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A review by ashton_reads_
Rising Like a Storm by Tanaz Bhathena
4.0
*This review has NO spoilers, except for what is included in the summary I copied from Goodreads.*
This sequel had the character and story arcs the first book needed, but I’m still not sure it reached its potential.
Goodreads synopsis
With King Lohar dead and a usurper queen in power, Gul and Cavas face a new tyrannical government that is bent on killing them both. Their roles in King Lohar's death have not gone unnoticed, and the new queen is out for blood. What she doesn't know is that Gul and Cavas have a connection that runs deeper than romance, and together, they just might have the strength and magic to end her for good.
Then a grave mistake ends with Cavas taken prisoner by the government. Gul must train an army of warriors alone. With alliances shifting and the thirst for vengeance growing, the fate of Ambar seems ever more uncertain. It will take every ounce of strength, love, and sacrifice for Gul and Cavas to reach their final goal―and build a more just world than they've ever known.
So in my review of the first book, Hunted by the Sky (you can read my review here), I thought I had pinpointed the issue I had with the book: I thought I didn’t quite click with the book because the plot didn’t reach its potential, because the plot didn’t go anywhere. And while I still think that’s true, Rising Like a Storm made me realize the root of the issue runs deeper, with the characters.
This book has all the mythology, rebellion, romance, and action of the first book but multiplied. The stakes are even higher as the main characters finally must reconcile their differences and embrace their deepening relationship in order to harness the magical connection they share and save their kingdom from its new tyrant. This sequel has all the elements it needs to rise to the top of the young adult fantasy charts, yet it couldn’t quite overcome the duology’s rocky start.
As I said, I realized the problem is the characters. I want to like them. SO bad. There are so many reasons to like them, and I can tell Bhathena tried to make the two main characters, Gul and Cavas, three-dimensional by making them kind of selfish… but I don’t think that works when there is no character development for the entire first book. And as a result, there is no actual development in the romance, hence why I thought there was no development in the plot – the romance is practically the foundation of the entire plot, especially for Rising Like a Storm, so it didn’t matter that this sequel was marginally better executed than its predecessor because the foundation wasn’t there.
So while I was hoping this sequel would redeem the duology, I just couldn’t get past the lack of true development in the first book that made everything in the sequel ring false. I think if you want an energetic and interesting fantasy duology to binge and these plot points sound interesting, give it a try! But my relationship with this duology is… very complicated, and I think there are better-executed fantasy books and series to try out instead
This sequel had the character and story arcs the first book needed, but I’m still not sure it reached its potential.
Goodreads synopsis
With King Lohar dead and a usurper queen in power, Gul and Cavas face a new tyrannical government that is bent on killing them both. Their roles in King Lohar's death have not gone unnoticed, and the new queen is out for blood. What she doesn't know is that Gul and Cavas have a connection that runs deeper than romance, and together, they just might have the strength and magic to end her for good.
Then a grave mistake ends with Cavas taken prisoner by the government. Gul must train an army of warriors alone. With alliances shifting and the thirst for vengeance growing, the fate of Ambar seems ever more uncertain. It will take every ounce of strength, love, and sacrifice for Gul and Cavas to reach their final goal―and build a more just world than they've ever known.
So in my review of the first book, Hunted by the Sky (you can read my review here), I thought I had pinpointed the issue I had with the book: I thought I didn’t quite click with the book because the plot didn’t reach its potential, because the plot didn’t go anywhere. And while I still think that’s true, Rising Like a Storm made me realize the root of the issue runs deeper, with the characters.
This book has all the mythology, rebellion, romance, and action of the first book but multiplied. The stakes are even higher as the main characters finally must reconcile their differences and embrace their deepening relationship in order to harness the magical connection they share and save their kingdom from its new tyrant. This sequel has all the elements it needs to rise to the top of the young adult fantasy charts, yet it couldn’t quite overcome the duology’s rocky start.
As I said, I realized the problem is the characters. I want to like them. SO bad. There are so many reasons to like them, and I can tell Bhathena tried to make the two main characters, Gul and Cavas, three-dimensional by making them kind of selfish… but I don’t think that works when there is no character development for the entire first book. And as a result, there is no actual development in the romance, hence why I thought there was no development in the plot – the romance is practically the foundation of the entire plot, especially for Rising Like a Storm, so it didn’t matter that this sequel was marginally better executed than its predecessor because the foundation wasn’t there.
So while I was hoping this sequel would redeem the duology, I just couldn’t get past the lack of true development in the first book that made everything in the sequel ring false. I think if you want an energetic and interesting fantasy duology to binge and these plot points sound interesting, give it a try! But my relationship with this duology is… very complicated, and I think there are better-executed fantasy books and series to try out instead