Roar has the start of something big. I feel in a sense it could really become this epic fantasy.

Aurora is part of a royal family. But unlike the others, she doesn’t have the power, that everyone thinks she does. Her mom is desperate for her to marry to save the Kingdom. But she doesn't want to. Aurora is a strong willed character and devises a plan. One that could save the kingdom, and not have to marry someone who is unworthy of her.

One thing I loved about this story, is it felt as if the different storms. Were their own entity. They were unpredictable and tried to protect their hearts. Which, the Stormlings are out to steal. It’s actually a bit sad. There’s a lot going on in Roar. So you have to really focus and be there. The only issue I had, is that I didn’t connect with the characters. The POV that it was told in, was a little hard to follow. This is the first Cormack book I’ve read. I loved the world that she built though.

There is no lack of danger in this story. I mean, how could there not be when dealing with storms. Aurora has something inside of her as well, that she never realized was there. So there’s also a mystery of who really is “Roar”.

Overall, I give this Three Boundless Stars.

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it. I can't quite place my finger on that is. But I will say that it definitely felt more romance than fantasy. And, as with all new fantasies, there's a lot of made up words that will take a while to understand. So I'm lost on a few things.

The romance was fun and irritating at times. It feels like a possible triangle, and yet not. We'll have to wait and see. I still don't know who I'm rooting for.

I like Cora's writing, and I think she did a great job, but for me, there was a few hang ups. But at the same time, I am rather curious about the next one. The ending left me wanting more. So I will be grabbing the next one.

Sadly I DNFed this at 35%. I just could not get into this at ALL. I was excited about the concept but I was already put off by the beginning because I didn't understand anything about the world and it just started with super problematic "romance" section that I found incredibly uncomfortable to read about.
I know now is basically where the story is only beginning but I'm not ready to go through more of this. I couldn't care less about the characters and while I am still intrigued by the concept, I just don't think there was enough world building so far to keep me engaged.

An interesting take on how magical storms can be and those with the power to control them. Princess Aurora Pavan is a Stormling hiding a secret that dictates her future. Torn between duty, and taking control of her life, Aurora decides to become "Roar" and find her strengths in a kingdom that depends on magic for survival.

The characters are interesting, and while the writing can be a bit confusing, it was a fun and light read.

Racy novel meets fantasy young adult fiction – Roar is the first installment in Cora Carmack’s new young adult fantasy series Stormheart. Being rather versed in romance novels, Roar is Carmack’s first excursion into the realm of young adult literature. Overall I would consider it a successful debut, even though Carmack’s inclination for cheap romance is palpable throughout the novel that follows the adventures of Princess Aurora.

Aurora, or Rora, is an heir to a long line of Stormling aristocrats, a caste of people who have the ability to control and combat storms in the land Caelira. Stormlings possess the power to steal a storm’s heart and in the process destroy it, thus protecting the kingdoms where they rule from terrible storms. The Stormling kings’ and queens’ authority is therefore derived from the magic they have inherited throughout generations. The young Pavan princess Rora, however, does not possess such powers. This secret is well kept from the citizens and other kingdoms. Her mother’s plan is to marry her off to a Stormling prince of Locke, who should protect the realm from the upcoming storm season. Prince Cassius is charming and handsome and takes advantage of Rora’s innocence. When she overhears what his true plans are, she decides to run away. She takes on a new name, Roar, and joins a band of stormhunters who hunt stormhearts and their powers for a living. She discovers that this kind of magic can be acquired and not only inherited. Suddenly, there seems a way out of her dilemma: She will learn the magic that is necessary to keep her people safe without surrendering to the bonds of forced marriage. So far the plan, but of course she develops a crush for the incredibly hot stormhunter Locke, who is supposed to teach her everything about stormhunting. Naturally, he is also immediately smitten with her as she manages to melt his icy cold heart. Do we smell some instalove here? Oh man so much instalove, but as this is a fantasy novel we might not care so much. Locke is a character straight out of a cheap romance novel with his long locks (pun intended) and his wide open shirts, riding on a horse into the sunset. Which is actually not surprising considering that this comes from an author whose previous books are called Losing it, Faking it, and Finding it. Although Roar and Locke are engaged in some hot make-out sessions, their whole romance remains relatively chaste. What I would criticize is how possessive Locke becomes as he takes full advantage of her vulnerability and neediness. He claims to own her body and soul. Hang on, what?! Yes, that’s right, but in a fantasy novel, we just go with the flow. Kinda… Roar, on the other hand, is the more interesting character. She is torn between her sense of duty and her desire to be free and independent. When she finally develops some strange but powerful storm magic and rumors of a cruel Stormlord who destroys every kingdom in his wake abound, Roar has to make a decision: Should she keep running or face her past and save her people from this supervillain?

Even though there are some parts I would criticize, I have to admit that this book is quite unputdownable. It’s a real page-turner with lots of adventure and atmosphere. I found the sudden changes of perspective quite confusing, but I think with the proper layout in the edited version this problem will be fixed. I have read other readers compare the book to Six of Crows. In a way that is true since the main character joins a gang of misfits. Unfortunately, Carmack lacks Bardugo’s talent for subtle plot development and complex characters. Carmack stays rather on the surface, but still, manages to come up with an entertaining story a young audience will enjoy. Plus, it ends with an exciting cliffhanger that makes you curious about the second book. In short, a great adventure if you put your brain on pause while reading.

(Thanks to Negalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this digital ARC.)

3 stars.

*

Roar is a cute YA Fantasy novel, with an intriguing premise and one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen! Told in multiple POVs, the story has a steady pace, cool world-building, and a good set of characters. There are lot of twists and some action, but despite its fantasy setting, the focus of the novel really is the romance.

Cora Carmack is a new author to me, but I can see why a lot of people like her work. In this book, her first YA Fantasy ever, her writing is engaging, the plot well-thought out and developed. In her own review of the book on Goodreads, she says her goal was to write a unique fantasy world with a compelling romance. To me, she succeeded only at the first part.

Okay, first things first. The premise for this story is super cool! The world-building in Roar is definitely what makes the novel. The concept of magical storms and stormhearts that hold magic is something I’ve never ever seen before, and I totally fell in love with it. It’s super interesting to read about them and learn how storm-hunting works, and Carmack really knows how to develop that aspect of the story.

The pace is steady and makes this a very fast read if you have an afternoon free. The world-building totally hooks you in and keeps things interesting as the plot progresses, especially with the way it holds the story together. But aside from that, the rest of the book kind of fell flat to me most of the time.

Roar is told in multiple POVs, as mentioned above. We have Roar’s POV as our protagonist, plus another three or four characters chiming in. I don’t know if this is a problem exclusively in the ARCs, but the shifts in POV happen from one paragraph to another, without any indication at all. It is abrupt and extremely confusing to follow, and it messes up the flow of the story.

In regard to characters, well… Roar is really reckless and privileged, which can be a bit hard to take at the beginning. But as she develops, she becomes rather self-aware and willing to own up to her mistakes. The other two important characters, the male love interests, are harder to like, as they’re controlling and domineering. For the rest of the side characters, they are fun to read about, but don’t get as much development as the other three.

Now, the big problem I had with this book: the instalove. It happens not only once, but twice. It smacks you in the face in the first two chapters, and then shows up again a little further along. I’m hesitant to call this a love triangle, but Roar very much has two love interests. Her connection with both guys happens pretty much instantly, making it for pretty unbelievable relationships. And since the focus of the book, for the most part, is the romance? It’s just hard to care about what’s going on.

Overall, Roar is a good and fun read for its world-building. Cora Carmack delivers a fantasy story that is unique and engrossing. YA Fantasy fans, especially those who like romance-focused stories, will definitely have a great time reading this!

I loved the blurb!! And when I read an excerpt I was totally intrigued by the world, the plot and the idea of storm chasers, magic, and danger.

And on top of that it’s written by Cora Carmack. I love her style, and couldn’t wait to jump in and be swept off my feet.

And it did sweep me off my feet, at least the first half of the book was as enchanting as I hoped it would be.

I adored Aurora Pavan, she had to be so strong in the face of an arranged marriage and being ungifted. When she decided to take her fate in her own hands I was cheering from the sidelines. I loved that she was strong-willed, and willing to go the extra mile to get what she wanted most – being gifted. Her entire life she was forced to hide the fact that she had no magical gifts at all. As a royal heiress, being ungifted was something that had to be hidden, but hopefully by marrying a stormling prince her secret would never be discovered – at least those were her mother’s plans.

Aurora had different plans.

After hearing that someone ungifted could catch storm hearts she decided to change her fate. Joining a band of storm hunters, she was being taught how to survive storms and how to steal storm hearts.

It didn’t hurt that her teacher was a good-looking storm chaser himself – powerful, mysterious, and someone that made Aurora forget her past and look into a promising future.

I loved the plot, especially the elements of fantasy and magic.

The band Aurora joined consisted of interesting and compelling characters. Each one was unique and brought different characteristics and personalities to the book. I even liked the brooding prince that she was supposed to marry – he was an alpha to boot!!!

At the end, I was missing the action and especially the storm chasing. I expected that to be a much more bigger part of the book and it was a bit of a let down for me. I had the feeling the book fell a bit flat in the middle and towards the end. Which made me skip paragraphs and fighting boredom. But I have high hopes for book2.

It looks like ROAR was just the first book of a series, and the ending clearly indicated that book 2 was coming. Without a doubt ROAR intrigued me enough that I’m looking forward to the next novel, because book 1 was just the first part of Aurora’s journey in finding herself.

What I can say with certainty is that the idea and plot of the story were fascinating. It was unique, spellbinding and thrilling. Cora Cormack knows how to write exceptionally well. Her prose is vibrant and captivating. I can’t wait to read what’s coming next.



The review will be published on June 18th.

Eighteen-year-old Aurora Pavan is the last living heir to the Pavan throne, but she's yet to show any hint of the magic she'll need to protect her kingdom from the violent storms that plague the land, so her mother has devised a plan. She will marry the second son of the king of Locke - an intimidating man named Cassius.

When Aurora first meets her betrothed, he charms her into thinking that this just might work. That is until she catches him in an illegal marketplace and realizes Cassius is merely intending to marry her for some sinister purpose.

While in the market Aurora meets a group of Storm Hunters, including the alluring Locke - who was born without magic and now has the ability to face off against storms. At that moment Aurora begins to see a way out of her impending marriage and a way to finally gain some power and control over her future - if she has the courage to grasp the opportunity.

Life on the road as a storm hunter is anything but easy and Aurora - now calling herself Roar - must figure out where she fits in with her new life, all while trying to conceal her true identity even as she begins falling for Locke and making friends with the other hunters. When Roar has an unexpected reaction to a twister she, and the others, must ask if she is more of a danger to the others than she's worth. Or does her reaction hint at an unexplained ability? What would happen if Roar's new companions figure out her true identity? And what would happen if her former betrothed's soldiers catch up to her?

I fell in love with Roar's cover first. Then I fell in love with the story itself. For me, Roar was a slow read that I wanted to take time and savor every minute of. The idea of the storms having power and the Stormlings having to use magic to defend against them was truly unique. More so, I loved Locke and the other storm hunters.

They reminded me of real-life storm chasers that follow twisters - crazy, brave people that get right in there with the storm. Locke's crew was well developed and I loved each of them - except maybe Sly. I only wish we could have seen more of them interacting with Roar individually, other than mainly Duke, Locke, and Jinx.

As for Cassius, I'm not sure that I saw him as a villain really. I almost kind of wished he would have been sincere and could have built a life with Roar, but it wasn't meant to be. It was great being able to see things in his perspective though, as well as in Novaya, Roar, and Locke's perspectives - and the mysterious Stormlord.

Overall, I loved Roar. This book is well rounded, with romance for the people like me that can't live without it and plenty of action, adventure, and magic to please all fantasy lovers. Our seemingly unmagical heroine, Aurora, reminded me of Anna in Rosalyn Eves's Blood Rose Rebellion and the savage Stormlord gives hint toward Sarah J. Maas's Erawan in the Throne of Glass series and I can't wait to watch this series continue to take shape, to see what challenges wait for Aurora upon her return to Pavan and how learning who she truly is will affect the way that the hunters see her.

Edited Version:
I was so excited when I got an ARC of this. I had it on my most anticipated goodreads shelf before it even had that gorgeous cover. This book unique concept had me dying to get my hands on it. Ive never read a story about magical storms and people who control them. I thought the world was fascinating with storms having a mind of their own and hidden magical markets. We spend most of the story with a group of storm chasers. Not all the members were likeable but the storm chasing was exciting.

I didnt like how the jump between perspective happened in the middle of a paragraph without warning but the voices were distinctive enough that I was able to pick up on it quickly. My biggest issue was the 2 main male characters being too controlling. They would use force and intimidation to get their way. Prince Cassius is definitely more manipulative but Locke was way too forceful. That first kissing scene had me cringing. When someones angry at you it doesnt give you consent to kiss them, especially for the first time.

Roar had a wonderful sense of adventure and determination to see it through. Even though I had an idea of what was coming I still really enjoyed the character twist. I kept wanting Roar to just tell the crew the truth. Its the right thing to do since she was endangering their lives but she never told them. Im getting so tired of the miscommunication that happens all the time when it comes to romance in YA. Its just going to be so much worse when they find out.

I would have rather seen Roar with the sweet Bait, or Jynx the funny earth witch with awesome magic. They were some of the more likeable storm chasers. I was really excited when Roar finally went shopping and trained with Jynx. She did more in a day with Jynx than she did during all her training with Locke. I would have liked to see more of Roars friendship with Nova. Despite all her fears Nova showed a lot of courage. I did wonder why her parents didnt try to help her.

The leader of the storm chasers was a nice father figure type but I dont know much about Ransom and I still have no idea why Sly doesnt like or trust Roar. I kept waiting for Locke to talk to Sly and tell her to back off. When he finally does it didnt feel as satisfying as Id hoped. The Queen was kind of useless. Even though she was grieving thats no reason to just let Cassius take over. She should have tried to talk to Nova. The Stormlord was an interesting addition to the story but we didnt see much of him.

I felt like we didnt get to know the side characters as much as I wanted to but Im sure we'll get more character developpement in the sequel. Despite my issues, I loved the amazing world and unique concept. The plot was really exciting and with all the unresolved elements Im really looking to reading the next book. My biggest issue was mostly a matter of personal preference with the love interests and Locke does have some redeeming qualities so Id still recommend it.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Roar by Cora Carmack
Book One of the Stormheart series
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: June 13, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

What I Liked:

I've read several of Cora Carmack's New Adult novels (her Losing It series, specifically), and I've had pretty good success with those books. When I saw that Cora would be publishing a YA novel - her YA debut - I was pretty thrilled! Especially after reading the synopsis, and then seeing the cover of this book. I had high expectations for Roar, and my expectations were met and exceeded.

Aurora Pavan is the heir to the throne of Pavan, daughter of many powerful royals... and a magic-less Stormling. She and her mother have hid this for years, isolating Aurora from everyone. But as she is now eighteen, and the Rage season is coming, they can't hide Aurora for much longer. The solution? Arrange a marriage with the second son of the King of Locke - Prince Cassius, the cold, hard young man with more Stormhearts than a second son should ever have. When she follows him one night, Aurora discovers a black market full of magic, in which people are buying and selling storm magic, thanks to storm hunters. Aurora may not have her own true Stormling magic, but she can learn and obtain this storm magic. This way, she can take control of her destiny.

Usually I don't love it when books have long synopses, like the one we see on Goodreads and on the back cover of this book, but I actually really appreciated that long synopsis. On the surface, this book isn't complicated: girls has to get married, girls finds a new option to be free, girl runs away, girl hides who she is to her new friends, girl learns about her power... and then the ending of the book, which I won't spoil. There is a lot more going on than meets the eye!

Aurora (or Rora - or Roar) is a complicated girl. Yes, she is a princess and therefore much more privileged than most of the common folk in her country who are poor and destitute and often denied citizenship (a fact that Aurora doesn't know). But Aurora is lonely and she is forced into this arranged marriage for her safety. She hates that she has no choice, but she also wants to live. Aurora has a temper and sometimes she gets too upset and too impulsive and is too reckless. But she has a good heart and she defends and protects herself well.

Prince Cassius is more complex than the cruel, hard villain that we expect him to be. I still don't like him and I'm still very convinced that he is a "villain" archetype, but we really get to understand what his motives are, and why he is so desperate and angry. He does terrible things to Rora (mostly manipulative), and I can't like him because of those actions. But I can appreciate how Carmack dug into his character and made him more than just a villain, in terms of character archetypes.

I should mention that there are five key POVs in this book: Rora's, Cassius's (occasionally), Nova's, Locke's, and Evil Dude (I won't say much about him). Nova is Rora's childhood friend and maid (yeah that's a little strange, I know), and Locke is... Locke. Incredible storm hunter, and Rora's love interest. Though he is so much more than a love interest.

You can probably already tell, but Locke is my favorite character of this book. He and Rora go toe-to-toe in nearly every scene of this book, which is so fun to watch. He is equally as stubborn as she is, and he is just as used to getting his way. A big difference is that he is a natural, commanding leader, and he is in charge and used to being in charge. He has great instincts and he is very clever. Rora should have trusted him more initially! He is very smart and intuitive, and also protective and a good man. He is strong-willed too, hence the clashes.

Seriously, Locke and Rora were so fun to watch. They butt heads on every page - which isn't surprising, because their personalities are like fire and ice. They're similar, and yet so different. Rora is fire, with her temper, and Locke is ice, with his cool facade and worldly experience. The romance was steamy and explosive! With all of the bickering and banter and constant arguments, you know the romance was going to be on fire. This romance was also hate-to-love (sort of), which is my favorite. Locke and Rora are so great together!

No love triangle! It might seem that way, because Rora is contracted to marry Cassius. But she loathes him (and for good reasons), and he doesn't really care about her either (she is a means to an end, for him). And then Rora falls for Locke (and vice versa) and it's legit. Of course, Locke is in the dark about who she is but... anyway, no love triangle in this book. I don't really get the sense that Carmack will work a love triangle in the next books, but who knows? I hope not.

The world-building of this story is amazing! I personally haven't read any YA fantasy like this - in terms of the storms and stormhearts and storm magic. Usually it's the elements (earth, fire, wind, water), and you can kind of see the elements play a factor, but in the storms. I can't wait to see more about the storms in the next book! And of course, I would like to see more of a high-stakes aspect that YA high fantasy often has - but we see the beginnings of this type of plot, with the introduction of the Evil Dude who is planning the destruction of kingdoms.

Most of this book deals with Rora running from Pavan and joining Locke's storm hunting team, in which she learns a lot about storm hunting and survival. No one knows who she is, not even Locke. But towards the end of the book, Rora knows she must make a choice. This book honestly didn't have a ton about the storms and magic and whatnot, or the political situation. BUT I think Carmack is setting up all of that for the next books. This book barely scratched the surface of Rora and Locke's story, and so I'm looking forward to seeing more about the storms, the Evil Dude, Locke's past, Rora's reveal, the political situation in Pavan, even Nova's situation. Suffice it to say, I need more!

What I Did Not Like:

Sometimes Rora and her temper got on my nerves, especially when she was a little mean to Locke and then didn't apologize for what she said - and yet he basically groveled and went above and beyond, whenever he messed up. I think an important part of being such a strong and independent female is that you should own up to your mistakes. A lot of YA and adult female authors like to have these strong female protagonists in their book and a male who caters to the female. BUT, I these female protagonists should own their mistakes, apologize, and not act so superior. Just like how the authors have the male acting.

Right?

Would I Recommend It:

If you like YA fantasy romance, this is a great start to the series! I might recommend waiting though, because I'm always wary of YA fantasy series these days. Love triangles seem to be reemerging in YA in general, and I personally am not a fan - though I don't think Carmack will be going that route, in this series. But again, who knows. THIS book was good. Hopefully the rest of the series is. The world-building of this book is very unique and so intriguing - honestly I would recommend this book based on the world-building alone!

Rating:

4 stars. A story as beautiful as its cover! I can't wait to read the next book! And also check out its cover. I hope the cover is just as stunning!

Beware there are spoilers! I really liked a lot of this book, I thought the world building and characters were interesting and different until we got to the romance.. Somehow a 19 year old boy was acting like a 35 year old, mature, experienced adult. It just doesn't happen that way! Aurora, 17, who was so sheltered and naive wasn't the slightest bit concerned about the the consequences of this impending romance. A message younger young adults don't need. Neither character seemed to react true to their own personalities or even age. This book just didn't need the romance in minute detail in a book for 14-18 year olds. I found it distracting and not particularly helpful to the narrative. I found being a Stormling (or not) much more interesting. I loved the idea of the storms being sentient, of traveling this dangerous, unpredictable land, and of the mystery of the storms so much more satisfying! It was well written but even in an adult book I would have felt the romance over done, the descriptions over worded and trite. I am looking forward to learning more about some of the secondary characters and of course the evil presence that we have yet to know!

I am a huge Cora Carmack fan, and can not sing my praises of her work enough. While this was still a FANTASTIC book, it just didn't quite stack up to her Rusk University series. However, I still loved it, and will still support her and purchase of physical copy of this for my personal *library*. Looking forward to the remainder of this series.

a very enjoyable read. This was my first time trying her, and she was good, it wasn't lighting my socks on fire, but I will pick up her book again

Cora Carmack's writing is flawless. She made the transition from NA romance to YA fantasy exceptionally well. She definitely turned me into more of a fantasy fan.

LOVED IT! This is one of those stories that you hate to put down. I loved the story, the characters, the plot...everything! I am still trying to fully digest it all, it was so beautifully crafted.

From the publisher: Aurora comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. 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. 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.

Roar is the first in the Stormheart series. It is true to what it is trying to be - a girl power fantasy coming of age romance. It's not a standout or especially original, but the heroine is strong and likable and the world building decent. Oh, and the cover art is gorgeous! Recommended for fans of Kristin Cashore, Laini Taylor and Marie Rutkoski.

I read an advance reader copy of Roar. It will be published in June 2017. It will be available at the Galesburg Public Library as a print book and as an ebook.

I received this copy from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, what drew me to this book was the beautiful cover. The artist behind this should be proud of themselves because it is so stunning, and makes you want to pick up the book now!

I was a little worried when I read the description that the story would be somewhat generic and more fantasy and magic lite, with a strong emphasis on romance. And while there is romance in the novel, my initial thoughts were wrong, because there is lots of original magic and action to drive the plot in Roar.

The storm magic described in the story is so different from anything else I have ever read, and I loved how it shaped the world the characters lived in. The characters are also interesting and well developed within the novel, and the plot flows nicely, especially when we get to the action.

I highly recommend Roar for students who love fantasy book, and appreciate those that have magic and romance at their core.

This book is very different from the other books I've read by Cora Carmack, but a good different. I could barely put the book down, I loved it so much. Aurora is such an amazing heroine and the rest of the characters were just as amazing. I can't wait for this book to be on sell so I can officially add it to my collection.

I am sad to say this book was not for me. I really struggled to get into this book. I really liked the concepts portrayed but it's not for me.

Where do I even begin? I mean, this book promised storm magic and action and conflict and romance and everything I could possibly want from a YA fantasy and it delivered.

Okay, I totally freaked out about the storm magic on its own because I love storms. So obviously that just covers half my adoration for this book on its own.

This is the first I've read of Cora Carmack's work and it was a winner. The idea alone, coming from someone who reads more fantasy than any other genre, was beautifully rich and unique. I thought the idea of a world essentially controlled by storms and the Stormlings who can protect the people from them gave the book that original edge that you need to stand out in the genre.

And, oh hey, my second most read genre romance made an appearance in the subplot. I will say that I wish that world could have come out a bit more in the story because once the romance was introduced it fell to the wayside just a bit. I can't say I minded terribly since I'm such a sucker for romance and gotta ship those characters, right?

And these were shippable characters. I think Carmack really brought Rora to life and gave her a strong growth throughout the story. She's not exactly weak at the beginning, but definitely naive and sheltered, so it was interesting to see those flickering embers you see beneath the surface catch hold and bloom into a bonfire by the end. Rora truly becomes a force to be reckoned with. I was a bit worried about her character because I've read so many fantasies with a heroine who goes from 0 to 60 and suddenly becomes amazing at everything...but Rora didn't. She struggled, a lot, and is still growing as a person which also sets the book up perfectly for a sequel.

She's paired against the two Lockes, by which I mean Cassius Locke...and, well, Locke. That's his name. It confused me for a bit at the beginning but clicked pretty quick. Cassius was the bad boy you can't help but love but also know isn't good for you. Except he's not all bad and there's much more to him than meets the eye (as in, I want more!). Locke is much more down to earth. He wants Rora to be safe above all else. With the band of storm hunters he acts as a sort of captain of, they teach Rora about life outside of Stormling protection. Which was a lovely group dynamic, by the way. I love reading about bands of people from all different backgrounds going on an adventure together and they did exactly that.

There was a lot going on in Roar and I don't want to say too much without spoiling anything BUT I will say this: prepare yourselves for a magical storm of action and swoony romance sure to be a favorite of all YA fantasy readers. Plus the set-up woven through the story as well as brought into light at the very end has me beyond ready for the sequel because YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE IT LIKE THAT! Such cliffhanger. Much wow. Need book two!