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You are here: Home / Favorites / Editor's Pick / Editor’s Pick: Roar by Cora Carmack

Editor’s Pick: Roar by Cora Carmack

August 8, 2017 by Cassie Leave a Comment

Editor’s Pick: Roar by Cora CarmackRoar (Stormheart, #1) by Cora Carmack
Published by Tor Teen on June 13th 2017
Pages: 380
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.

In Cora Carmack’s new novel ROAR, the world of Caelira is beset by storms — wild, furious, and nearly sentient. The rulers of Caelira’s kingdoms are supposed to be able to tame the storms and so protect their people. But Aurora, heir to the kingdom of Pavan, is no Stormling. She has not a touch of magic about her, a secret she and her mother will do anything to protect, including arranging a marriage to a cruel and vicious Stormling prince. And then Aurora learns about people like her, born without magic, but able to tame the storms nonetheless.
ROAR is a captivating story. I love the world. I love the way that magic works, that it exists as part of these storms, and I love the way that we are opened to understanding the world bit by little bit, and only as Rora learns and understands. That element reconciles me a little to the shifting perspectives, which are often jarring, though I still believe the story would be stronger if we kept to Rora and this mysterious, villainous Stormlord.
This is Cora Carmack’s first YA novel. Her other books are all adult romance, and it shows here. This is definitely a steamier novel than most YA goes for, but I did appreciate that it’s always tasteful, never graphic, and I truly appreciated the amount of respect and consent-seeking we are always shown in the romance.
This is the first book in Cora Carmack’s Stormheart series, and it’s definitely one I will be continuing when the other books come out. If you like innovative fantasy, this one is for you.
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