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yananhai's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
this series started out great and then it went downhill.
I don't know ehy exactly, I know so many people love it but I just couldn't connect to the characters or the plot. it was way too heavy on the politics of the world and not enough fantasy really.
I think this was a good lesson for which tropes I would like in books.
I don't know ehy exactly, I know so many people love it but I just couldn't connect to the characters or the plot. it was way too heavy on the politics of the world and not enough fantasy really.
I think this was a good lesson for which tropes I would like in books.
wordscubed's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was not expecting War Storm to be my favorite of the series, but it surprised me!! Super captivating and I thought the different POVs were absolute perfection. The Mare/Cal tension and eventual break was so well done and made my heart burst. Evangeline continued to be the star of the show whenever we got her chapters. The war theory and scenes were exciting and didn’t overwhelm or confuse.
The ending did leave a little to be desired and isn’t how I would have chosen to wrap things up, which is the main reason this isn’t a perfect 5⭐️ read.
The ending did leave a little to be desired and isn’t how I would have chosen to wrap things up, which is the main reason this isn’t a perfect 5⭐️ read.
rachelkp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
earniltiac's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This book had me on a roller coaster of vibes, I loved it, hated it, wanted everyone to die, and then liked it again. Much better than book 3 but not good enough to make me want to read 4.5, I am happy with the ending this book gave.
eherndon's review against another edition
4.0
This series definitely has its flaws but I really enjoyed the twists and turns of this power struggle. This book has finally, for the most part, moved past the love triangle nonsense and allowed for focus on things that are actually interesting.
That being said, the ending was pretty unsatisfying, after all of that, I definitely wanted a more resolved ending for Norta and for all the characters.
I personally really like dynastic conflicts and books with lots of competing points of view so I liked this series but it is definitely not for everyone!
That being said, the ending was pretty unsatisfying, after all of that, I definitely wanted a more resolved ending for Norta and for all the characters.
I personally really like dynastic conflicts and books with lots of competing points of view so I liked this series but it is definitely not for everyone!
christianabarwo's review against another edition
3.0
11.21.2024
It's to describe how I feel about this book. I don't like it, but I don't hate it. A lot of the book hinges on Mare's connection with Cal. He betrays her at the end of the last book and this apparently broke her heart. The thing is, I've never found their relationship believable. They always lacked chemistry. Mare had more chemistry with Maven than with Cal, and this is because Aveyard actually does the work to establish their connection. They were both the overlooked kid, but they also have a dynamic within the relationship that governs how they interact with one another. I don't think Mare and Cal have that. They kind of just like each other because they were both betrayed by Maven and lost everything. That, in itself, provides a good spark for a connection but I feel like that's all there is to their relationship. I personally never felt a spark between them, so Cal and Mare's relationship never held any weight for me. So, when Mare becomes heartbroken and shook that Cal would choose the crown over her, I kind of just shrugged because I never thought their relationship was ever that deep.
Another grievance I have with Mare is that she's 18 and somehow an important figure in the rebellion. She's let in on all the important meetings and she gets every debriefing on classified information. Why? I get that she's the figurehead as the lightning girl, but I feel like being the figurehead doesn't make you a high-ranking official. Especially considering that she never really does anything as the figurehead of the movement. She never makes any announcements or talk to the people that she supposedly gave hope to. All she does it fight in battles and make demands that she shouldn't be able to make. It feels like she's some teenager bossing around the various leaders of governments for Montefort, Norta, and the Rift and I'm not sure why they let her. She has no power. At one point, they say they'll use Mare in order to get to Cal (because she's his weakness), but I don't think this ever comes to fruition (with the exception of them getting him to go to Montefort which lead to nothing).
This leads me into one of my biggest gripes with Mare as a character throughout the entire series, which is that she rarely does anything. In the first book, the main players were Maven, Elara, and the Scarlett Guard. Mare never made any decisions that affected the plot bar that one scene where she had Julien help her save her friends (and it never held any weight in the plot). Glass Sword was the only book where she was an active protagonist that made important decisions that held weight and importance. In King's Cage, she sat around until the Scarlett Guard came to save her. And now, in the lats book, she kind of just meanders around from plot point to plot point. Not by her own volition, but because that's where the plot needs her to be. She's not the one that makes a deal with Iris to bring in Maven, that was Julien and Annabel. She's not the one that pushes Evangeline to leave the Rift, that was Davidson. She has no lasting impact throughout the plot. Why is she even here?
A lot of the different POVs in this book seemed useless. I like Iris and Evangeline's POV, but what's the point? What did they contribute? I can sort of see a reason for including Iris' POV, considering that the Lakelanders are the enemy (the battle scene where they retreat from the submarines was my favorite), but Evangeline's POV held no weight on the story at all. At least, I can't think of one. Cal's and Maven's POV are fine. Weirdly, Maven is the only character I find interesting because of his upbringing and how it affects who he is, but the book never dives into this aspect of him. A lot of the other characters were also kind of flat. None of them were very interesting, sorry.
There are some things I liked. I liked the scene where Mare kills Maven. It was very excited to listen to (I listened to the audiobook). I liked every scene with Iris. People might find her boring, but she's definitely one of my favorite characters. Also, the battle scenes are epic. I loved them. Aveyard really knows how to establish the grande scale of a battle. I just wish she was better at writing proactive protagonists.
It's to describe how I feel about this book. I don't like it, but I don't hate it. A lot of the book hinges on Mare's connection with Cal. He betrays her at the end of the last book and this apparently broke her heart. The thing is, I've never found their relationship believable. They always lacked chemistry. Mare had more chemistry with Maven than with Cal, and this is because Aveyard actually does the work to establish their connection. They were both the overlooked kid, but they also have a dynamic within the relationship that governs how they interact with one another. I don't think Mare and Cal have that. They kind of just like each other because they were both betrayed by Maven and lost everything. That, in itself, provides a good spark for a connection but I feel like that's all there is to their relationship. I personally never felt a spark between them, so Cal and Mare's relationship never held any weight for me. So, when Mare becomes heartbroken and shook that Cal would choose the crown over her, I kind of just shrugged because I never thought their relationship was ever that deep.
Another grievance I have with Mare is that she's 18 and somehow an important figure in the rebellion. She's let in on all the important meetings and she gets every debriefing on classified information. Why? I get that she's the figurehead as the lightning girl, but I feel like being the figurehead doesn't make you a high-ranking official. Especially considering that she never really does anything as the figurehead of the movement. She never makes any announcements or talk to the people that she supposedly gave hope to. All she does it fight in battles and make demands that she shouldn't be able to make. It feels like she's some teenager bossing around the various leaders of governments for Montefort, Norta, and the Rift and I'm not sure why they let her. She has no power. At one point, they say they'll use Mare in order to get to Cal (because she's his weakness), but I don't think this ever comes to fruition (with the exception of them getting him to go to Montefort which lead to nothing).
This leads me into one of my biggest gripes with Mare as a character throughout the entire series, which is that she rarely does anything. In the first book, the main players were Maven, Elara, and the Scarlett Guard. Mare never made any decisions that affected the plot bar that one scene where she had Julien help her save her friends (and it never held any weight in the plot). Glass Sword was the only book where she was an active protagonist that made important decisions that held weight and importance. In King's Cage, she sat around until the Scarlett Guard came to save her. And now, in the lats book, she kind of just meanders around from plot point to plot point. Not by her own volition, but because that's where the plot needs her to be. She's not the one that makes a deal with Iris to bring in Maven, that was Julien and Annabel. She's not the one that pushes Evangeline to leave the Rift, that was Davidson. She has no lasting impact throughout the plot. Why is she even here?
A lot of the different POVs in this book seemed useless. I like Iris and Evangeline's POV, but what's the point? What did they contribute? I can sort of see a reason for including Iris' POV, considering that the Lakelanders are the enemy (the battle scene where they retreat from the submarines was my favorite), but Evangeline's POV held no weight on the story at all. At least, I can't think of one. Cal's and Maven's POV are fine. Weirdly, Maven is the only character I find interesting because of his upbringing and how it affects who he is, but the book never dives into this aspect of him. A lot of the other characters were also kind of flat. None of them were very interesting, sorry.
There are some things I liked. I liked the scene where Mare kills Maven. It was very excited to listen to (I listened to the audiobook). I liked every scene with Iris. People might find her boring, but she's definitely one of my favorite characters. Also, the battle scenes are epic. I loved them. Aveyard really knows how to establish the grande scale of a battle. I just wish she was better at writing proactive protagonists.
elisasifaa's review against another edition
3.0
They literally spend half of the book talking. This whole series could’ve been action packed duology
simplyamahzing's review against another edition
4.0
Could have done without the Cal-as-narrator part and I definitely felt like the ending was rushed. Like - could have been a 5th book, yanno, and not just been like OH THIS THING WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING FOREVER IS DONE AND THE ONLY PERSON IVE CARED ABOUT THE WHOLE TIME DID AND NOW I AM MAD.
But eh, other than that last bit of whiplash it was good. Glad it ended the way it did (mostly).
But eh, other than that last bit of whiplash it was good. Glad it ended the way it did (mostly).
otterskate's review against another edition
5.0
I'm undecided on which book in the series is my favorite. I'm not sure it matters, overall, I enjoyed the story. Also, some of these reviews leave me wondering if we read the same book. Maybe I'll even re-read it someday.