storm. A gripping epic fantasy with touches of grimdark. I would have to say Cassandra is my favorite character. Her story touches a paranormal that I would like to read more about. I think Leo also toes the line of the same kind of paranormal in the story. I'm interested to see how the paranormal and the politics mesh together. I've already bought the second book. Now it's just a matter of finding time to read it.
Originally self published it is obvious to see why this series was picked up and rereleased by a major publishing house. We Ride The Storm follows 3 very different POV characters: A princess of dubious lineage, an exiled horse nomad and an assassin/prostitute. All three POVs are written in the first person but all three provide distinct voices and characters. Some of these characters first seem a bit tropey but they are so well written that they are never irritating. Princess Miko, for example, is effectively a princess in name only. Everyone knows she is not the legitimate daughter of the emperor so she is constantly fighting to survive. Princess characters are often irritating to read, but Miko is intriguing and extremely likeable in her driven style. Rah e'Torin, the horse lord, elevates the noble savage idea to an extreme. He comes from a culture where the only way to honor the dead is to remove decapitate them to release their spirit - a brutal idea to everyone else, but one that to him is the only right thing to do. Finally Cassandra, the assassin, uses her position as a prostitute to great effect to get close to people wit their guard down.
Devin has a really nice prose style, easy to read yet engaging and interesting. The pacing in this book is also brilliant, with a nice series of excitements and lulls building in a gradual crescendo towards the finale. The last 100 pages or so are super intense.
Overall a fantastic book that deserves the plaudits it has got and I cannot wait to return for book 2
Devin has a really nice prose style, easy to read yet engaging and interesting. The pacing in this book is also brilliant, with a nice series of excitements and lulls building in a gradual crescendo towards the finale. The last 100 pages or so are super intense.
Overall a fantastic book that deserves the plaudits it has got and I cannot wait to return for book 2
Thank you to Orbit Books and Angela Man for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available for purchase on June 30th.
The plot twists in this book has plot twists! Full of cut-throat characters, intrigues aplenty, and many a gory scene, We Ride the Storm is an excellent fantasy, one that deserves to be mentioned among the ‘greats’ of the genre.
The world-building was excellent. Each character was so different and the multiple perspectives allowed for a rich tapestry of setting development. While told from the points of view of the three main characters, each character is told in the first person. That would normally have the potential to be confusing. However, each character was so unique that it was easy to follow.
I loved how each character and every sub-plot managed to coalesce into one story. My favorite character was Rah. He was the leader of a nomadic tribe with a cause. His feelings of injustice and his refusal to just lay down and take the easy road endeared me to him. All of the characters are amazing, though.
This book will not be for everyone. It is a bit on the brutal side. But the story-telling is incredible and the story Devin Madson has woven is engrossing. I highly recommend this to fantasy lovers who don’t mind a little gore.
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2020/04/09/we-ride-the-storm-by-devin-madson/
The plot twists in this book has plot twists! Full of cut-throat characters, intrigues aplenty, and many a gory scene, We Ride the Storm is an excellent fantasy, one that deserves to be mentioned among the ‘greats’ of the genre.
The world-building was excellent. Each character was so different and the multiple perspectives allowed for a rich tapestry of setting development. While told from the points of view of the three main characters, each character is told in the first person. That would normally have the potential to be confusing. However, each character was so unique that it was easy to follow.
I loved how each character and every sub-plot managed to coalesce into one story. My favorite character was Rah. He was the leader of a nomadic tribe with a cause. His feelings of injustice and his refusal to just lay down and take the easy road endeared me to him. All of the characters are amazing, though.
This book will not be for everyone. It is a bit on the brutal side. But the story-telling is incredible and the story Devin Madson has woven is engrossing. I highly recommend this to fantasy lovers who don’t mind a little gore.
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2020/04/09/we-ride-the-storm-by-devin-madson/
Entertaining. Some moments could have been done a little better with a slight more politics but I had a fun time.
I’m not a fan of Rah. The other two yes and I can’t wait to see where their stories goes. It doesn’t help that the narrators for this were so bad. Rah narrator was far quieter and slower Than the others it was annoying. Next time I’ll be booking it.
Story was fun. A good entry and I hope it picks up for the coming books.
I’m not a fan of Rah. The other two yes and I can’t wait to see where their stories goes. It doesn’t help that the narrators for this were so bad. Rah narrator was far quieter and slower Than the others it was annoying. Next time I’ll be booking it.
Story was fun. A good entry and I hope it picks up for the coming books.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Absolute amazing. From page to page, I was more and more enthralled by this book and now, finding myself at its end I regret not picking it up sooner, but not more than I regret not having the other book at hand. It was a uniquely written story. It showcased so many cultures and tradition while keeping me grounded in the action. The characters were an absolute delight. Cassandra was, especially, some kind of guilty pleasure. She was absolutely delightfully engaging. However, Miko was my favourite. I've had my hopes with her since the beginning and I was right. I loved her short lived relationship with the Emperor. It was nice. She really demonstrated everyone what she is capable of. And Rah. He was my baby, my innocence, honourable, stupid baby. I admire him, but I definitely think he did some pretty bad choices. Still, this book was exactly the right thing and that end did not leave me at all satisfied. I need more and I plan on getting exactly that.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes