Review: Rage by Cora Carmack

From New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack, the second in the captivating new YA fantasy/romance Stormheart series, perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and Victoria Aveyard.

RAGE by CORA CARMACK

Series: Stormheart #2

Publication date: August 27, 2019

Published by: Tor Teen/Macmillan

Genre: young adult fantasy

 

SYNOPSIS

Princess or adventurer.

Duty or freedom.

Her Kingdom or the Stormhunter she loves.

If Aurora knows anything, it's that choices have consequences. To set things right, she joins a growing revolution on the streets of Pavan.

In disguise as the rebel Roar, she puts her knowledge of the palace to use to aid the rebellion. But the Rage season is at its peak and not a day passes without the skies raining down destruction. Yet these storms are different—they churn with darkness, and attack with a will that’s desperate and violent.

This feels like more than rage.

It feels like war. 

Purchase links:

Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | BAM 

Praise for Rage:

“A rich and unforgettable fantasy forged from the power of storms, the danger of secrets, and the magic of Cora Carmack's imagination.”—Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures & author of The Lovely Reckless

“Carmack shines with this unique fantasy and alluring romance.”—# 1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout

“Captivating and altogether unique. Roar is a force of magic and romance to be reckoned with!”—Wendy Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of the Sweet Evil trilogy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cora Carmack is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult Romance and YA fantasy. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages around the world. Cora lives in Austin, TX, and on any given day you might find her typing away at her computer, flying to various cities around the world, or just watching Netflix with her kitty Katniss and her dog Sherlock.

FOLLOW HER:  Website | Instagram | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW

Rage by Cora Carmack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I couldn't have been more excited to return to Pavan after being completely swept away by the tempest otherwise known as Roar. I loved the worldbuilding centering around storms, and the royals with affinities who could defeat them. There were storm hunters and witches and a mysterious Stormlord out for revenge. Of course as the first in a trilogy we left off with a cliffhanger and many unanswered questions. Sometimes with a second in a series it tends to feel like much of it is unnecessary or page filler, but that wasn't the case at all here. I enjoyed this one just as much as the first, if not more. There were quite a bit of surprising revelations, twists, and action to keep me quickly turning the pages. Hold on tight, readers. You're in for an exhilarating ride you won't be ready to get off of.

We take off right where we left off, with Aurora coming to terms with the unexpected effects the skyfire storm left on her mentally and physically. After training with the hunters on the road and searching for an alternative to marrying into the corrupt Locke family, she's coming back to Pavan a changed princess. Once unsure and ashamed, she's now determined to make a difference for her people who are hurting.

    She had discovered so much about the world and herself. She’d faced danger and taken control of her own choices. She’d seen deserts and mountains and walked unfamiliar roads. She knew what it looked like when someone loved her. In some ways, Aurora had lived more life in her few short months with Kiran than all her previous years combined.

With storms causing complete havoc, the need for remnants to find shelter within her kingdom's walls is greater than ever. But the Lockes have been heartlessly breaking up their camps and terrorizing the victims who have lost everything. Instead of showing kindness, they're treated as a plague that needs to be removed.

Injustices have been done and covered up in order to keep the Stormlings in absolute power and everyone else vulnerable to their whims. Not only with the lack of empathy for the homeless, but there is a dark history hidden as well. The witches with affinities towards various magic have been persecuted and almost eradicated. Now they live in hiding, concealing their gifts and unable to live without fear of discovery. In the prologue, we're introduced to Cruze who was rounded up and left to die out in the forest with others of his kind. The cruelty that he and others suffered is unimaginable and it caused hatred to harbor deep within his soul. We learn much more about this character and he really plays a pivotal role in more ways than one.

One thing that I wasn't looking forward to was Aurora finally coming clean about her identity to her new group of friends. Keeping this information put all of their lives in danger, and to be honest I wasn't really down with that. She showed a major lack of trust in those who took her in when she needed them the most and in my eyes that's a betrayal that I knew wouldn't go over well. And of course the ramifications with Locke/Kiran specifically would be earth shattering.

    She had stretched him beyond what he had thought himself capable of, and now the world was brighter and bigger and more dangerous, but sweeter too, and once a life had been expanded as his had been, he did not think it could be shrunk down to what it once was.

It took him a long time to let down his guard and accept his feelings for her and in return he was about to get a barrage of pain. I felt horrible for him as he had to come to terms with the reality of how this impacted their new relationship. Aurora really did step up in this installment. Not only did she acknowledge that she was wrong, she vowed to do whatever it took to make amends and earn their trust. Understandably, there's a decent amount of angst as Kiran and Aurora navigate their future and what their roles will be in each other's lives.

I liked that we got to learn a little more about some of the storm hunters! Bait and Ransom still didn't play much of a role, but Duke, Jinx, and Sly were much more fleshed out. We got a new story arc with a romance involving Jinx, Sly has shown herself to be much more than the quiet girl with the silent feet, and Duke has a bombshell of a secret that rocks everyone back on their heels. Not only did we have these character progressions, but with Aurora and the rest of the hunters joining the rebellion we're given new and intriguing characters to fill the cast. Zephr is the mysterious leader of the underground resistance. She's powerful and ruthless, and even though she's about as soft as a porcupine, you can't help but like her. I'm excited to read more about her in the next installment.

This book may have been even more action packed than the last. The romance was nicely layered in, there wasn't a moment of boredom, and I'm more invested then ever before as we wait for the conclusion. A lot of times my interest fizzles out with a trilogy but Cora Carmack has delivered the goods with this one. She had some recent health issues and that delayed the book release considerably but let me assure you it's worth the wait. Admittedly, since it's been two years since reading the previous book my memory was murky on the details of where the plot left off, so I went ahead and skimmed through some sections of Roar to clear the cobwebs away. However, I didn't let that affect my rating because that's just me. If you're thinking of starting this series, don't hesitate! If you're a return reader, you're in for another thrilling adventure that will not disappoint.

    She was not the same girl she had been last time she stood this close to her home. She’d left powerless with nothing more than hope in her hands, and she’d come back with a storm wrapped around her heart.

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