Book Review: Stormcaster (Shattered Realms #3)

Release Date: April 3, 2018
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 544 pages
Source: Library Audio Book

The third book in the thrilling four-book Shattered Realms series from New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima

The Empresss in the east—the unspeakably cruel ruler whose power grew in Flamecaster and Shadowcaster—tightens her grip in this chilling third installment in the series.

Vagabond seafarer Evan Strangward can move the ocean and the wind, but his magical abilities seem paltry in comparison to Empress Celestine’s. As Celestine’s bloodsworn armies grow, Evan travels to the Fells to warn the queendom of her imminent invasion. If he can’t convince the Gray Wolf queen to take a stand, he knows that the Seven Realms will fall. Among the dead will be the one person Evan can’t stand to lose.

Meanwhile, the queen’s formidable daughter, Princess Alyssa ana’Raisa, is already a prisoner aboard the empress’s ship. Lyss may be the last remaining hope of bringing down the empress from within her own tightly controlled territory.

Multiple intricately interwoven storylines converge in this gripping novel about a brave, coordinated effort to undermine a horrific tyrant.

    

Review:

Characters: I honestly don't know how to write this section because there are just so many characters that this installment focuses on. I mean, I went into this book expecting it to feel like the other installments, a change in focus, this one on Evan Strangward, his story, and what's going on in Carthis, which we sort of get, while possibly getting a few chapters here and there continuing the previous installment and showing what happened to Alyssa after the end of Shadowcaster, which we also sort of get. However, instead, this installment really felt like the first time this series has come into focus as a new generation of heroes banding together to take down a new foe. While I enjoy the first two installments in this series I really fell in love with this series here, this was the first time that I could truly see the focus of this series, which is mostly the amazing and complex characters that fill this amazing world, and while the story might have been spread a bit thin due to how may POVs there are, but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way it really illustrates the scope of this world and this story.

Romances: So, I'm not going to lie to you, there's very little romance in this book, with the romances from the previous books split up for the entire installment we don't get that much development on that front, other than off-handed references and some not so off-handed references here and there, but no real development for the couple. We do have a new POV in this book in the form of Evan Strangward, who is the focus of most of the beginning of this book, and that long beginning does detail a romance that he has, and while it is an adorable romance that I ship to no end, it's not in the book much beyond the beginning and while I understand why that is, as they each have different parts to play in this story, I just wish we could have seen more of them together in this book.

World Building: As I said before, this book was series changing for me, I would say it's mostly because it actually continues the story we know. While the previous installment did continue the story from Flamecaster a bit, Shadowcaster felt more like a companion novel, telling a concurrent story from a different front. This installment, well this installment feels like a mix of those two plotlines with a dash of Carthis and I love it. While there are so many Points of View that sometimes the plotlines can feel a bit spread thin at times, I never felt a lull in the story. I was hooked from the very beginning that the only times I would set this story aside were to make sure I didn't burn through it too fast, which in a way I kind of did as I'm anxiously awaiting the final installment in this series. This book expands the scope of this story so much and finally introduces us to Carthis, the Empire across the sea where a great many mythical creatures are assumed to live, including dragons. It was hard not to be struck with what exploring this world, even more, would be like, I mean, I would be completely down for a series set in this world that takes place completely, or almost completely, in Carthis because I feel there's still so much left to learn and I'm not sure how much will be able to come out in the final installment in this series.

Predictability: So, I'm not sure how to talk about the predictablilty in this installment as, while there are a good number of unpredictable and surprising moments in this installment, I still feel no closer to the answer to two of the biggest mysteries in this series, the first being the origin of those with mage marks, and while it seems that we get some explanation on that, I don't trust the source it comes from, and secondly, who is targeting the royal family, which again I would say we get "closer" to figuring out who it is, but since I'm pretty sure I figured out who it is near the beginning of the previous installment I was kind of hoping that that reveal wouldn't be drawn out. Again, I will say that there are a lot of amazing unpredictable moments in this installment but I felt they all happened at the moment and I didn't really feel a large build-up to anything unexpected.

Ending: So, since there are a few plotlines this book follows there are quite a few final climactic moments and I'll be honest with you, they're all full of tension, including something I thought would never happen in this series, and a particularly bad ass moment by one of my new favorite characters, even if they didn't need to be put in a situation where that badassery was necessary. Anyway, each of these moments is fraught with tension leading to some of the most intense moments in this series. It all leads up to some rather moments where we learn more about not only what just happened, but what will happen as this series heads into its final installment and it ends with one hell of a cliffhanger.

Rating:

Okay, look, I loved this book, it was nearly impossible to put down and I practically flew through the story. I am so sad that I have to wait for the next installment, and I just pray that it'll be worth the wait!

Book Review: Shadowcaster (Shattered Realms #2)

Release Date: April 4, 2017
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 551 pages
Source: Review Copy From Publisher

A lifelong war.

Alyssa ana’Raisa is the reluctant princess heir to the Gray Wolf throne of Fells, a queendom embroiled in a seemingly endless war. Hardened by too many losses, Lyss is more comfortable striking with a sword than maneuvering at court. After a brush with death, she goes on the offensive, meaning to end the war that has raged her whole life. If her gamble doesn’t pay off, she could lose her queendom before she even ascends to the throne.

A life in peril.

Across enemy lines in Arden, young rising star Captain Halston Matelon has been fighting for his king since he was a lýtling. Lately, though, he finds himself sent on ever more dangerous assignments. Between the terrifying rumors of witches and wolfish warriors to the north and his cruel king at home, Hal is caught in an impossible game of life and death.

The shadow of defeat.

    

Review:

Protagonists: Alyssa Ana'Raisa, crown princess of the Fells, has been fighting in the war against Arden since she was a lytling, but she wants to do much more than just defend her borders. She wants to make Gerard Montaigne sweat and for his thanes to find warring with the Fells to be too costly. She wants to invade Arden and show Montaigne the might of the Fells. Halston Matalon knows the king is gunning for him. As the son of one of Arden's thanes, and one particularly against the war at that, Hal knows that he could lose his life as a message to his father. Breon d'Tarvos travels with a group of performers, but when a commission to woo a pretty girlie with music turns south, he's on the run and without much of a place to go. All three of these protagonists are amazing. I mean, never once did I feel that a certain character got the short end of the stick. They all have compelling personal plotlines that entangle in a fascinating way. Oh, and the best part is there's a fourth POV, and it's someone we met in book 1, but I won't ruin the surprise.

Romance: So, there's really only one romance in this story and I loved it so much more than the first book. While I understand why the insta-love in the first book happened the way it did, I still wasn't too keen on it, but luckily in this story, we don't get anything close to an insta-love. While the romance between Alyssa and Hal isn't exactly slow burning, it's still rife with complications and feels realistic and very much in character for both these characters. Best of all the romance is pretty swoon worthy. I can't wait to see where Chima takes these characters since we didn't get all too much of a romance in this book and there is most assuredly more to explore with this relationship.

World Building: So I knew before venturing into this book that this series was going to be very different than series I've read in the past. Imagine if you will mixing a companion novel series and a more traditional series and you'd have this series. Unlike the previous book this story isn't told from the POV of Ash, instead, the clock gets turned back a bit and we see some of the events that happened in Flamecaster from other characters perspectives and we get to see some events that we really only heard about in the previous book. The central mystery of this entire series is the magemark mystery and while we do get some more clues as to what the magemarks are and why certain individuals have them, there is still far more to learn about them and by this point, I need to know. It's like an itch I can't scratch and while I'm a bit pacified for now I can't wait to see how things unfold in the next installment. One of the things about this series that I find very interesting is that in both this book and Flamecaster, the stories start out making the reader believe that Arden and/or Montaigne are the "Big Bad(s)" of this series, however, the real threat comes from across the seas and in this story we get to see more from Empress Celestine and learn more about her plans for the Seven Realms.

Predictability: So, I'm going to level with you, and I feel like I've done this a lot lately, but I was sort of spoiled on a plot point that happened at the very end of this book, but while it sort of was the entire basis for the cliffhanger, it didn't impede my enjoyment of this book at all. As for the things I wasn't spoiled for, since this does turn back the clock a bit there are things that happen that I knew would happen thanks to the first book, and honestly, there were quite a few twists that I was able to predict, though luckily they were smaller twists. The larger ones still managed to surprise me and suck me deeper and deeper into the story.

Ending: Like I said this story ends with a cliffhanger and the wait for the next book is going to kill me, I know it. The cliffhanger ending isn't all that bad, it's more what this story didn't reveal that has me chomping at the bit for book three. The final climax of this book was fantastic, I mean the edge of your seat, white-knuckle gripping the arms of your chair fantastic. Even though I already knew what would happen there were other details that I didn't know and that made this ending all the more exciting. We see the ending from a couple of perspectives and honestly, the final words in this book left me breathless and pretty much internally holding out "gimmie" hands for book three!

Rating:

I knew going into this book that I was going to love it and it did not disappoint, I only wish that I had read it sooner as I had planned on. I can't wait to read the next installment in the series and I hope to be able to read it early, and trust me if I get that chance I will read it early this time!

Book Review: Flamecaster (Shattered Realms #1)

Release Date: April 5, 2016
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length:535 pages
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher

A burning vengeance.

Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. The son of the queen of the Fells, Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life but to take it?

A blood-based curse.

Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that she can’t get caught.

Destiny’s fiery hand.

Eventually, Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.

Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death.

    

Review:

Protagonists: Adrian, known as Ash for most of this book is the son of the Queen of the Fells and her consort. After some the loss of someone close to him Ash is out for revenge against the King of Arden, who he holds responsible for the act. After years of training and waiting Ash finds himself closer than ever to finally ridding the world of the great evil that is Gerard Montaigne. Jenna just wanted a normal life, but after two of her friends are brutally murdered by the King of Arden's own hands she joins up with a rebellion to fight back any way she can. Soon though there are people looking for a girl with a birthmark like hers and thinking that it's due to her being in the rebellion she does her best to hide from trouble, but trouble always seems to have a way of finding her. There are two other characters with POVs in this book, a mysterious smuggler who befriends Ash, but seems to have more of a loyalty to herself than anyone else, and the son of Marin Karn, the evil bastard of a mage general from the Seven Realms series, who doesn't seem to be as bad as his father and seems to hold an unknown loyalty. Dear Lord, all of these characters are great and while Ash is by far the most prominent character featured in this book each of these characters has a chance to shine. All of these characters don't play at being pure or wholly good, they know they have shades of darkness in them that they've chosen to embrace rather than deny.

Romance: If I had one criticism of this book it would be that the romance advanced a bit too quickly. It wasn't an insta-love not exactly, but there was this moment that both Jenna and Ash magically connected that seems to be the catalyst for the romantic feelings advancing so quickly, and while I'm sure it's there to sort of explain the quick connection, it sometimes felt more like an excuse than an explanation. Despite all that however, there were some moments where I really started to root for this couple. They do have a great connection and there is some pretty great chemistry, I just had hoped that all the romantic stuff would occur a lot slower and be more of a slow burning, possibly at odds from time to time, romance.

World Building: This series takes place about 25-30 years after the end of the Seven Realms series. I have no idea why on the Goodreads series page it says 20, but it's wrong. Anyway,  I love being in the Seven Realms world, and while it hasn't been so long since I left, a lot has changed, or maybe it's stayed the same. The Fells is still at war with Arden, though it seems Arden has gained no purchase on the Fells, but has recently, as of the beginning of this book dealt a huge blow not only to the Fells but to Raisa, Han, and their kids. Because of that, and some other things, it sends Ash into Arden, which we first glimpsed in The Exiled Queen, the church of Malthus is still at large unfortunately and the King seems just as evil, if not more so than he previously had. I was surprised at how little fan service there was in this book. Most authors that write a spin-off that takes place a generation alter would jump at the chance to introduce as many kids of previous characters that they could or have best friends' kids fall in love, but this more than anything is a perfect mix of new and old, sure there are some references to old characters, as well as their possible children, and a lot of this book is told from our previous protagonists child, but there's a sense to this book that's all new. Very little of it takes place in familiar territory it's told from completely new characters, and there's a deeper mystery at work that comes almost out of nowhere, in a good way.

Predictability: There are quite a few mysteries in this book, and as I've said before Chima does a fantastic job at keeping secrets and letting off just enough information for it all to make sense once the truth comes out, and it seems she hasn't lost her touch. The biggest mystery seems to be the magemark on the back of Jenna's neck. She's not a mage that's for sure, but there's something magical about her still. While Chima teases us senseless with possibilities, she's doesn't quite give up the goat yet. There are of course many other mysteries and twists in this book, most of which shocked me, some left me squealing more than I'd like to admit, and some I was so proud I called, though there's still one twist I'm still bitter about, something I should have called, but I forgot one detail and it forever evaded me until its big reveal.

Ending: Part of me really regrets adding this section during times like this. Honestly I'm not sure what to say about the ending without giving anything away but I'm going to try. As this book starts to wrap up I'm not sure how everything was going to not only work out, but where everything was going to go and what position our characters could be in by the time the book ends. The final climax of this book, and the smaller bits of tension that come after were very epic. I mean, I can't believe how insane and awesome some of the stuff was. I don't want to say there's a cliffhanger, because there technically isn't but things aren't all finished, there are still a lot of mysteries and questions to be answered and some of them are so burning that in some way it does feel like this book has a cliffhanger.

Rating:

So, while I wasn't completely happy with the romance, it is only one part of this much, much greater story and all of the awesome of this book outshines that so brightly. I can't wait to see where this series goes, though from the looks of it Book 2: Shadowcaster is going to focus on some different characters so I don't know quite when this story will continue.