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nannahnannah's review
1.0
Oh, boy. I’m sorry, but this book was a hot mess. There was very little that I enjoyed, and I was very surprised to find out this wasn’t the author’s first book--but not surprised to find out she was an adult romance writer before trying her hand at YA.
Arora (Rora, Roar--the nicknames are RIDICULOUS; Casimir→ Mir? MIR??) Pavan is a Stormling: a member of a royal family that help protect civilians from the deadly and beast-like storms that have ravaged the entire world. Only Stormlings have the power to fight and kill these storms … right? Except that Arora doesn’t. And when she meets a team of storm hunters in the black market and learns that you actually don’t have to have Stormling blood to fight storms, her entire world gets turned upside down.
It’s an interesting concept, but the execution falls flat. There’s so much “telling” instead of “showing” in important places. For example the author tells me what everyone intends to do or what their actions mean, making everything seem cheap instead of meaningful. There’s also a lot of sloppy editing: commas in the wrong places (especially where there shouldn’t be any), weird sentence structures, and overall just inconsistent style. Where’s the editor in all this? Especially when Arora got knocked out by a bottle. You can’t get knocked out by a bottle without brain damage or dying! It doesn’t work that way! That’s like … writing cliches 101.
I also found it really hard to enjoy the romance between the two main characters. The love interest, Locke, practically harassed and sexually assaulted Roar (aka Arora) a couple times, and besides the first time (which I’m glad Roar called him out), it was taken to be “sexy” and sexy banter. Especially since, according to Locke’s inner monologue, he doesn’t really see what he did as wrong. Worse yet, after he assaults her one time, he emotionally manipulates her so that he can pretend it was part of her storm-hunting “training”. Badly done! He even admits this later: “I’m an ass who gets what he wants.” I don’t know why people find this hot. It’s not hot!
Lovely man. Just what we want teens to look for in relationships, lmao!
The writing in the romantic parts was also … pretty awful. This was where I could tell the author was an adult romance writer before she came to YA territory. Everything was “Manly this” and “Manly that” -- Roar has one hand touch her body and she’s all theirs, and “better yet, she had stopped fighting him completely”, and “to fall back on another argument would give her the precious distance she needed”. Good lord. This is why I read more LGBT books lately; I can’t deal with straight drama (that, and well, I’m not straight.).
There was also the fact that 200 pages in, I was still learning who the secondary characters were. “An earth witch, her enchantments were the strongest he’d ever seen, thanks to her affinity to nature, of which storms were a part.” OH MY GOD. 1). I know this already. 2). This is SUCH boring writing; it’s like listing facts in a nonfiction paper.
Around the 200 page point things really get sloppy. This is where the plot actually begins. There’s finally a protagonist goal and a villain introduction! And it’s during this point the PoV’s become messy; like in one you’ll have a sentence that’s supposed to be another’s … like the author missed it, but decided not to backtrace and put it in the other’s so just plopped it in this one instead. There’s kissing instead of sorting out anger (not a writing issue, but a bad understanding of who she’s writing for and maybe how she should represent to the people she’s writing for). Along the same lines, the protagonist bases her self esteem on if a cool guy likes her--and there’s no questioning of that line of thinking. You’re writing a book for teens (and most likely teen girls), and that’s what you present to them??
And then page 342 -- just THREE CHAPTERS from the end I finally learn the villain’s name and about who he actually is?
Then the book ends … without a climax.. It just ends. There’s no climax, no resolution, there’s just … nothing. It ends just as … like I was on page 150 or something.
The storms are an idea that’s pretty interesting, but I honestly Could Not Stand this book, and only read it all because of a friend. I’m so sorry, but it’s Definitely not for me.
Arora (Rora, Roar--the nicknames are RIDICULOUS; Casimir→ Mir? MIR??) Pavan is a Stormling: a member of a royal family that help protect civilians from the deadly and beast-like storms that have ravaged the entire world. Only Stormlings have the power to fight and kill these storms … right? Except that Arora doesn’t. And when she meets a team of storm hunters in the black market and learns that you actually don’t have to have Stormling blood to fight storms, her entire world gets turned upside down.
It’s an interesting concept, but the execution falls flat. There’s so much “telling” instead of “showing” in important places. For example the author tells me what everyone intends to do or what their actions mean, making everything seem cheap instead of meaningful. There’s also a lot of sloppy editing: commas in the wrong places (especially where there shouldn’t be any), weird sentence structures, and overall just inconsistent style. Where’s the editor in all this? Especially when Arora got knocked out by a bottle. You can’t get knocked out by a bottle without brain damage or dying! It doesn’t work that way! That’s like … writing cliches 101.
I also found it really hard to enjoy the romance between the two main characters. The love interest, Locke, practically harassed and sexually assaulted Roar (aka Arora) a couple times, and besides the first time (which I’m glad Roar called him out), it was taken to be “sexy” and sexy banter. Especially since, according to Locke’s inner monologue, he doesn’t really see what he did as wrong. Worse yet, after he assaults her one time, he emotionally manipulates her so that he can pretend it was part of her storm-hunting “training”. Badly done! He even admits this later: “I’m an ass who gets what he wants.” I don’t know why people find this hot. It’s not hot!
Lovely man. Just what we want teens to look for in relationships, lmao!
The writing in the romantic parts was also … pretty awful. This was where I could tell the author was an adult romance writer before she came to YA territory. Everything was “Manly this” and “Manly that” -- Roar has one hand touch her body and she’s all theirs, and “better yet, she had stopped fighting him completely”, and “to fall back on another argument would give her the precious distance she needed”. Good lord. This is why I read more LGBT books lately; I can’t deal with straight drama (that, and well, I’m not straight.).
There was also the fact that 200 pages in, I was still learning who the secondary characters were. “An earth witch, her enchantments were the strongest he’d ever seen, thanks to her affinity to nature, of which storms were a part.” OH MY GOD. 1). I know this already. 2). This is SUCH boring writing; it’s like listing facts in a nonfiction paper.
Around the 200 page point things really get sloppy. This is where the plot actually begins. There’s finally a protagonist goal and a villain introduction! And it’s during this point the PoV’s become messy; like in one you’ll have a sentence that’s supposed to be another’s … like the author missed it, but decided not to backtrace and put it in the other’s so just plopped it in this one instead. There’s kissing instead of sorting out anger (not a writing issue, but a bad understanding of who she’s writing for and maybe how she should represent to the people she’s writing for). Along the same lines, the protagonist bases her self esteem on if a cool guy likes her--and there’s no questioning of that line of thinking. You’re writing a book for teens (and most likely teen girls), and that’s what you present to them??
And then page 342 -- just THREE CHAPTERS from the end I finally learn the villain’s name and about who he actually is?
Then the book ends … without a climax.. It just ends. There’s no climax, no resolution, there’s just … nothing. It ends just as … like I was on page 150 or something.
The storms are an idea that’s pretty interesting, but I honestly Could Not Stand this book, and only read it all because of a friend. I’m so sorry, but it’s Definitely not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
morganish's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have mixed feelings about this book because of one particular element that really stands out. But overall I liked it and am interested enough to keep reading the series.
The highlight for me was definitely the magic system, which is just cool, and the main character's relationship to magic in her world. It's as cool on the page as it sounds in the blurb - a world where magic largely revolves around storms and certain people can "steal" the stormhearts? Yes, please! Watching the main character's arc strengthen and grow around her unique powers, while she learns more about what she can and cannot do, was probably the most rewarding part of the entire story for me, and the thing that makes me want to read future books.
I also really enjoyed the juxtaposition of a romance based around a highborn girl and lowborn love interest. I feel like so many M/F fantasy romances go in the opposite direction, at least in the last two decades. Somehow I find shaking up that dynamic to be more intriguing. Roar, if that's what we're calling her here, is still "likable," for those who want their female MC's not too proud or competent; she has to learn how to grow into her powers and gain confidence in herself through trial and error.
However, there is one major drawback of the book for me personally, which might be something others in the fantasy romance readerbase love: The very strong reliance on a kind of paternalistic "protectiveness" over Roar by her main love interest, echoed too by the evil(?) guy she's betrothed to. It's very much not my cup of tea, and it's also really prevalent in the story, so it says a lot about the other elements that I still enjoyed this book. The men are constantly worried about her, trying to keep her from doing stuff that might be dangerous, and often go so far as to bodily stop her or grab her or pick her up to prevent her from doing things. I don't think this is a worse or more over-the-top portrayal than in a lot of other popular fiction right now, so if you're into this kind of dynamic, this might be your new favorite! It just really isn't mine at all, so if you're like me, you might want to consider giving this one a pass.
It's broken up into several POVs, which I usually like and probably gave me more to grasp onto, especially when some new POVs show up later in the book. But the inclusion of her terrible betrothed's POV felt strange, and like maybe the series is working toward a redemption story for him or a love triangle for her. But while I can get on board with redemption stories more than some other readers can, this one definitely felt like a stretch, so that might be something to keep in mind for if you don't like that kind of thing. Or it might be a bonus, for those who love redemption stories and bad-boy love interests!
Overall I think this will be a good fit for readers of fantasy romance who like protective male love interests, intriguing magic systems, and stories where characters get big, triumphant moments of growing into their power (literally and metaphorically). And this is the beginning of a series that sounds like some future installments have been delayed, so this would be a good fit for those who have patience and like to have the tension between installments drawn out. But if overprotective love interests, traditional fantasy elements, or unfinished series really bother you, it might be a good idea to take a pass here.
The highlight for me was definitely the magic system, which is just cool, and the main character's relationship to magic in her world. It's as cool on the page as it sounds in the blurb - a world where magic largely revolves around storms and certain people can "steal" the stormhearts? Yes, please! Watching the main character's arc strengthen and grow around her unique powers, while she learns more about what she can and cannot do, was probably the most rewarding part of the entire story for me, and the thing that makes me want to read future books.
I also really enjoyed the juxtaposition of a romance based around a highborn girl and lowborn love interest. I feel like so many M/F fantasy romances go in the opposite direction, at least in the last two decades. Somehow I find shaking up that dynamic to be more intriguing. Roar, if that's what we're calling her here, is still "likable," for those who want their female MC's not too proud or competent; she has to learn how to grow into her powers and gain confidence in herself through trial and error.
However, there is one major drawback of the book for me personally, which might be something others in the fantasy romance readerbase love: The very strong reliance on a kind of paternalistic "protectiveness" over Roar by her main love interest, echoed too by the evil(?) guy she's betrothed to. It's very much not my cup of tea, and it's also really prevalent in the story, so it says a lot about the other elements that I still enjoyed this book. The men are constantly worried about her, trying to keep her from doing stuff that might be dangerous, and often go so far as to bodily stop her or grab her or pick her up to prevent her from doing things. I don't think this is a worse or more over-the-top portrayal than in a lot of other popular fiction right now, so if you're into this kind of dynamic, this might be your new favorite! It just really isn't mine at all, so if you're like me, you might want to consider giving this one a pass.
It's broken up into several POVs, which I usually like and probably gave me more to grasp onto, especially when some new POVs show up later in the book. But the inclusion of her terrible betrothed's POV felt strange, and like maybe the series is working toward a redemption story for him or a love triangle for her. But while I can get on board with redemption stories more than some other readers can, this one definitely felt like a stretch, so that might be something to keep in mind for if you don't like that kind of thing. Or it might be a bonus, for those who love redemption stories and bad-boy love interests!
Overall I think this will be a good fit for readers of fantasy romance who like protective male love interests, intriguing magic systems, and stories where characters get big, triumphant moments of growing into their power (literally and metaphorically). And this is the beginning of a series that sounds like some future installments have been delayed, so this would be a good fit for those who have patience and like to have the tension between installments drawn out. But if overprotective love interests, traditional fantasy elements, or unfinished series really bother you, it might be a good idea to take a pass here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, and Torture
Minor: Abandonment, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, and War
Additional content warnings for: *paternalistic/infantilizing M/F relationship dynamics *dubious consent due to magical influence *unclear/under-negotiated consent regarding casual touch/bodily autonomy
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