YA Book Review: Roar by Cora Carmack

Title: Roar

Author: Cora Carmack

Series: Stormheart #1

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Magic

Publisher: Tor Teen 

Pub Date: June 13, 2017

Pages: 380

My Copy: Hardcover that I got at Book Expo America, also signed by the author

Book Summary:

In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with 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, Aurora’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 Stormlings. 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.

Book Review:

A wonderful new start to what looks like a great new series. I totally loved how this book explored it’s characters, give us a new world to explore. Aurora is a princess who really does grow in a lot of ways.  Love how she finds a path of her own despite having other people want other things for her.

Aurora is a daughter of a powerful queen who can stop storms from destroying their kingdom. It’s a gift that is passed down through the generations. Of course, it’s been kept a secret between Aurora and her mother,  that she hasn’t inherited this gift. This has been the reason things have been kept secret. They don’t want any foreign kingdoms or others from thinking that their kingdom is weak and also why Aurora has been promised to a prince from the Kingdom of Locke. The Locke’s also have the abilities to control storms. So Aurora is promised to Casmir, the younger prince of Locke.

Casmir, is not like what Aurora suspected. At first things seem to be going well between them. He seems likes a young man that she could get along with and possibly have a future with him. Nothing is ever as it seems. Appearances can be deceiving sometimes. Casmir, and his older brother are also fighting some kind of fight. Plus they also have some secrets. One of them wants to escape their father’s grasp, but realize that they might not be able to. Aurora catches Casmir trying to seduce her lady in waiting. Not to mention she overhears something she shouldn’t have. She also sneaks out.

Aurora sneaking out causes so many bad things to happen and exciting things to occur. She meets a man named Locke. Locke knows who she is. Aurora finds that there are people who hunt Storms and take the magic from it, there are ways to do it. They hunt and sell their services to those villages that don’t have protection from the storms that come. We also get to see Locke and Aurora get closer. The relationship was great how these two started to know one another. He is also teaching her along with the rest of his crew about what they know about storms and are teaching her  the small stuff first. 

I loved the way things progressed in this book and the way everybody is suffering from their actions. Plus the King of Locke, Casmir’s father shows up and you get to see how bad he really is.  He wants to take control of Pavan now that the Queen has taken ill and the Princess has been apparently been abducted or so they think. We also get a twist with Aurora’s abilities. We find that she does take a Storm but there’s a real big surprise about what Aurora really is. It’s one of those things that happens in a book, like you don’t expect. You are like, didn’t see that coming, but it does make sense.

I also love the way this book ended, even if it’s a cliff hanger. I don’t mind cliff hangers if they are going to lead into the next book and make sense. A great way to end the book. Aurora realizes that she has to go back and take back her kingdom.

Rating:

4.5 Hearts