I was drawn to STORMRISE because there’s a dragon on the cover. And then the promise of dragons in the story… and also the comp to Tamora Pierce’s books which were hugely influential on me as a kid. It’s the whole woman-disguised-as-a-man thing, just makes me want to read it no matter the story.

Both a pro and a con for this book was its familiar plot. On the one hand, I do love these sorts of stories, but I also tend to be a bit more critical of them too. STORMRISE felt like a washed out Mulan at the end of the day and I really wanted more from it. More from the world and the descriptions, the characters and their development, time spent with various plot points, all of it. This is a quick book — and quick read — and I wouldn’t have minded if it was a bit longer to flesh things out more, especially for a standalone.

I just wish this book had gone deeper. It gave me all the vibes of older fantasies but not really anything new or interesting to make it unique. As much as I love dragons, this just didn’t quite hit the mark. That said, if you enjoy those sorts of fantasies and are looking for a quick read, it’s perfect!

I struggled a lot while reading Stormrise because I oscillated between enjoying it, being conflicted about it, and cringing at it. My biggest concern was the fact that the first 40% of the book was an almost direct pull from the plot of Disney’s Mulan. Obviously, there was more detail and more scenes added in – but nomads trying to breach the Stone Wall (instead of the Great Wall), all men being conscripted into the army, the father having been injured in the last war and the daughter taking off in the night so he doesn’t have to go back, the long journey to the camp, the young commander that is really good at his job and his elders respect, the repeated failures to get an item at the top of a rope (instead of a pole) and finally perseverance wins out and she makes it, etc. – if you’re familiar with the Disney version of the story of Mulan than you will wonder if you’re reading a Mulan retelling. It went its own way to a degree for some of the middle of the book and then blended the originality with the ending of Mulan once more. I would have given it more of a pass if it had said it was inspired by Mulan, but with more dragons! Okay, I can be on board for that. I love Mulan and dragons, but this said it was a retelling of Twelfth Night (the only commonality was the crossdressing, the rest of the plot didn’t correlate) so I felt like this was a deception.

That being said, I love Mulan so I enjoyed it despite the fact that I always wondered if it was slightly plagiarized. I really had fun going on the journey with Rain as she trained with her fellow soldiers. The first 40% of the book was incredibly enjoyable, even though as I mentioned before there were some moments when I cringed over the writing quality or descriptions. I still really got absorbed in the book and the story in the beginning. When it started to be more original and follow the plot of Mulan less is when I felt some of my attention waning. There was a lot of time and detail given to scenes that I felt could have been shortened and would have helped with the pacing.

I really appreciated the thought put into the dragons. Even though I wish that there was more world building and lore given, I felt that the dragons were a unique element in this book. They were represented very differently than I feel dragons normally are in literature. The main dragon that we are exposed to in the story has a coat (think fur) and six legs – I appreciated that she took the time to draw more inspiration from Asian depictions of dragons than Western ones, since I feel they are woefully underrepresented in literature. Although I wish we were given more, I do think that the dragon lore was a redeeming element of the book because it was original (to me).

There were no characters that I personally connected with, although I liked Forest the most. That being said, you may find yourself connecting with some of the characters that I did not and enjoy the book more. There was a little character development over the course of the novel, most of which came from Rain (our main character) although it was more telling than showing those changes. Sometimes the new opinions and actions were jarring because they seemed to come out of nowhere. I felt the same way about the romance, I never felt it building it just seemed to have random moments or scenes which felt unjustified and then were cemented without the proper foundation.

Overall, I ended up feeling fairly middle of the road about this book. There were times that I really enjoyed it and others in which I couldn’t put it down fast enough (I don’t want to spoil anyone, so I didn’t talk about those moments). It ended on a satisfying note but mirrored Disney’s Mulan once more. As a result, I felt this book deserved three out of five stars – it had moments when it was enjoyable and others when it wasn’t. I had such high hopes for this because I love dragons and I’m left feeling confused.

I don’t know about Twelfth Night vibes, but Stormrise definitely channels its inner Mulan. In fact, it’s fair to say that this is pretty much a retelling of that story, with dragon lore involved. If that seems like your cup of tea, then let me tell you right now that you’re going to love this book. I had a ton of fun with it!

Rain is my favorite kind of character. Brave, loyal, and kind to a fault. She’s the type of girl who is more than willing to throw herself in harms way, if it means protecting the people that she loves. More than that though, is the fact that she’s willing to sacrifice everything for what she believes in. It’s tough not to love a character like that, and I promise that you’ll willingly follow her into every fray. She’s that charismatic.

The dragon lore in this book is also wonderful. I thought that Boehme did an excellent job of laying out why Rain’s link to these great beasts was so important. I would have loved a little more background, but we’ll get to that in a minute. For now, I’ll just say that the majesty and terror of dragon kind definitely comes through on these pages. Like I said above, this is basically Mulan with epic dragons involved.

Now to the part that made me rate this book lower than I expected. This is a very flimsy story overall. Sure, Rain is a fabulous character. Yes, her training is exciting and the addition of dragons is fantastic. However there’s really no depth to this book. It lacked world building, and actually a lot of character building as well. The story ran on the rails of a very thinly described world, and I missed that connection. I wanted to sink deeper, but there was nowhere to go.

So why did I still give this four stars? Truth be told, it was a lot of fun to read. I’ve been needing an escape and, for better of for worse, this was there for me when I needed it most. If you’re looking for a book that is an easy read, with plenty of nostalgia vibes to see you through, this is what you’re looking for. Trust me.

3.5/5 Stars

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.

This is a splendid debut! A thrilling fantasy story that touches upon some great themes along the way. This is an epic fantasy story with major Mulan vibes.

This is a book that will keep you turning the pages. The lore and world-building incorporated into the story is very vivid and full of detail. A lot of the world-building is about the society that Rain lives in where women are not equals with men. I liked the storyline and things were plotted well. The pacing was perfect and even though the author's writing wasn't anything remarkable, it was easy to follow and concise.

Rain is a character that you can't help but root for. She is very selfless and very determined. I really enjoyed her journey. She was easy to identify with and very inspiring.

Overall, this was a great story that will pull you right in and enchant you. I had a lot of fun with this one. There is a strong heroine, high stakes, dragons, and a lot of girl power. I'll definitely be on the lookout for this author's future releases.

A BOOK ABOUT MULAN RETELLING WITH A DRAGON IS ALL I NEEDED.

I'm always interested in stories about a woman disguised as a man because it reminds me of Mulan, and how I love her. So when I read the synopsis, I could already tell that I'm going to like this book.

Right from the beginning, I was welcomed with old countryside vibes when kings and queens ruled the lands. It's a good start because from there I could easily picture the world on my mind. The writing helped a lot with the world-building. Even though the world was actually pretty big and complex, Boehme solved it with smooth, detailed but easy-to-understand style. Love it!

And what's interesting are the characters. I just didn't expect them to be so ‘eye-catching’ and unique. I wasn't really paying attention to the others because the main character, Storm, was taking up all of my focus. But as the story goes, they slowly but surely stood out one by one. What I'm trying to say is: they're not what they seem to be. You may like them or you may be suspicious towards them. Just be careful with the plot twists!

Unfortunately, I didn't get all soft and excited about the romance. For me, it was too predictable, cliché, just a no-no. Well, I have no problem with them being together, it's just I can't bring myself to enjoy the romantic scenes. Aside from that, I also have a love-hate relationship with Storm. Sometimes she looks cool and mature. But other times, I couldn't understand her mindset. But throughout her journey in this book, she became wiser and stronger, I really appreciate that.

Overall, I liked Stormrise. It has a nice and steady pace, plus the world-building is no joke. A story about a girl doing something against the law to protect her family was really inspiring. Oh, there were also some awesome quotes that touched the dark corner of my heart. As you can see, I've included 5 of my favorite quotes. Aren't they just amazing? If you're looking for a fun book, especially fantasy, you should check out this one!

STORMRISE is a story of a girl's fierce love for her family who sacrifices herself to a war that she believes she won't come home from. Readers will find much to love with this motley crew of characters and a plot that is thrilling from beginning to end.

I loved this story from the start. Rain's family is an important piece of the story as her purpose began with them and with them is where this story begins. It allowed me to easily relate to Rain and see who she is as a character, such as what drives her and what her strengths and weaknesses are. Her character continues to develop as she is vulnerable in trying to keep her disguise intact and excel as a soldier. I love stories with good character development and where friendships and camaraderie are strong points. I liked how Forest is introduced in the story as well and how Rain slowly gets to know him and the others in her group over time. Their relationship grows naturally and they're friends before anything else.

I know in the summary it says this story is supposedly based on Twelfth Night, but to me it felt much more like a Mulan retelling. The similarities are quite strong. Regardless, I liked how this story was reimagined and how the author made it her own, particularly in regards to the dragons. The myths behind them and their magic were interesting. I also liked that the dragons weren't exactly what you might expect. The overall plot had moments of character development, romance, and then some intense training and action. It felt balanced, besides just being quite entertaining.

The beginning of this story all the way through to almost the end I loved. However, towards the end I had a few issues. There was one character that the author let have more reign than I liked and there was a part that was pretty crude, vulgar and descriptive that I felt could have been more vague while still making the point or carrying out the scene. It went from a completely clean book to one I can't let my daughter read. That same character continued to be a thorn in Rain's side and then there was a suggestive scene added as well. I just didn't feel it was needed. The story would have felt more realistic to me without the scene under the situation and the romance could have remained sweet (as well as not trying to take over the story). It also seemed that some of the characters towards the end weren't consistent. Such as a tough, smart leader suddenly letting emotions rule and letting his soldiers get out of hand. It was like the steadiness he had at the beginning disappeared. I got the situation and shock he was under, but it just didn't feel consistent to his character up until that point.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This was definitely a page-turner. I loved most of the story and definitely loved the characters. If you're a YA fantasy or Mulan fan, you'll find much to enjoy about this story.

Content: Lots of b-words, one attempted rape that is fairly descriptive, a non-descriptive love scene, violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley and the Fantastic Flying Book Club, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

Stormrise read like a Disney Mulan retelling - but with dragons. The premise is interesting, but I never connected with the characters or their story. The ending also wrapped up rather conveniently.

That said, you may enjoy this book if you enjoy the following:
1. Disney’s Mulan (1998)—this novel is a retelling of it.
2. Recognizing well-loved scenes from a favorite film.
3. Dragons. What else needs to be said here? (Confession: This was my #1 reason to pick up Stormrise.)
4. Magic and hints at the dangers of using untried magic.
5. A good-natured love interest with a boy-next-door feel.
6. Stories where the heroine proves that she’s already worthy (and, in fact, better than everyone else).
7. Stories where crossdressing places the heroine in risky, potentially heart-throbbing situations. (Like sharing a tent with a cute boy, bathing in the river with the boys nearby, and trying to find a quiet place to answer nature’s call.)
8. The Summoner series by Taran Matharu. (The pacing and execution is comparable.)
9. When the “bully” character has a redemptive arc.
10. Books where (almost) everyone has a happily ever after.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley, Fantastic Flying Book Club, and Tor Teen for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Content Warning:
Animal Violence, Bullying, War

Representation:
Disability Rep

Okay, fam. You know that I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to read a book about dragons, okay?


Seriously, though. Give me all the dragons, okay? Because I think that Boeheme did an amazing job with this novel, and I’m kind of bummed that it’s over? I mean… imagine having a dragon that can speak to you in your mind, and having the magic of a dragon physically alter your appearance. It sounds like my kind of book, and I absolutely adore why Rain did what she did.

But let me back up a bit.

Rain and Storm are twins, and since they both got sick when they were babies, and the doctor ended up giving the cure to Rain instead of Storm, she was the one that ended up getting better. Her brother didn’t end up recovering fully, and it seems like he has a learning disability from it. While his body is correct in age, his mind and his mannerisms are of a younger boy. I don’t know what they call it in his book, but from my experience, it would seem like he has a learning or developmental disability, but it came about from this illness. Rain and her father train her to be a Neshu warrior, and she is a freaking bad ass. The only thing is, as a female, she isn’t allowed to be one because patriarchy, am I right?

So she pulls a Mulan on us, gets some medicine from this sort of shady lady that gives her dragon powder to stop her monthly bleeding so she can disguise herself as her brother Storm and take his place in the war because we all know he is not made for battle. What makes it worse is that their father was going to go with him to make sure nothing bad happened to him, which meant that both men in the family would be gone.


And of course, my girl Rain does an awesome job in warrior camp, and not only does she end up bonding with her fellow soldiers in training, but I think she may have eyes for both her tent-mate Forest and her Commander? I don’t know, man, but I’m curious to see what you guys think about a dragon talking to you in your head asking to be released, you know?

This book got crazy! It was definitely a wild ride, and I think some of my dragon loving friends would like this story.

At the heart of this story is a family and a daughter who is plagued by the guilt that she has stolen honor from her twin brother storm. She feel this even more acutely when the king demands that all sons or, husbands if there is no son, report for war. Rain twin brother Storm was left damage mentally from a high fever in childhood. He is physically able to go to war but probably won’t survive. So Rain sneaks off to take his place.

I read a few stories lately that have this theme of women dressing as boy and heading off to war or competitions to save the honor of their family. It makes for a very interesting read cause in doing so there are a few complications that have to be dealt with. How to use the bathroom without being noticed, binding your breasts to look more like a boy, and then of course bathing without being caught and what about if your old enough to have your monthly.

The monthly seems to be Rains main fear as she goes to an out of the way shop to get a powder that she been told is infused with dragons blood. As a result she has placed herself on a path to dragons. I was totally enthralled by the whole encounter with the dragon and how Rain/Storm wakes them to save her land and hopefully her family. She of course will probably be caught and found out about her deception of taking her brother place. Whoever discovers this will have a choice to make turn her in, let her run or keep her secret.

Rain is a unique character and finds a unique partner in her journey to war and awakening the dragons. A must read for all dragon lovers.

Stormrise by Jillian Boehme is a magical reweaving of Mulan, twined with Twelfth Night. Rain is her family's second daughter. She is one half of a set of twins and despite looking eerily alike, Storm is her brother. When a childhood fever attacks both, it stunts Storm's mental growth. Now, as a teen, he is still very much a child. In a culture that prizes sons, this has left Rain feeling that he should have been the one to come out of the fever unscathed. When war is declared, and a conscription is being raised, Storm must go, and their father with him, in case he cannot adjust.

Trained as a Neshu warrior by her father, Rain decides to steal away and take Storm's place in the army so she can protect her twin, and father both. But if she is discovered, it means certain death. With the help of a special powder containing dragon magick that will stop her moontime, Rain blends in with the other recruits and befriends a young man named Forest. She makes enemies as well, in the form of Sedge, an arrogant misogynistic boy. Rain excels at her training, and is soon enough placed in an elite unit with a mission to take the high king to a secure location. But through it all, Rain is hearing voices, triggered by taking the dragon powder. A voice, that is. Nuaga, mate of the last great dragon-king T'Gonnen, and Nuaga wants Rain to wake the other dragons slumbering beneath the land. Can Rain keep both secrets safe or will she be discovered?

OMC, I devoured this book! I loved the Mulan reweaving elements. Hidden girl goes off to war to keep family safe, ends up a hero. The twin angle was new. I felt so bad for Storm, for how he ended up, and for Rain too, because she thought if she hadn't been born, maybe Storm wouldn't have ended up as he did. And maybe he wouldn't have. Or maybe something worse would have happened. When Rain finally learns the truth behind which of the two siblings got the only dose of fever medicine, it was so sad, and yet it helped Rain heal from the inner beliefs she had over it.

I adored Forest, the first friend Rain-as-Storm makes. He turns out to be a very good friend indeed, even though he needed a sound thwacking a few times. As much as I adored Forest, I loathed Sedge. He became Rain's rival for no real good reason other than he needed a person to bully in order to bolster his own self esteem. This story is first person POV, and it was hilarious at times as Rain tried to learn to be a boy, and adjust to being around males acting as males. Then there were the dragons! These six-legged beasties have to be some of the more unusual dragons I've read about recently.

The ending felt a little rushed and a little deus ex machina. Like, I knew where things were headed, and it still felt that way, with the final defeat of the invading nomad army. That's just in the last little bit of the book though, and not too bad. It also felt like things between Forest and Rain changed too fast on his part. It would have been interesting to see if there was a subconscious attraction the entire time, but we don't get his perspective.

Highly recommended!

*****Many thanks to Netgalley & and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for FFBC Tours.

Review and blog tour can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

A book with dragons?
Check.
Mulan inspired? Yup check.
Also forbidden romance? Triple check!

Stormrise caught me from the moment the cover was revealed. It caught the ferocity of the dragons and the ferocity, combined with bravery, a girl takes as war looms closer and closer.

Rain and her twin brother Storm live in a village where, tales of old dragon magic make people fearsome and others, trying to exploit them. There's old lore about the time of the dragons but there are none alive. Training to become a Neshu fighter, despite not being allowed to be one due to her gender, Rain doesn't have time for marriage proposals.

Knowing that her brother won't make it, she disguises herself as a boy by also taking a mix of dragon powder in order to sound like one. And from there training begins friends and alliances.

The book was more a military YA fantasy than a dragon-centered one. I enjoyed seeing Rain become stronger and discovering her potential along with the lore of the old dragons. I also loved the romance and how sweet it was with its moments and stumbles.

A stand-alone YA fantasy worth the read!

The first thing that caught my attention about Stormrise was the cover. When I saw the dragon on the cover I knew I needed to read this book! I do try not to judge a book by its cover but I did this time and it worked out in my favor.  I really enjoyed reading Stormrise.

The writing is beautiful! I thought the world-building was good. The characters are all well written. There is plenty of action but too much action. There is also some romance. This book kind of reminded me of Mulan some, which made it even better.

I really enjoyed getting to see Rain grow throughout the book. The character development was great. I really liked the magic aspect and of course the dragons. It was just so interesting.

I really enjoyed reading Stormrise and I think everyone needs to pick up this wonderful fantasy!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Author: Jillian Boehme

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: September 24, 2019

Recommended Age: 16+ (cursing, slight fire, blood, violence)

Genre: YA fantasy

Publisher: TorTeen

Synopsis: If Rain weren’t a girl, she would be respected as a Neshu combat master. Instead, her gender dooms her to a colorless future. When an army of nomads invades her kingdom, and a draft forces every household to send one man to fight, Rain takes her chance to seize the life she wants.

Knowing she’ll be killed if she’s discovered, Rain purchases powder made from dragon magic that enables her to disguise herself as a boy. Then she hurries to the war camps, where she excels in her training—and wrestles with the voice that has taken shape inside her head. The voice of a dragon she never truly believed existed.

As war looms and Rain is enlisted into an elite, secret unit tasked with rescuing the High King, she begins to realize this dragon tincture may hold the key to her kingdom’s victory. For the dragons that once guarded her land have slumbered for centuries . . . and someone must awaken them to fight once more.

Review: I really liked this book for the most part. I felt the writing was pretty good, the characters were very well developed, and the worldbuilding was well done. I liked that this book was a retelling of Mulan and I loved the female empowerment message behind it.

However, there were some things I didn't particularly like or understand about this book. The use of the word "simpleton" to describe Storm made me feel uncomfortable. I get it was a word used in a previous time period but it just always made me uncomfortable. I thought the book had some awkward time jumps too. They weren't separated from the previous passage, making the read confusing. And I thought the addition of the dragons confused the story for me. I didn't get their overall purpose when it seemed that it could have been a straight Mulan retelling and be fine as just that.

Verdict: If ye love dragons then ye will love this book!

Rating 4.5/5

I love a bit of fantasy and the fact that this was inspired by The Twelfth Night and involves dragons meant that I was sold as soon as I read the blurb.

Not that I am all that versed on Shakespeare but I love when stories take their inspiration from another book, especially when they do something very different with it. I have to say that it was also quite reminiscent of Mulan in certain ways, but that only added to my enjoyment.

I struggled to put this book down, it really is the kind of story that just captivates you from the start and can keep your attention the whole way through. I liked that there was a mix of adventure and quest but also an exploration of what it means to be female, what it means to deceive and to trust. It was nice to get these different elements throughout the story, which gave me time to digest everything that was happening and not just always having lots of action.

Rain is an amazing character, I loved what she did for her brother and that she managed to prove time after time that she was strong enough to continue, even if she was questioning herself. Her relationship with Forest was also lovely, that they become friends and then have to put that friendship to the test when he finds out her truth really had me on the edge, hoping that he would prove himself to be the character that I thought he was. I also loved the dragons in this, the mythology behind them and that even they were not what I would have pictured right away, it made it a lot more interesting.

I did notice that certain things were left a bit vague, like character descriptions and even about the place the story is set. I feel like this has probably been a conscious choice to make the book more accessible, and I didn’t mind in respect to the characters but I have to say it did take me a bit longer to settle into the world than I would have liked because I was trying to decide if this was an entirely made-up place whether it was real or whether it was inspired by a particular culture. I would have liked a little more grounding in that for me to feel totally immersed, but it was only on occasion that I would start to wonder about it so I wouldn’t say it detracted from my reading experience in any way.

This is a brilliant story and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

What I liked

First of all, there are dragons! I freaking love dragons. They are such magical and majestical beasts. I just love them so much. And every time I read about dragons you can be sure that I will enjoy the story 100% more. I have the opinion that in every fantasy book there should at least be one dragon. Nice, evil, badass doesn’t even matter. I want my dragons. I should probably rename my account? Phannie the ginger dragon. What about that? Sounds great!

The second thing, or let’s say person because Rain is certainly no thing, is (like I mentioned a few words back) Rain. Rain was such a great character, with some flaws (like every normal human being). But she was so much more. She did everything she could to protect her loved ones even if she put her own life in danger. Rain is a character that you feel attached to since page 1. I promise!

The world-building was fantastic! I loved the details that the author put into the story and I especially loved her writing style. You immediately saw that Jillian Boehme put a great effort into this book. And I have to say it was worth it!

And then the last thing that I really liked was the end. It was just perfect. But we’re not going into much detail as it would be too spoilery otherwise.

What I didn’t like

Now let’s move on to the thing that I always hate to do in a book review. The part where I write about the things I didn’t like. I always hate doing this but I have to. The problem of a book reviewer!

I found that the middle of the book dragged a bit. I found some passages annoying or even too much.

And the love interest was also way too obvious and for me unnecessary. Stormrise didn’t really need a love interest!

Overall, if you’re a Mulan Fan, then I’m pretty sure, that you will love this book. Try it because it’s a really good story!

Nothing can make my blood race faster than the speed of light than dragons and if is a girl awakening them, I am in absolute fantastical bliss.

Meet Rain

Ylanda was a patriarchal land where women were not considered good enough to become Neshu combat master. But when the nomads invaded the land, to fight them, the king needed all able men to join. Her brother was not of a sound mind, so Rain went to the medicine woman to get a powder which helped her disguise as a boy, gave her the power of the dragons, and then she started hearing one such dragon calling her.

My first book by author Jillian Boehme, Rain awakened a passion in me, a need to read the book, despite the late hour. Rain was simply awesome; she fell and got up so many times that I couldn't help but admire her.

In some ways, Rain was not courageous to begin with until the dragon showed her the path, and slowly and surely, the author added layers to her character, and in each step, she became more than she was before. She centered herself and found that core in her that every woman has and became the warrior that she was meant to be. She was the who would wold lead the dragons in the fight to protect their king.

I loved the way the others in her team ably supported her and added the emotions to her. Respect for Jasper, friendship for Dalen, brotherhood with Forest, and enmity with Sedge. A stronger worldbuilding and better descriptions would have uplifted the prose and made it haunting.

This was Rain's story through and through where she learned all the moves, fought bravely, and sacrificed everything to prove she was a warrior and not just a girl. She showed her king and the land she lived in that she was worthy of all glory befitting a powerful warrior.

This book had vibes from many popular stories and I liked that about it. I felt Mulan vibes as well as vibes from the Twelfth Night, which is why I read this during Shakespeare retelling week of our readathon we hosted. There are also dragons and magic in it, which definitely didn't disappoint! I found myself taken into the world from the first page. It's quite difficult to do that with a book for me and I am appreciative when an author can do that. I wanted to know what happened and you're thrown into the action right away. 

Rain is the main character and she shows an impressive amount of strength, determination and dedication during her story. She is also incredibly curious and that's how she finds out more about the hidden secrets of the dragons. That part gave me Priory of the Orange Tree vibes and since that's one of my favorite feminist adult novels, I was totally here for it. She was a likable character and that definitely helps as I'm reading a book, to care about what happens to the characters.

My favorite part of this was that I felt it wasn't heavily focused on romance. Sure, it was there, as any Shakespeare inspired novel will be, but it didn't feel front and center. I enjoyed the banter and the way the relationship developed as well as the twists and unexpected turns that were built in. This story definitely felt like it was laying the groundwork for a series. It appears to be a standalone as of now according to Goodreads but I would really love to see more out of this world!

STORMRISE is a YA military fantasy infused with dragon lore and it was captivating from start to finish. War, battle training, a band of young men (except one!) marching to evacuate the king, a dragon prophecy set into motion, and a young heroine who sets forth on a dangerous path impersonating a solider to save her family and her kingdom. Lots of action, plenty of lore, many intriguing characters, tons of challenges to be overcome, and every moment Rain is desperately guarding her secret. This is a fantasy tale you won't want to miss out on!
-pooled ink Reviews

Rain is a girl in a mans world. She is a master martial artist but will never have a chance to show her true grit as she is destined for a blander future of marrying and bearing children. So, she decides to impersonate her simpleton brother and enter the army when he is summoned. This novel had a great premise and I was so enthusiastic to jump right in.

The first few chapters set up the family scene with Rain training with her father and thinking about the future of the family. Its your stock standard set up and I was ok with that. She heads to her local purveyor of potions and knickknacks to buy some dragon powder so as she may disguise herself better and halt her monthly cycles and then heads on her merry way, leaving only a note explaining her choice and a fear that her father will come after her. By this point I had a feeling like I had read it before, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it (honestly, I kind of still cant which is endlessly frustrating for me).

Once Rain heads out, she meets up with her group of army buddies and the story starts to unfold. I wanted to absolutely love it but as I said earlier, it felt familiar, but something was kind of off. I expected punchy and action filled and instead it felt a little Tolkien with its ‘people walk through the woods and camp for half the novel’ vibe. By the end I wasn’t underwhelmed exactly but felt like it could have been better

Now this is not to say the writing itself was bad. Boehme writes with such panache that I feel had the underlying story been different, it would have been fantastic. The use of language was a little basic but that can be expected from a Young Adult novel and the relationships between characters, although predictable, were precisely how I thought they would work out to be.

The main character is one of those ones who I kind of wanted to shake and tell her to grow up. She could have been brash and competitive, winning over everyone with vigour and zeal; instead she seemed whiny and about as intimidating as a mewling kitten. Despite her efforts to come across as masculine, she is still extremely feminine in her interactions and I felt a little take back that only a single character managed to work out that she was a girl (I mean men are sometimes oblivious, but I feel they aren’t quite THAT clueless).

The secondary characters were where the writing held its own. The other band of merry adventurers run the gamut from caring to malicious and manipulative. I absolutely loved every conflict that came from the novel because it meant something was finally happening. Alas these scenes were usually short lived and left me wanting more.

Now comes the bad guy who is tormenting everyone. He is referred to a couple of times, but it was ridiculously easy to forget that he was supposed to be the underlying threat to the country because he doesn’t actually show until the final 10-15%. Even then he is there and then suddenly everything is being tied up in a neat little bow. He could have been a big baddie and there could have been epic fight scenes but instead he was there and then just not…

I suppose here is where I should wrap it up. Basically, it wasn’t a bad book – the story had promise, the characters had promise and the whole thing could have been taken so much further. Maybe I had higher expectations knowing this was a highly coveted debut. Maybe I expected more from an author who teaches creative writing for a living. Unfortunately, I finished feeling a little let down. I feel like it would be a great novel for those who are into questing and genderbending tales.

DNF at 21%. There were so many issues just within the first fifth of the book that I knew continuing would be a waste of time.

The plot revolves around a girl called Rain, who lives in the province of Tenema. When invaders breach the 'Stonewall', a protective wall, conscription is levied on every able-bodied man. Rain uses a magic powder to disguise herself as a boy and takes the place of her twin brother Storm, whose childlike mind makes him unsuitable for combat. Note that the powder doesn't turn her into a boy: mostly it just stops her periods.

I struggled with this book from the very beginning. Here's why:

❌ Extremely poor description. This applies to both people and places; characters appeared and disappeared from the page with absolutely no reference to how they looked. It got even worse with places. Rain travelled to town, through her back garden, to an army encampment, etc without any substantial reference to what made these locations different from each other. There was also, at one point, an entire paragraph devoted to talking about the avila plant, which the invaders apparently are desperate to have. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? Somehow, we never even learned what this plant looked like! What colour is it? How many petals? How long are the stems? Considering this plant is the entire reason for the war, I wanted to know more about it.

❌ Rain was stupidly impulsive. Her decision to dress up as a boy felt extraordinarily unrealistic, given that she spent all of five seconds thinking about it before putting this plan into execution. She didn't even consider what backstory she'd give, or spend some time practising masculine behaviour, or ANYTHING. Just, I don't want Storm to go and fight. Hey! Let me dress up as a boy! Should be easy! Considering the author tells us that impersonating a boy leads to EXECUTION WITHOUT TRIAL, you'd think Rain would be a little less TSTL over it.

❌ More examples of stupidity: she blows her cover story within the first ten seconds of meeting someone. At one point she comes across a boy called Forest, who has less personality than a potato. Immediately, she says that she's seventeen - forgetting that she'd planned to pick a younger age, to compensate for her girliness - and also nearly says 'when I was a little gi -', almost ruining her not-very-carefully-thought-out plan. Again, considering her crime carries a death penalty, I was stunned by Rain's lack of preparation. She also has to take the period-stopping powder nightly; she takes it in front of Forest, who naturally asks what it's for. Has Rain come up with some lie about it being stomach medicine, or headache m edicine, or any of the countless plausible reasons she could be eating medicinal powder? Nope! She just stammers a non-answer and changes the subject. Way not to be suspicious, Rain. Why didn't you just wait for him to be asleep before taking it, if you hadn't come up with an explanation?

❌ Insta-love. No thanks. Looking at Forest - whom she knows is her sister's fiancé - Rain almost instantly feels a 'fluttering in her spirit.' What the hell? Not the time or place, dude.

Basically this is just a BTEC version of Mulan , complete with a wall (Great Wall of China, much?) and vague references to a misty form of martial arts called the Neshu. Considering I had the luck to read a genuinely awesome retelling of Mulan a few days ago (The Magnolia Sword by Sherry Thomas) all the poor worldbuilding and plotting in this book were glaringly obvious. I strongly recommend that you go and read that one instead.