I am thrilled – Cora Carmack you´ve done a TERRIFIC JOB! Holy moly this novel has it all: Emotions, great pictures, beautiful language, and a heroine who rocks. I fell in love with the US cover the moment I saw it. And the cover of the German edition is as beautiful as the original one. You will see it, if you keep reading *smile* I simply had to have it and was very nervous about getting it because it turned out that this book was not only a hit on the market but also the most wanted and I was kind of late with my request – and summertime equal vacation time in addition.
Roar*
by Cora CarmackStormheart Series #1
Publisher Tor Teen on June 13, 2017
Genre Fantasy
Pages 384
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
✶✶✶✶½
In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies within those who control them. Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world´s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora´s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She´s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she´s yet to show any trace of the magic she´ll need to protect her people. To keep her secret and save her crown, Auroa´s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He´ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks – storm magic. And the people selling it? They´re not Stormling. They´re storm hunters. Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there´s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage. She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she´s brave enough. Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.
Story
Aurora never really saw the outside world. Occasionally when she was riding her horse Honey, yes, but not how her people really live. Their sorrows are new to her although her mother the queen takes with her magic care of them. But all the dark places in her city she´s never seen with her own eyes. And she never knew that there are many more things in life. Some she never thought possible.
Style
The author has an incredibly beautiful way of using words, building scenes, dialogues, and showing the setting of her novel. Tornados, storms, thunder and so much more brings an atmosphere alive that I´ve rarely seen in other fantasy books. Cora Carmack uses her words with style, there is sometimes poetry to find in the pages that give everything the special something. And the way how she combines her figures, the magic, and the weather is simply great. No loud tones even in the moments when a tornado is in a scene. But no matter what Aurora does, says, or feels, you are haunted and touched by it in a very sensitive way.
Characters
Though Aurora has never really seen or discovered the world outside the palace, she is eager to find out more about it. Yes, her sense of inferiority is huge, but that doesn´t hold her back from making her plan become reality and do what she believes is best for her kingdom and her people. She is a beauty but doesn´t see herself that way. And she develops an incredible stubborn will to get what she wants. A real fighter I might say. And she can be badass if necessary. I was thrilled by her from page one and the more I read about her, the more I watched her change, become mature and reach out for her dreams the more I had the feeling that she was something special. Not only in the way she acted but also in the way she feels and thinks. Being brutal isn´t always the answer to everything and her instincts prove that to her again and again.
Conclusion
A great novel. Full of emotions, beautiful scenes, great characters, and a plot that is not only fantasy and magic but so much more. Highly recommended.
Happy reading
*I read the German edition new release by Oetinger on May 22, 2017
Cora Carmack
Cora Carmack has done a multitude of things in her life – boring jobs (retail), fun jobs (theatre), stressful job (teaching), and dream jobs (writing). Raised in a small Texas town, she now lives in New York City and Texas, and spends her time writing, traveling, and marathoning various television shows on Netflix. Her first book, Losing it, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, and her subsequent books were also hits.
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