ARC Review: Roar by Cora Carmack

Roar by Cora Carmack

Published by Tor Teen on June 13, 2017

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy

Pages: 384 Format: ARC Source: Library

4/5 Stars

Image and Description Credit: Goodreads

This ARC was received by my library department for marketing purposes. This does not impact my thoughts and opinions in any way.

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.

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With a cover as stunning as the one gracing the front of Roar, this book would be hard to pass up. Thankfully there’s an intriguing world and unique magic to go along with it. Cora Cormack, in her first fantasy title, brings the reader into a land full of storms and struggle as Aurora Pavan discovers there’s more to her kingdom than meets the eye.

First of all, the magic at the center of this tale is absolutely brilliant. Stormlings are born with the power to control storms through stones and they protect the cities from violent magic threatening the borders. Being a stormling means being on the upper echelons of society and those with more than one ability are most likely royals. Seeing how each storm was different and how to wield the magic was probably the best part.

Despite not inheriting her mother’s Stormling abiblities, Aurora is strong and brave in the face of adversary. She seeks adventure and freedom as well as the power to rule without needing to marry. Cassius, the prince, is a charmer and a powerful Stormling but holds too many secrets behind his eyes. My favorites were the stormhunters though, especially Locke and Jinx.

To my surprise, the story line was actually pretty gripping and I flew through these pages. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing and I was completely sucked in. My only quibble was how much was crunched into the ending and I felt like some key moments were rushed through. Otherwise I was pretty darn happy when it came to the plot.

Overall Roar by Cora Cormack was a great first attempt at fantasy and I was sucked into this incredible world of storm magic. The characters were certainly interesting but I had hoped for a little more. Honestly it was better than I expected in terms of plot and I’m glad that it surprised me in places. I’d definitely recommend this one especially if you’re a fantasy fan!

So are you interested in Roar? Have you read any of Cormack’s previous books? Intrigued by the storm magic?

Let me know in the comments below!