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desiree930
I really wanted to love this book. And for the most part, I did like it. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.
Things I liked:
1. Diversity:
There were several characters representing marginalized groups in this book, Phoenix being the most prominent. Now, even though this book is not an 'own voices' novel, it is stated in the author's bio that she has worked with many people from Central American countries, so I am just working off the assumption that she wrote and respectful and accurate portrayal of the possible struggle a young man from that part of the world may face. It felt like she'd done her research, which I appreciated.
2. Sally and Amanda:
I wish they'd been a little more fleshed-out, but I loved these two and the fact that they are trying to help Phoenix, despite not really knowing much about him. They way they take him into their lives is awesome.
3. The depiction of trauma and PTSD:
A couple of characters in this story have experienced traumatic events, and each of them deals with it in their own way. I liked that this book really explored that what helps one person may not help another and that these kind of emotional and psychological wounds heal at a different rate for everyone.
4. Gretchen and Phoenix's friendship:
I liked their relationship, but I think I almost prefer them as friends rather than romantic partners.
Things I didn't like:
1. The romance:
My biggest issue with this romance is that it felt a little out of nowhere. As much as I appreciated the author exploring trauma and PTSD, I felt like Gretchen suddenly overcoming her issues having to do with personal space were slightly unrealistic. Again, I know that people heal from trauma in their own ways, she had major difficulty even having physical contact with her long-time boyfriend but she is almost immediately wrapping herself around Phoenix...it felt a little insta-lovey to me...
2. Annoying trope-filled angst:
I'm not sure what else to call this, but it is one of the most annoying things in books for me. It happens when a story is being told in first person. The narrator has some big secret of something that either happened to them or something they did themselves. And even though it's in first freaking person and we are literally in that person's head, there is this huge mystery surrounding what the secret could possibly be. And it's stretched out far longer than necessary. And when this big secret is finally divulged to the reader, it's oftentimes very underwhelming.
Gretchen's 'secret' fit the bill almost perfectly.
It feels like an attempt to create a false tension to keep the reader reading, but it makes no sense to me when we're talking about reading directly from someone's perspective. It doesn't work.
This book takes the trope even one step further by having the character refer to the fact that she wont talk about it, even to herself:
"I lie to my mom, staring out the window. I lie to my dad, gripping my knee. I lie to the nice prosecutor, Karen, and to myself. I lie because there's more. This isn't even the most disturbing part, The part I've forbidden myself to think about or acknowledge. The part I can't even tell myself."
-Page 57
The author is trying to make a mystery out of something her character knows about first-hand. SHE IS ACKNOWLEDGING THE 'LIE' JUST BY SAYING SHE WONT ACKNOWLEDGE IT. Maddening.
3. Telling, not showing:
The fact that we are getting both of our main character's perspectives should mean that we are getting a pretty good accounting of the action in the story, right? Apparently not. The last couple of chapters in the book are all sorts of info-dumpy and learning a lot of action after-the-fact. First, Gretchen's best friend's boyfriend, who she's been low-key hating on since the start of the book, turns out to know all sorts of stuff about Phoenix that Gretchen was unaware of up to that point. Now, if this knowledge had come to him pre-book that would be understandable. But it didn't. In fact, it apparently happened in between chapters directly after an event that was depicted in the story. If this story was just from Gretchen's perspective I would understand why we wouldn't be privy to the conversation, but it's a dual-perspective story. I felt like the whole thing was done simply to prop up this secondary character so the he would be redeemed in Gretchen's eyes.
Another instance of this is in the last chapter. Gretchen and Phoenix both relay information to each other AND the readers after-the-fact. So much action happens that we are simply told about. It makes the ending feel very rushed.
4. The pacing:
As previously stated, the ending felt incredibly rushed. I think one reason for that is that the rest of the book is kind of slow. It actually took me quite a bit to get into this story. Once I did I thought it was nice, but it was definitely slow.
5. Gretchen's mom:
Neither of her parents were very well-developed, but at least her dad seemed like a caring guy. Her mom seemed like kind of a bitch for the most part. She complained a lot about everything, and seemed somewhat selfish, especially considering her daughter's struggles.
All in all, I did appreciate this book, and thought that it had a ton of potential, but there were just a few things that I felt could have been done better.
Things I liked:
1. Diversity:
There were several characters representing marginalized groups in this book, Phoenix being the most prominent. Now, even though this book is not an 'own voices' novel, it is stated in the author's bio that she has worked with many people from Central American countries, so I am just working off the assumption that she wrote and respectful and accurate portrayal of the possible struggle a young man from that part of the world may face. It felt like she'd done her research, which I appreciated.
2. Sally and Amanda:
I wish they'd been a little more fleshed-out, but I loved these two and the fact that they are trying to help Phoenix, despite not really knowing much about him. They way they take him into their lives is awesome.
3. The depiction of trauma and PTSD:
A couple of characters in this story have experienced traumatic events, and each of them deals with it in their own way. I liked that this book really explored that what helps one person may not help another and that these kind of emotional and psychological wounds heal at a different rate for everyone.
4. Gretchen and Phoenix's friendship:
I liked their relationship, but I think I almost prefer them as friends rather than romantic partners.
Things I didn't like:
1. The romance:
My biggest issue with this romance is that it felt a little out of nowhere. As much as I appreciated the author exploring trauma and PTSD, I felt like Gretchen suddenly overcoming her issues having to do with personal space were slightly unrealistic. Again, I know that people heal from trauma in their own ways, she had major difficulty even having physical contact with her long-time boyfriend but she is almost immediately wrapping herself around Phoenix...it felt a little insta-lovey to me...
2. Annoying trope-filled angst:
I'm not sure what else to call this, but it is one of the most annoying things in books for me. It happens when a story is being told in first person. The narrator has some big secret of something that either happened to them or something they did themselves. And even though it's in first freaking person and we are literally in that person's head, there is this huge mystery surrounding what the secret could possibly be. And it's stretched out far longer than necessary. And when this big secret is finally divulged to the reader, it's oftentimes very underwhelming.
Gretchen's 'secret' fit the bill almost perfectly.
It feels like an attempt to create a false tension to keep the reader reading, but it makes no sense to me when we're talking about reading directly from someone's perspective. It doesn't work.
This book takes the trope even one step further by having the character refer to the fact that she wont talk about it, even to herself:
"I lie to my mom, staring out the window. I lie to my dad, gripping my knee. I lie to the nice prosecutor, Karen, and to myself. I lie because there's more. This isn't even the most disturbing part, The part I've forbidden myself to think about or acknowledge. The part I can't even tell myself."
-Page 57
The author is trying to make a mystery out of something her character knows about first-hand. SHE IS ACKNOWLEDGING THE 'LIE' JUST BY SAYING SHE WONT ACKNOWLEDGE IT. Maddening.
3. Telling, not showing:
The fact that we are getting both of our main character's perspectives should mean that we are getting a pretty good accounting of the action in the story, right? Apparently not. The last couple of chapters in the book are all sorts of info-dumpy and learning a lot of action after-the-fact. First, Gretchen's best friend's boyfriend, who she's been low-key hating on since the start of the book, turns out to know all sorts of stuff about Phoenix that Gretchen was unaware of up to that point. Now, if this knowledge had come to him pre-book that would be understandable. But it didn't. In fact, it apparently happened in between chapters directly after an event that was depicted in the story. If this story was just from Gretchen's perspective I would understand why we wouldn't be privy to the conversation, but it's a dual-perspective story. I felt like the whole thing was done simply to prop up this secondary character so the he would be redeemed in Gretchen's eyes.
Another instance of this is in the last chapter. Gretchen and Phoenix both relay information to each other AND the readers after-the-fact. So much action happens that we are simply told about. It makes the ending feel very rushed.
4. The pacing:
As previously stated, the ending felt incredibly rushed. I think one reason for that is that the rest of the book is kind of slow. It actually took me quite a bit to get into this story. Once I did I thought it was nice, but it was definitely slow.
5. Gretchen's mom:
Neither of her parents were very well-developed, but at least her dad seemed like a caring guy. Her mom seemed like kind of a bitch for the most part. She complained a lot about everything, and seemed somewhat selfish, especially considering her daughter's struggles.
All in all, I did appreciate this book, and thought that it had a ton of potential, but there were just a few things that I felt could have been done better.
3.5 stars...maybe as high as 3.75
I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed by this book. I absolutely loved Starflight, and I really liked the premise for this follow up. For the most part, I enjoyed myself. But there were times where it felt like there was a little too much going on. There were just so many subplots that it became slightly muddled for me. Granted, most of these story arcs were connected, but it was a LOT.
I liked Cassia and Kane in Starflight, and was looking forward to a book about them. And honestly, even though Cassia's decisions were frustrating at times, it made sense to me. I didn't like how she was hot and cold with Kane, but the obligation of her duty being at war with her heart didn't seem out of character or even that difficult to believe. I liked their romance. I liked the fact that they were best friends and also in love.
I saw some reviews saying that the other shipmates roles were almost non-existent or that they were behaving out-of-character. I disagree. While it's true that we didn't get as much of Doran and Solara as we did in book one, we already know those characters really well and they weren't supposed to be front and center. As far as Renny goes, I felt like his character was the same guy he was in book one, and it felt like he actually had more to do this time around. I could've done without the subplot involving Arabelle, but she's really the only crew member that wasn't as fleshed out as I would've liked...
While this wasn't a perfect book by any means, and I don't think it was as good as Starflight, I enjoyed my reading experience with this book, and if Melissa Landers were to write more in this universe I would snatch them up in a heartbeat.
I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed by this book. I absolutely loved Starflight, and I really liked the premise for this follow up. For the most part, I enjoyed myself. But there were times where it felt like there was a little too much going on. There were just so many subplots that it became slightly muddled for me. Granted, most of these story arcs were connected, but it was a LOT.
I liked Cassia and Kane in Starflight, and was looking forward to a book about them. And honestly, even though Cassia's decisions were frustrating at times, it made sense to me. I didn't like how she was hot and cold with Kane, but the obligation of her duty being at war with her heart didn't seem out of character or even that difficult to believe. I liked their romance. I liked the fact that they were best friends and also in love.
I saw some reviews saying that the other shipmates roles were almost non-existent or that they were behaving out-of-character. I disagree. While it's true that we didn't get as much of Doran and Solara as we did in book one, we already know those characters really well and they weren't supposed to be front and center. As far as Renny goes, I felt like his character was the same guy he was in book one, and it felt like he actually had more to do this time around. I could've done without the subplot involving Arabelle, but she's really the only crew member that wasn't as fleshed out as I would've liked...
While this wasn't a perfect book by any means, and I don't think it was as good as Starflight, I enjoyed my reading experience with this book, and if Melissa Landers were to write more in this universe I would snatch them up in a heartbeat.
Edit: I just finished re-reading this book in preparation to begin Starfall, which is a companion book to Starflight. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed this book just as much this time around as I did when I initially read it. I still love the characters, the plot, the world(s) building. It's a fast-paced, fun read. It's still a very solid 4 stars for me. :)
Original Read Through: 4 stars
I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. It's fun and fast-paced, with really great characters and above average world-building. The end seemed a little abrupt and unfinished, but it looks like it's the beginning of a series, so I guess I'll have to wait for the next book. The good news? There's going to be another book with these characters!
Original Read Through: 4 stars
I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. It's fun and fast-paced, with really great characters and above average world-building. The end seemed a little abrupt and unfinished, but it looks like it's the beginning of a series, so I guess I'll have to wait for the next book. The good news? There's going to be another book with these characters!
I really enjoyed this book. Even though it was a quick read, there were some relatively heavy topics covered in this story.
3.75 stars I just finished this book for a second time. In my first read-through of the trilogy, I gave the first book 5 stars and this book was a solid 4 stars for me. In my re-read, I'm noticing a few things that I didn't think about the first time, 4 years ago. I think I am just a more critical reader now than I was then. Or perhaps it has to do with the fact that this time through I am listening to the stories on audiobook, which has highlighted a few things that caused me to rate them differently. Ultimately, I still kept my official rating at 4 stars for this second book, although my technical rating is slightly lower.
My main gripe, if you can call it that, is Deuce. I really enjoy her as a character for the most part, and I like that she is strong and isn't a liability in a fight. She more than holds her own. But not a chapter goes by without the reader being reminded that she is a skilled fighter. It was also like this in the first book, but in this one it manifests itself into her complaining every five seconds because the people who took her in are requiring her to go to school, something she finds pretty much worthless. I find her attitude towards school a little out of character, to be honest, considering her curiosity in the first book about reading and learning things about life prior to the apocalypse. But really, the first half of the book is primarily her complaining about how she's all grown up and these people can't teach her anything she hates dresses and sewing and blah, blah, blah. Even later in the book as she begins to appreciate the town of Salvation and the people who live there, we are still reminded over and over again that she is a huntress. She is far more skilled than anyone else. Every time someone in a position of authority gives an order, she lets the reader know exactly what she thinks about it and why. It gets just the tiniest bit insufferable.
I liked the sections of the book with Mama Oaks and Edmund (Forgive me if I'm mis-spelling the names. It's been years since I read the actual text.) and her learning to be part of the family. But even then, we are treated to how wonderful and special she is because after years of being estranged, Deuce visits the Oaks' son once and it leads to a family reunion. But I did like the fish-out-of-water aspect of this book as it continued from the first book. Deuce was finally beginning to understand her place in the world and then she and her friends are taken in by salvation and she has to start all over again.
Again, I really enjoy this book and this series, but I don't need to be hit over the head with how amazing the main character is. Her character would've proven that just with her actions. I don't need her telling the reader how she's so much better at everything combat-related than anyone else.
My main gripe, if you can call it that, is Deuce. I really enjoy her as a character for the most part, and I like that she is strong and isn't a liability in a fight. She more than holds her own. But not a chapter goes by without the reader being reminded that she is a skilled fighter. It was also like this in the first book, but in this one it manifests itself into her complaining every five seconds because the people who took her in are requiring her to go to school, something she finds pretty much worthless. I find her attitude towards school a little out of character, to be honest, considering her curiosity in the first book about reading and learning things about life prior to the apocalypse. But really, the first half of the book is primarily her complaining about how she's all grown up and these people can't teach her anything she hates dresses and sewing and blah, blah, blah. Even later in the book as she begins to appreciate the town of Salvation and the people who live there, we are still reminded over and over again that she is a huntress. She is far more skilled than anyone else. Every time someone in a position of authority gives an order, she lets the reader know exactly what she thinks about it and why. It gets just the tiniest bit insufferable.
I liked the sections of the book with Mama Oaks and Edmund (Forgive me if I'm mis-spelling the names. It's been years since I read the actual text.) and her learning to be part of the family. But even then, we are treated to how wonderful and special she is because after years of being estranged, Deuce visits the Oaks' son once and it leads to a family reunion. But I did like the fish-out-of-water aspect of this book as it continued from the first book. Deuce was finally beginning to understand her place in the world and then she and her friends are taken in by salvation and she has to start all over again.
Again, I really enjoy this book and this series, but I don't need to be hit over the head with how amazing the main character is. Her character would've proven that just with her actions. I don't need her telling the reader how she's so much better at everything combat-related than anyone else.
4.5 stars
Taylor just found out her father is sick and that he isn't going to get better. He wants to have one last summer at their lake house that they used to go to every summer before life got hectic. Taylor is dreading returning to the lake house after a disastrous summer five years earlier.
I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. It kind of came out of nowhere and truly surprised me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. I've loved the other books I've read by Morgan Matson. She just has a great ability to write realistic, flawed characters in a way that makes you root for them.
Taylor was a good main character. There were times where she made frustrating decisions, but I ended up connecting with her pretty easily. She can't stand confrontation. When faced with a 'fight or flight' situation, she always chooses flight. It's never calls anxiety in the book, but it seems pretty obvious that that's what it is, in some form. She also gets serious stage fright. While I don't have these problems to the extreme that Taylor does, I felt like I could empathize with her.
I loved the way her family was written. I think that's one of my favorite things about Morgan Matson's books. The parents are present and actually have involvement in their kids' lives. I really liked the arc for Taylor's family as they started out the book kind of distant from one another -- Taylor mentions that she and her siblings have never been close and that she can't remember the last time she told her father that she loved him -- and they grew together into one unit over the course of a summer. There is a part near the end of the book where Taylor's sister curls up with her on a couch and they just comfort each other, something that wouldn't have happened in the beginning of the book.
I liked the side characters as well, especially Lucy. I liked Henry as well, but don't feel like he was as fleshed-out as he could've been. Their romance was cute, but I wanted a little more I guess.
As far as the 'past incident' that Taylor was so mortified to be confronted with...it was a little tame. I kept having to remind myself that this is something that happened when the characters were twelve years old, but still...when it was revealed it felt very anti-climactic.
I liked the setting of this book quite a bit. I grew up in a small town on an island in Alaska, but many of the things in this book reminded me of my own summers growing up there. Small town, just a few local businesses, spending all summer on the water...fireworks and pizza and friends...all gave me a very serious case of nostalgia.
Now, to what I felt was the strongest (and hardest) part of the book to read...Taylor coming to terms with her father's illness and death (I don't feel like this is a spoiler at all. We are told in the synopsis that it is her father's last summer.) Just for the record: I am not a book crier. There have been a few books here and there that have choked me up or even caused a tear or two to fall. The last 100 pages of this book broke me. I counted at least six different points where I was actively crying with this book. I lost my own father six years ago pretty suddenly. I connected so much with every emotion Taylor had. It all felt authentic. Even her actions toward Henry were completely authentic to her character and her past actions.
I am going to be thinking about this book for a long time to come. Now I just need to get my hands on her debut novel and I'll be all caught up on Morgan Matson's books...and eagerly awaiting her next
Taylor just found out her father is sick and that he isn't going to get better. He wants to have one last summer at their lake house that they used to go to every summer before life got hectic. Taylor is dreading returning to the lake house after a disastrous summer five years earlier.
I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. It kind of came out of nowhere and truly surprised me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. I've loved the other books I've read by Morgan Matson. She just has a great ability to write realistic, flawed characters in a way that makes you root for them.
Taylor was a good main character. There were times where she made frustrating decisions, but I ended up connecting with her pretty easily. She can't stand confrontation. When faced with a 'fight or flight' situation, she always chooses flight. It's never calls anxiety in the book, but it seems pretty obvious that that's what it is, in some form. She also gets serious stage fright. While I don't have these problems to the extreme that Taylor does, I felt like I could empathize with her.
I loved the way her family was written. I think that's one of my favorite things about Morgan Matson's books. The parents are present and actually have involvement in their kids' lives. I really liked the arc for Taylor's family as they started out the book kind of distant from one another -- Taylor mentions that she and her siblings have never been close and that she can't remember the last time she told her father that she loved him -- and they grew together into one unit over the course of a summer. There is a part near the end of the book where Taylor's sister curls up with her on a couch and they just comfort each other, something that wouldn't have happened in the beginning of the book.
I liked the side characters as well, especially Lucy. I liked Henry as well, but don't feel like he was as fleshed-out as he could've been. Their romance was cute, but I wanted a little more I guess.
As far as the 'past incident' that Taylor was so mortified to be confronted with...it was a little tame. I kept having to remind myself that this is something that happened when the characters were twelve years old, but still...when it was revealed it felt very anti-climactic.
I liked the setting of this book quite a bit. I grew up in a small town on an island in Alaska, but many of the things in this book reminded me of my own summers growing up there. Small town, just a few local businesses, spending all summer on the water...fireworks and pizza and friends...all gave me a very serious case of nostalgia.
Now, to what I felt was the strongest (and hardest) part of the book to read...Taylor coming to terms with her father's illness and death (I don't feel like this is a spoiler at all. We are told in the synopsis that it is her father's last summer.) Just for the record: I am not a book crier. There have been a few books here and there that have choked me up or even caused a tear or two to fall. The last 100 pages of this book broke me. I counted at least six different points where I was actively crying with this book. I lost my own father six years ago pretty suddenly. I connected so much with every emotion Taylor had. It all felt authentic. Even her actions toward Henry were completely authentic to her character and her past actions.
I am going to be thinking about this book for a long time to come. Now I just need to get my hands on her debut novel and I'll be all caught up on Morgan Matson's books...and eagerly awaiting her next
4.5 stars
This book is a re-read for me. I originally read the Razorland series back in 2013. I'd been thinking of doing a re-read of the series when I heard that Ann Aguirre was coming out with a new book in the series following Tegan, which made my decision for me. This time around, I listened to Enclave primarily on audio book. I enjoyed it almost as much as I did the first time I read it, and can't wait for the new book to come out.
I know there have been several reviews admonishing this book because they see it as being 'victim-blaming' in reference to Tegan and Stalker . And it's true that many of Deuce's ideas are not okay. However, if we take a step back, we can see that all of her opinions and ideals have been formed throughout her childhood. The society she was a part of had specific traits and attributes that they coveted. The strong survived, the weak did not. Because of that upbringing, someone like Tegan looked weak to her and she couldn't see past her own experiences because the enclave was all she'd ever known. Near the end of the book, when Tegan is fighting for her life after being injured , Deuce admits that she was wrong in thinking of Tegan as a weak person and that there are many kinds of strength aside from being able to fight physically.
I am not a fan of the character of Stalker, but I also understand that he, too, was just living the only life he'd ever known. It doesn't make what he did and what he allowed to occur okay, but I don't think it makes him irredeemable. That being said, I HATE the fact that this series has a love triangle with Fade, Deuce, and Stalker. I disliked it the first time I read it, and I disliked it even more now, because love triangles are so overplayed and also there was never any real chance in my mind that she would choose anyone other than who she chose. To be an interesting love triangle, I have to believe that there is a shot for either love interest. Otherwise, it's just a plot device contrived to create angsty tension and keep the endgame relationship apart.
The audiobook narration was fine. I thought the woman doing the narration did a decent job with different accents and timbres and I could tell the difference between all the characters. I did listen to it at 1.5 speed, because most narrators read too slowly for my personal taste.
This book is a re-read for me. I originally read the Razorland series back in 2013. I'd been thinking of doing a re-read of the series when I heard that Ann Aguirre was coming out with a new book in the series following Tegan, which made my decision for me. This time around, I listened to Enclave primarily on audio book. I enjoyed it almost as much as I did the first time I read it, and can't wait for the new book to come out.
I know there have been several reviews admonishing this book because they see it as being 'victim-blaming' in reference to
I am not a fan of the character of Stalker, but I also understand that he, too, was just living the only life he'd ever known. It doesn't make what he did and what he allowed to occur okay, but I don't think it makes him irredeemable. That being said, I HATE the fact that this series has a love triangle with Fade, Deuce, and Stalker. I disliked it the first time I read it, and I disliked it even more now, because love triangles are so overplayed and also there was never any real chance in my mind that she would choose anyone other than who she chose. To be an interesting love triangle, I have to believe that there is a shot for either love interest. Otherwise, it's just a plot device contrived to create angsty tension and keep the endgame relationship apart.
The audiobook narration was fine. I thought the woman doing the narration did a decent job with different accents and timbres and I could tell the difference between all the characters. I did listen to it at 1.5 speed, because most narrators read too slowly for my personal taste.
Ugh. I had an entire review written for this and then accidentally closed out of the app and it all went 'Poof!' Anyway, here we go again.
I really wanted to love this book. I mean, look at that freaking gorgeous cover! Unfortunately, I felt like it pretty much went downhill from there.
Synopsis: Aurora is a princess in a world where all of the rulers have what they call 'storm magic'. But she, of course, has NO MAGIC! Dun, dun DUUUUUUN! In order to keep this travesty a secret, her mother, the Queen, has been telling everyone that she is super powerful. Because that won't end badly...anyway, the Queen has betrothed Aurora to the second son of another kingdom in the hopes that they can keep their people safe from these random violent storms.
However, Aurora decides to run off with a group of storm hunters who have learned how to harness the storm magic, even though they were not born with the magic. There she meets a guy (because of COURSE she does) and the story progresses from there.
Things I liked:
1. The cover, even though I get serious Daenerys Targaryen vibes from it. It's still beautiful.
2. ...um...some of the side characters (namely Novaya and Cassius) were interesting. Actually, they were far more compelling to me than the main characters.
Things I didn't like:
1. Oh my goodness, this book bored the heck out of me. I just could not get invested in it. I thought at first that the idea of the storm magic and storm hunting seemed really interesting, but every time there was a storm and they went to fight it, I got bored stiff. I felt like it was a better idea in concept than in execution.
2. I also didn't really understand these storms and how they actually worked and looked. So apparently each storm has a 'heartstone' somewhere inside it and if you can thrust your hand in the storm and pull it out, you kill the storm and gain it's magic. Or something. I had a really difficult time imagining what this was supposed to look like. Also, there is more in this world than just storm magic, but it is looked down upon and people with it are persecuted against because...reasons...
3. Roar was an obnoxious main character. She is selfish. She is naive. She is impulsive to an extent that it ends up hurting the people around her. After she ran away from Pavan, she gives barely a thought to her mother who is pretty much in a catatonic state because of her daughter's 'kidnapping', and Novaya, who is being held prisoner on suspicion of being an accessory to the 'kidnapping.' Even if her mother had received the letter she'd written, there is no way she wouldn't be worried sick about her daughter going off with a group of storm-chasing strangers. Then while she's with Locke's group, she repeatedly refuses to follow instructions that are given because she has absolutely no idea what she's doing and would be a liability in any other situation.
4. The 'romance' (blech). I found this to be one of the most cringe-worthy romances in a YA fantasy that I've ever read. First of all, Aurora can't meet a handsome man without getting all twitterpated. She meets Cassius, spends a couple hours in his company, then says that he broke her heart when she overhears a conversation he has with his brother Casimir. Speaking of Casimir, she meets him and is immediately attracted to him as well. Knowing that she is promised to his brother doesn't stop her from enjoying his attention and attempted flirtation. Then Locke comes along and she's all hot and bothered again...this is all in the course of like two days.
I just did not buy the relationship between Locke and Roar. First of all, she is with his group in disguise. None of them know that she is a princess. And at no point in the book does she confide the truth to Locke. So how can I be all invested in this 'epic' love story when she is literally lying about her identity? Secondly, Locke spends quite a bit of time in the book comparing Roar to his sister. I'm sorry, but that's just a little creepy. There is a scene where they are making out and she gets all emotional and in the next scene he's thinking to himself as he watches her sleep how much she reminds him of his sister...right after they were making out. Just...no.
My biggest problem with the romance was the way Locke (and Cassius as well, but apparently it's okay when Locke does it...) gets all possessive over Roar. At one point, she tells him that he was the first person she'd kissed, and he says that he's glad because it means she's his territory...yes, he literally uses that word. And it's not the first time in the book where he went all caveman on her. There are so many times he grabbed her and held her against her will (but he's so hot, so it's alright...or something) and once he even forced her to ride on his horse with him, even though there was room in the carriage they were traveling in. IT'S. NOT. CUTE.
5. The Stormlord. Half way through this book, we are introduced to a character who I'm assuming will be in future books in the series. He is later referred to as the Stormlord, but in the two or three passages that we get his perspective, he's only referred to as 'him'. Now, I didn't necessarily dislike his character. To be honest, we weren't given enough information about his character to form a real opinion about him. What I disliked was how the author presented his scenes directly after scenes from Locke's point of view. This was utterly confusing because we'd have this whole section about Locke, which often used pronous like 'he' and 'him', and then jump into a new scene (within the same chapter) still saying 'he' and 'him'. The first time he popped up I thought it was Locke, and in the context of what was happening that was seriously confusing.
6. The plot is so thin. For all it's 'action', nothing really happens in this book.
7. The ending is so abrupt. Absolutely nothing is resolved at all. I get that this is supposed to be the first of a series, but there should have been some sort of resolution somewhere. Everyone's story is just left dangling. Not exactly a cliffhanger, because that might have at least been exciting. Just like the rest of the book, it was boring.
Random musings:
1. Never do they talk about the weather in this book as anything normal. It's only these violent storms. Do they ever have a day where it's just raining, but not a big deal?
2. I feel about this book much the same way that I did about Truthwitch. It checks off a lot of boxes as far as what I like to read about, but for some reason it just doesn't work for me and I get bored. The difference is that I think the writing is better in Truthwitch.
3. why the heck do Casimir and Cassius pretend that Cassius is the younger brother and Casimir the elder? I don't understand and it makes no sense that no one in Pavan would know the names and ranks of the Locke heirs.
4. When Roar was injured by the lightning storm and unconscious and Locke was terrified and in the next scene we see her awake and fine...that bugged me. The author just jumped ahead and it was jarring. At first I thought she may be having some sort of coma dream or something. But no, it's just bad storytelling.
I know there will probably be tons of people who absolutely adore this book. I wish I could've been one of them. Part of me wants to read the next book just for Novaya's story, but I have a feeling she will continue to be criminally underused, and I don't want to suffer through another 400 pages of Locke and Roar being so in luuuuuurve. Blech.
I really wanted to love this book. I mean, look at that freaking gorgeous cover! Unfortunately, I felt like it pretty much went downhill from there.
Synopsis: Aurora is a princess in a world where all of the rulers have what they call 'storm magic'. But she, of course, has NO MAGIC! Dun, dun DUUUUUUN! In order to keep this travesty a secret, her mother, the Queen, has been telling everyone that she is super powerful. Because that won't end badly...anyway, the Queen has betrothed Aurora to the second son of another kingdom in the hopes that they can keep their people safe from these random violent storms.
However, Aurora decides to run off with a group of storm hunters who have learned how to harness the storm magic, even though they were not born with the magic. There she meets a guy (because of COURSE she does) and the story progresses from there.
Things I liked:
1. The cover, even though I get serious Daenerys Targaryen vibes from it. It's still beautiful.
2. ...um...some of the side characters (namely Novaya and Cassius) were interesting. Actually, they were far more compelling to me than the main characters.
Things I didn't like:
1. Oh my goodness, this book bored the heck out of me. I just could not get invested in it. I thought at first that the idea of the storm magic and storm hunting seemed really interesting, but every time there was a storm and they went to fight it, I got bored stiff. I felt like it was a better idea in concept than in execution.
2. I also didn't really understand these storms and how they actually worked and looked. So apparently each storm has a 'heartstone' somewhere inside it and if you can thrust your hand in the storm and pull it out, you kill the storm and gain it's magic. Or something. I had a really difficult time imagining what this was supposed to look like. Also, there is more in this world than just storm magic, but it is looked down upon and people with it are persecuted against because...reasons...
3. Roar was an obnoxious main character. She is selfish. She is naive. She is impulsive to an extent that it ends up hurting the people around her. After she ran away from Pavan, she gives barely a thought to her mother
4. The 'romance' (blech). I found this to be one of the most cringe-worthy romances in a YA fantasy that I've ever read. First of all, Aurora can't meet a handsome man without getting all twitterpated. She meets Cassius, spends a couple hours in his company, then says that he broke her heart when she overhears a conversation he has with his brother Casimir. Speaking of Casimir, she meets him and is immediately attracted to him as well. Knowing that she is promised to his brother doesn't stop her from enjoying his attention and attempted flirtation. Then Locke comes along and she's all hot and bothered again...this is all in the course of like two days.
I just did not buy the relationship between Locke and Roar. First of all,
My biggest problem with the romance was the way Locke (and Cassius as well, but apparently it's okay when Locke does it...) gets all possessive over Roar. At one point, she tells him that he was the first person she'd kissed, and he says that he's glad because it means she's his territory...yes, he literally uses that word. And it's not the first time in the book where he went all caveman on her. There are so many times he grabbed her and held her against her will (but he's so hot, so it's alright...or something) and once he even forced her to ride on his horse with him, even though there was room in the carriage they were traveling in. IT'S. NOT. CUTE.
5. The Stormlord. Half way through this book, we are introduced to a character who I'm assuming will be in future books in the series. He is later referred to as the Stormlord, but in the two or three passages that we get his perspective, he's only referred to as 'him'. Now, I didn't necessarily dislike his character. To be honest, we weren't given enough information about his character to form a real opinion about him. What I disliked was how the author presented his scenes directly after scenes from Locke's point of view. This was utterly confusing because we'd have this whole section about Locke, which often used pronous like 'he' and 'him', and then jump into a new scene (within the same chapter) still saying 'he' and 'him'. The first time he popped up I thought it was Locke, and in the context of what was happening that was seriously confusing.
6. The plot is so thin. For all it's 'action', nothing really happens in this book.
7. The ending is so abrupt. Absolutely nothing is resolved at all. I get that this is supposed to be the first of a series, but there should have been some sort of resolution somewhere. Everyone's story is just left dangling. Not exactly a cliffhanger, because that might have at least been exciting. Just like the rest of the book, it was boring.
Random musings:
1. Never do they talk about the weather in this book as anything normal. It's only these violent storms. Do they ever have a day where it's just raining, but not a big deal?
2. I feel about this book much the same way that I did about Truthwitch. It checks off a lot of boxes as far as what I like to read about, but for some reason it just doesn't work for me and I get bored. The difference is that I think the writing is better in Truthwitch.
3.
4.
I know there will probably be tons of people who absolutely adore this book. I wish I could've been one of them. Part of me wants to read the next book just for Novaya's story, but I have a feeling she will continue to be criminally underused, and I don't want to suffer through another 400 pages of Locke and Roar being so in luuuuuurve. Blech.
