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aubreymichelle's review
adventurous
fast-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? No
4.25
creolelitbelle's review
4.0
During the first third of this book, I felt the story was mildly predictable, drawing way too close to Disney’s Mulan with some scenes very alike. By the second third of the book and on through, the book got exciting. The dragons added a much needed little oomph to the plot and made Rain’s story her own. I turned page after page as quickly as I could read them, once the adventure pushed onward. The ending felt satisfactory as I approached it, but when the curtain fell, everything was actually perfect. This book could be one to feel dismissive of in the beginning, but I’m glad I kept with it. Things picked up wonderfully. My only true issue with the book is how much description the writing lacked. As a fantasy story that felt a bit medieval, more descriptions of locations and characters could have only added to the book.
alexperc_92's review
5.0
I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review and blog tour can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
A book with dragons?
Check.
Mulan inspired? Yup check.
Also forbidden romance? Triple check!
Stormrise caught me from the moment the cover was revealed. It caught the ferocity of the dragons and the ferocity, combined with bravery, a girl takes as war looms closer and closer.
Rain and her twin brother Storm live in a village where, tales of old dragon magic make people fearsome and others, trying to exploit them. There's old lore about the time of the dragons but there are none alive. Training to become a Neshu fighter, despite not being allowed to be one due to her gender, Rain doesn't have time for marriage proposals.
Knowing that her brother won't make it, she disguises herself as a boy by also taking a mix of dragon powder in order to sound like one. And from there training begins friends and alliances.
The book was more a military YA fantasy than a dragon-centered one. I enjoyed seeing Rain become stronger and discovering her potential along with the lore of the old dragons. I also loved the romance and how sweet it was with its moments and stumbles.
A stand-alone YA fantasy worth the read!
A book with dragons?
Check.
Mulan inspired? Yup check.
Also forbidden romance? Triple check!
Stormrise caught me from the moment the cover was revealed. It caught the ferocity of the dragons and the ferocity, combined with bravery, a girl takes as war looms closer and closer.
Rain and her twin brother Storm live in a village where, tales of old dragon magic make people fearsome and others, trying to exploit them. There's old lore about the time of the dragons but there are none alive. Training to become a Neshu fighter, despite not being allowed to be one due to her gender, Rain doesn't have time for marriage proposals.
Knowing that her brother won't make it, she disguises herself as a boy by also taking a mix of dragon powder in order to sound like one. And from there training begins friends and alliances.
The book was more a military YA fantasy than a dragon-centered one. I enjoyed seeing Rain become stronger and discovering her potential along with the lore of the old dragons. I also loved the romance and how sweet it was with its moments and stumbles.
A stand-alone YA fantasy worth the read!
raemarie23's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
chroniclesofabookreader's review
4.0
Stormrise was an intriguing character-driven tale with a young woman hiding her gender to replace her brother in the war. Boehme did a fantastic job with constructing a realistic heroine that toed the line between having the gumption it took to make this dangerous life choice and the inability to always keep up her facade. The build up to battle and the growth given to its characters in that time led to a story I couldn't put down.
There was such realism in Rain's journey and I admired that the millisecond it took to make this life-changing decision didn't automatically make her path easy. Her struggles to maintain her persona and to fit in contrasted well with her unmatched fighting skill, and that war of opposites along with her spirited heart made her believable and the great character that she was. Every obstacle was met with resourcefulness and while it was never easy, she always found it within herself to push forward. The pacing was well done and held my attention from beginning to end, and I loved the culture infused within the world and it's characters. And the bits of magic added a nice layer to an already great fantasy tale.
The only aspect that didn't work was the romance and I hated that it didn't. There wasn't as much time taken in developing their connection—her pretending to be a man aside, as that had its own hand in it not fully working—and it felt less earned overall. I loved who she fell for, but the execution of their relationship could've used more time and depth.
Overall Stormrise was a well-written story with a great main character and I look forward to what this author will write next.
**Received an early copy via Edelweiss; this had no bearing on my opinions**
There was such realism in Rain's journey and I admired that the millisecond it took to make this life-changing decision didn't automatically make her path easy. Her struggles to maintain her persona and to fit in contrasted well with her unmatched fighting skill, and that war of opposites along with her spirited heart made her believable and the great character that she was. Every obstacle was met with resourcefulness and while it was never easy, she always found it within herself to push forward. The pacing was well done and held my attention from beginning to end, and I loved the culture infused within the world and it's characters. And the bits of magic added a nice layer to an already great fantasy tale.
The only aspect that didn't work was the romance and I hated that it didn't. There wasn't as much time taken in developing their connection—her pretending to be a man aside, as that had its own hand in it not fully working—and it felt less earned overall. I loved who she fell for, but the execution of their relationship could've used more time and depth.
Overall Stormrise was a well-written story with a great main character and I look forward to what this author will write next.
**Received an early copy via Edelweiss; this had no bearing on my opinions**
gabyisafreeelf's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
shedratherbereading0615's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
dhamira's review
4.0
this is one of the most beautiful and magical book ive ever read. The way the author put something in words is mind blowing. However, it is *almost* perfect.
The reason why it is losing its one star is because the characters are kind of messy. Like, they’re there for one sec and then gone for 3 hours. And then come back. Also, at first, I don’t think the romance is even necessary, like- it’s v weird
The reason why it is losing its one star is because the characters are kind of messy. Like, they’re there for one sec and then gone for 3 hours. And then come back. Also, at first, I don’t think the romance is even necessary, like- it’s v weird
cassyglitz's review
3.0
Instagram Review|| *Few spoilers*
I understand why people will say this is another version of Mulan, but it is somewhat different. For one, it has a happy ending, compared to Mulan. Secondly, the dragons were much more serious and intimidating.
The central themes were bravery, loyalty, and love but the love story wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. The relationship between Forest and Rain should have been just friendship in my opinion, but I guess the author wanted to make it a light read. Sedge was an insufferable a**h*le and honestly, the attempt to redeem him at the end was lost on me.
Overall, this was a fun book to read and I’ll recommend it to those who don’t care about the finer details in books (or obvious similarities to other books and stories), and just want to read something light.
I understand why people will say this is another version of Mulan, but it is somewhat different. For one, it has a happy ending, compared to Mulan. Secondly, the dragons were much more serious and intimidating.
The central themes were bravery, loyalty, and love but the love story wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. The relationship between Forest and Rain should have been just friendship in my opinion, but I guess the author wanted to make it a light read. Sedge was an insufferable a**h*le and honestly, the attempt to redeem him at the end was lost on me.
Overall, this was a fun book to read and I’ll recommend it to those who don’t care about the finer details in books (or obvious similarities to other books and stories), and just want to read something light.
thistlechaser's review
4.0
At first I thought this would just be a retelling of Disney's Mulan, but early on it went off in its own direction and never looked back (and it's even more different than the original story Disney's is based on, Hua Mulan). The only thing the two stories shared was that the main character (named Rain in Stormrise) pretended to be a man so she could join the army.
Unlike Disney's version, she was discovered pretty early on, but as the main plot was about her waking dragons to save the country, that only added to her trouble doing so.
The dragons were real Chinese dragons, not the little one in Disney's version. As much as I loved Disney's movie, this book was much better. Everything was more mature and realistic (especially about how she had to pretend to be a man -- Disney's Mulan never had to deal with her period!).
The ending was sweet. I don't usually seek out happy endings, but I really liked it in Stormrise's case.
Unlike Disney's version, she was discovered pretty early on, but as the main plot was about her waking dragons to save the country, that only added to her trouble doing so.
The dragons were real Chinese dragons, not the little one in Disney's version. As much as I loved Disney's movie, this book was much better. Everything was more mature and realistic (especially about how she had to pretend to be a man -- Disney's Mulan never had to deal with her period!).
The ending was sweet. I don't usually seek out happy endings, but I really liked it in Stormrise's case.