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prags's review
3.0
*ARC received as a part of a blog tour. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*
Stormrise follows the story of Rain, a girl, who disguises herself as a boy, her twin brother, and takes his place in a war. As she grapples to keep her true identity a secret, and to fight for the honour of her father, and her country, she stumbles upon something that could help them win the war. But at what price?
This was a good book. The writing was crisp and succulent, the actions sequences were well done, the plot was easy to keep up with. But, somehow, I just didn’t really like Rain as much as I’d thought I would, and that kinda made it difficult for me to get through with this because I just didn’t really care about her enough to see her win.
What I loved the most about this was definitely the dragon folk lore and everything surrounding it. The way dragons have been incorporated in this book is truly commendable and I admire the author for doing it such justice. The whole mystery surrounding the dragons, and my need to see them was the main motivation in reading this book and finishing it off so quickly.
Another thing that I liked was that this didn’t have a lot of long descriptions. I’m not really a big fan of those, so it was nice to read a book where we didn’t have to know the colour of the trees that passed by. On the other hand, maybe a little description about certain things would’ve been nice.
The social commentary in this book is brilliant. I loved how the author tried to show the contrast in how Rain was treated when she was a boy as compared to when she was a girl. It just sent the message across so well and drove home the point that women do face a lot of struggles as members of the society at every turn.
All in all, this was a pretty decent book and I had fun reading it.
Stormrise follows the story of Rain, a girl, who disguises herself as a boy, her twin brother, and takes his place in a war. As she grapples to keep her true identity a secret, and to fight for the honour of her father, and her country, she stumbles upon something that could help them win the war. But at what price?
This was a good book. The writing was crisp and succulent, the actions sequences were well done, the plot was easy to keep up with. But, somehow, I just didn’t really like Rain as much as I’d thought I would, and that kinda made it difficult for me to get through with this because I just didn’t really care about her enough to see her win.
What I loved the most about this was definitely the dragon folk lore and everything surrounding it. The way dragons have been incorporated in this book is truly commendable and I admire the author for doing it such justice. The whole mystery surrounding the dragons, and my need to see them was the main motivation in reading this book and finishing it off so quickly.
Another thing that I liked was that this didn’t have a lot of long descriptions. I’m not really a big fan of those, so it was nice to read a book where we didn’t have to know the colour of the trees that passed by. On the other hand, maybe a little description about certain things would’ve been nice.
The social commentary in this book is brilliant. I loved how the author tried to show the contrast in how Rain was treated when she was a boy as compared to when she was a girl. It just sent the message across so well and drove home the point that women do face a lot of struggles as members of the society at every turn.
All in all, this was a pretty decent book and I had fun reading it.
popthebutterfly's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher! Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Author: Jillian Boehme
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Recommended Age: 16+ (cursing, slight fire, blood, violence)
Genre: YA fantasy
Publisher: TorTeen
Synopsis: If Rain weren’t a girl, she would be respected as a Neshu combat master. Instead, her gender dooms her to a colorless future. When an army of nomads invades her kingdom, and a draft forces every household to send one man to fight, Rain takes her chance to seize the life she wants.
Knowing she’ll be killed if she’s discovered, Rain purchases powder made from dragon magic that enables her to disguise herself as a boy. Then she hurries to the war camps, where she excels in her training—and wrestles with the voice that has taken shape inside her head. The voice of a dragon she never truly believed existed.
As war looms and Rain is enlisted into an elite, secret unit tasked with rescuing the High King, she begins to realize this dragon tincture may hold the key to her kingdom’s victory. For the dragons that once guarded her land have slumbered for centuries . . . and someone must awaken them to fight once more.
Review: I really liked this book for the most part. I felt the writing was pretty good, the characters were very well developed, and the worldbuilding was well done. I liked that this book was a retelling of Mulan and I loved the female empowerment message behind it.
However, there were some things I didn't particularly like or understand about this book. The use of the word "simpleton" to describe Storm made me feel uncomfortable. I get it was a word used in a previous time period but it just always made me uncomfortable. I thought the book had some awkward time jumps too. They weren't separated from the previous passage, making the read confusing. And I thought the addition of the dragons confused the story for me. I didn't get their overall purpose when it seemed that it could have been a straight Mulan retelling and be fine as just that.
Verdict: If ye love dragons then ye will love this book!
Author: Jillian Boehme
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Recommended Age: 16+ (cursing, slight fire, blood, violence)
Genre: YA fantasy
Publisher: TorTeen
Synopsis: If Rain weren’t a girl, she would be respected as a Neshu combat master. Instead, her gender dooms her to a colorless future. When an army of nomads invades her kingdom, and a draft forces every household to send one man to fight, Rain takes her chance to seize the life she wants.
Knowing she’ll be killed if she’s discovered, Rain purchases powder made from dragon magic that enables her to disguise herself as a boy. Then she hurries to the war camps, where she excels in her training—and wrestles with the voice that has taken shape inside her head. The voice of a dragon she never truly believed existed.
As war looms and Rain is enlisted into an elite, secret unit tasked with rescuing the High King, she begins to realize this dragon tincture may hold the key to her kingdom’s victory. For the dragons that once guarded her land have slumbered for centuries . . . and someone must awaken them to fight once more.
Review: I really liked this book for the most part. I felt the writing was pretty good, the characters were very well developed, and the worldbuilding was well done. I liked that this book was a retelling of Mulan and I loved the female empowerment message behind it.
However, there were some things I didn't particularly like or understand about this book. The use of the word "simpleton" to describe Storm made me feel uncomfortable. I get it was a word used in a previous time period but it just always made me uncomfortable. I thought the book had some awkward time jumps too. They weren't separated from the previous passage, making the read confusing. And I thought the addition of the dragons confused the story for me. I didn't get their overall purpose when it seemed that it could have been a straight Mulan retelling and be fine as just that.
Verdict: If ye love dragons then ye will love this book!
beautifullybookishbethany's review against another edition
4.0
Mulan meets Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce in this standalone debut fantasy! I haven't seen too many people talking about Stormrise, but it's a lot of fun and I think more people should pick it up.
Rain disguises herself as a boy and joins the military in order to protect her family. While there she is chosen to be a hero by a dragon, and has a forbidden romance. So very similar to Mulan, but with its own world and magic system! It slows down a bit in the middle, but the pacing is mostly decent and the ending had me riveted. Not groundbreaking, but a solid debut and an enjoyable read.
Here is a much more eloquent review that wonderfully captures how the book tackles misogyny and toxic masculinity!: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2288352024?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1
CW include sexual assault, misogyny, and war violence.
Rain disguises herself as a boy and joins the military in order to protect her family. While there she is chosen to be a hero by a dragon, and has a forbidden romance. So very similar to Mulan, but with its own world and magic system! It slows down a bit in the middle, but the pacing is mostly decent and the ending had me riveted. Not groundbreaking, but a solid debut and an enjoyable read.
Here is a much more eloquent review that wonderfully captures how the book tackles misogyny and toxic masculinity!: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2288352024?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1
CW include sexual assault, misogyny, and war violence.
sempiternal_books's review against another edition
4.0
“I could at least find comfort in knowing that I’d take my last breath saving the lives of everyone I loved.” - Jillian Boehme, Stormrise
This book was basically what I expected. It is a retelling of Mulan, but with dragons! As with any retelling, some details are changed. In this case, our main character Rain goes to war in the place of her brother, who has the mind of a child and is unfit for war.
I found some of the plot to be disappointingly predictable and a wee bit drawn out. But the major storyline was fun and exciting. (Although it is a bit darker than Mulan so be warned, there is some sexual abuse, but nothing too crazy or graphic.) The dragons and dragon magic were a unique touch and I really enjoyed it. The romance, however, wasn’t the best. There was insta love, (sigh) and I kind of liked the two characters better as friends, but what are you gonna do.
This is will be out September 24th! So definitely pick this up if you like Mulan and Dragons! Honestly, I’ve never read a book with dragons before so I found that aspect really interesting. I need more books with dragons!
This book was basically what I expected. It is a retelling of Mulan, but with dragons! As with any retelling, some details are changed. In this case, our main character Rain goes to war in the place of her brother, who has the mind of a child and is unfit for war.
I found some of the plot to be disappointingly predictable and a wee bit drawn out. But the major storyline was fun and exciting. (Although it is a bit darker than Mulan so be warned, there is some sexual abuse, but nothing too crazy or graphic.) The dragons and dragon magic were a unique touch and I really enjoyed it. The romance, however, wasn’t the best. There was insta love, (sigh) and I kind of liked the two characters better as friends, but what are you gonna do.
This is will be out September 24th! So definitely pick this up if you like Mulan and Dragons! Honestly, I’ve never read a book with dragons before so I found that aspect really interesting. I need more books with dragons!
happenstance's review against another edition
3.0
I have a soft spot for stories about young women disguising themselves and transcending social boundaries, so I still enjoyed this - but.
But.
It felt like Mulan fanfic. I see that it's meant to be Twelfth Night inspired, but I didn't get that at all.
But.
It felt like Mulan fanfic. I see that it's meant to be Twelfth Night inspired, but I didn't get that at all.
suzjustsuz's review against another edition
3.0
Not too bad overall. I thought bringing the dragons in to effectively replace the avalanche in the movie (Mulan) brought another layer to the story that took a long time to develop and made the story more interesting.
I thought the morally dubious attraction-that-feels-like-a-betrayal romance was unnecessary melodrama that ultimately diminished the story. Predictable save at the end, too.
I thought the morally dubious attraction-that-feels-like-a-betrayal romance was unnecessary melodrama that ultimately diminished the story. Predictable save at the end, too.
nightwing's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
manyyarns's review against another edition
3.0
I’d rate this 3.5 if I could. It’s a little bit of Pit Dragons, or maybe Eragon, crossed with a lot of Mulan. A quick read, but not especially memorable.
hauntedbybooks's review against another edition
4.0
The first thing that caught my attention about Stormrise was the cover. When I saw the dragon on the cover I knew I needed to read this book! I do try not to judge a book by its cover but I did this time and it worked out in my favor. I really enjoyed reading Stormrise.
The writing is beautiful! I thought the world-building was good. The characters are all well written. There is plenty of action but too much action. There is also some romance. This book kind of reminded me of Mulan some, which made it even better.
I really enjoyed getting to see Rain grow throughout the book. The character development was great. I really liked the magic aspect and of course the dragons. It was just so interesting.
I really enjoyed reading Stormrise and I think everyone needs to pick up this wonderful fantasy!
The writing is beautiful! I thought the world-building was good. The characters are all well written. There is plenty of action but too much action. There is also some romance. This book kind of reminded me of Mulan some, which made it even better.
I really enjoyed getting to see Rain grow throughout the book. The character development was great. I really liked the magic aspect and of course the dragons. It was just so interesting.
I really enjoyed reading Stormrise and I think everyone needs to pick up this wonderful fantasy!
gatesbetch's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5