Roar (Stormheart, #1) Review

2.5 stars!!! I was so excited to read this novel but unfortunately, it didn't meet up with my expectations. The blurb looked promising enough as but there were many aspects that I didn't particularly like. To give a clearer picture of what I mean, let me elaborate further. One of the things that I really did appreciate with this story was the worldbuilding. It was highly complex and I enjoyed reading about the magic system in place. The idea of capturing the hearts of storms and people being able to manipulate them was intriguing. The author also does a great job of connecting the system with the history, religion, and politics of the world. The imagery used to capture the rich details also made for an immersive read. I also enjoyed the concept of hunters capturing storms and dealing them on the black market. The premise of a world where this kind of dangerous magic is the backbone of its existence was captivating. However, this is where the excitement ended for me. The characters except for the minor ones were not at all memorable. While the book contained the usual YA tropes of where Roar is a pretty girl and is a special "snowflake". I didn't see this novel take any unique twists. Moreover, the thing that threw me off completely was the cringe-worthy romance. The MC Roar/Aurora is a very silly girl. For someone who is portrayed as being independent and forging her own path, she falls for two guys instantly one after the other. To top that off, she just allows being manipulated and manhandled by them. Most of the interactions with both guys bordered on sexual assault and I didn't find this swoon-worthy or appealing whatsoever. Both Locke and Cassius make the most inappropriate of advances and the author makes it look like as though it is actually romantic or enduring which it isn't. Additionally, I didn't find Locke's character all that likeable what with his obsessiveness with Roar. I also didn't find his backstory entertaining and I found him overall to be rather bland. Out of the two love/lust interests, Cassius seems more intriguing. He is way more multi-layered with his motives and secrets. I look forward to reading more about him. Fortunately, I did like reading about Nova, Aurora's friend. Her story was very interesting and though she is featured sporadically, I can't wait to see what happens to her. Besides that, I found the book to be okay but the majority of the plot was just romance. There was some action, especially with the storm hunting. The plot revelations in terms of the villain were not as shocking but lend to an interesting turn of events. Plus, the political aspect of the storyline was quite intriguing and I would like to see how it gets resolved. I think what disappointed me the most was the lack of character development with this book and a nice slow burn romance. I truly feel that this book could have done with protagonists that stood out and held their ground. This combined with a lush imaginative world would have led me to give this book 5 stars. I will be reading the sequel, but let's say I am not exactly rushing to find out what happens next.

#youngadult #fantasy #romance #magic #specialabilities #CoraCarmack