Synopsis:
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.
Favorite Lines:
“And hope broke more hearts than any man ever could.”
“I have lost count of the number of dead ends I’ve encountered in my long life. Each time, when I could see no future beyond a certain point, the future always came anyway.”
“What might seem a careless phrase for one can cut deep as a blade for another.”
My Opinion:
I think that I found out about this book from a sponsored post on Facebook when I was just mindlessly scrolling through and it sounded interesting, so I put it on my read list. When I visited the bookstore (someone really should have stopped me, I spent way too much money) I saw the book on the shelf and decided to buy it.
I wasn’t too sure about the book in the beginning because I have never read any of Carmack’s other work and the book is a less-known book. I was pleasantly surprised with the book. It was well written and had a really nice flow to it. It was also on a refreshing subject, if you took storm-chasers and put them in a magical world with kingdoms and romance, that would be what this book is.
The story follows Aurora Pavan as she has to flee her kingdom in order to find answers that might save it. As the journey progresses, she learns that everything she thought she knew isn’t true and she must work to find a way to put new pieces together and solve the puzzle before the rising threat rips her kingdom from her. There is romance in here that is full of suspense and you’ll find yourself wanting more (I know I did).
I honestly don’t think there was anything I didn’t like about this book other than wanting my ship to get together. But that is just me being impatient (it better happen Carmack!).
Summary:
Overall, this book was much better than I had originally expected. I was disappointed to learn that the next book in the series, Rage, doesn’t come out until June 2019. That is almost a year away! Hopefully, I can distract myself with other books until its time for the next book to come out. Happy reading everyone!
Likely Story 