Roar by Cora Carmack ( A YA Book Review)

Roar by Cora Carmack

The premise of this book was extremely intriguing. A princess who lives in a time and land of severe storms, but who lacks the magic needed to protect her kingdom. Just when she thinks she will have to marry in an alliance to protect her kingdom, she discovers a black market of magic and runs away to join some Stormhunters in order to retrieve magic of her own and return to her kingdom.

Things I liked:

I loved the concept of storms and storms having hearts and souls. I liked the band of Stormhunters, especially Locke. I saw some reviews stating that he was too possessive, citing examples. Which is convenient considering the examples are taken out of context (ah, we learn so well from the media) and at no point do any of them show that Aurora aka Roar acts just as possessive. I’m calling out the double standard and also disputing that this is a “bad example of relationships for teens.” 1. It is fiction and there are plenty of bad examples of relationships all around you. Take a look at your family or friends or favorite TV show. Yep, there they are. 2. The average YA reader is between the ages of 18-45. Just saying. We need to stop displacing our real world issues on fictitious ones. Which seems to be happening a lot in YA lately. The two characters are young, fiery, and passionate. And they are also deeply committed to one other’s safety and well-being. Yes, it is instalove, but I feel like it works especially by the end of the book. And I don’t have a problem with instalove as I’ve felt instantly attracted to someone numerous times. Whether it’s love or passion, the lines are often blurred and sometimes you can’t have one without the other. Please note this author wrote adult romance novels per her bio in the book. But there’s nothing too racy in here, at least not to me.

Things I didn’t really like:

The primary thing I had issue with was how annoying Aurora was for 90% of the book. She wants Locke, she doesn’t want him. She likes him. She hates him. She trusts too easily. She will never trust again. The girl is an exercise in dichotomy. And her bratty attitude is so frustrating and childish, indicating further she isn’t ready to take a throne. But perhaps it will make for a good character arc. This is partially resolved by the end but her secret keeping is still an issue that will carry into the next book or books. What will Locke think when he learns her true identity? Is Aurora going to have to be a sacrificial lamb to appease the Stormlord? It’s very difficult for me to enjoy a book if I do not like the protagonist. I will find my attention wandering and the story will begin to drag. Once Aurora gave into her feelings for Locke and stopped doubting herself—as she did the entire time, basing her self-esteem on the reactions of those around her, and not just the men—she was a more enjoyable character. For me this read is 3.5/5 stars and I’m not sure if I’m motivated enough to read the next one. We’ll see when it comes out and I can read the synopsis.