Roar Excerpt Review

Title: Roar
Author: Cora Carmack
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Synopsis: 

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.

Preview is available online, but I acquired mine from NetGalley.

From the beginning paragraphs, I was immediately drawn into the story. At the start you meet Aurora, a stormling princess, as she gets ready for her wedding celebration. However, you learn that it is an arranged marriage which is not normal for the kingdom of Pavan. Cora describes everything in her preparation with such vivid details from her dress to the stormhearts that are featured. (You’ll have to read the preview to get a better description of the stormhearts because I really do not think I could do it justice. AND! If you pre-order the book, you can actually get a physical one of your own.)

“Moment’s later Cassius Locke melted out of the shadows, looking more like a villain than a prince.”

Talk about a dreamy sounding villain/prince. As they have their first meeting, I felt everything that she did. I was nervous, felt her reaction as he did his smooth talking, laughed when Cassius was a bit snarky. It was a great meeting scene all together.

From there, you get more from Aurora’s thoughts and some information about more of the story concerning the storms and how that plays into plot. The author pulls you in with the idea of controlling storms in a way, but Aurora then explains how they can lure you in and mesmerize your mind. Then just like that, the storms can kill you. Even in reality storms are just as entrancing from afar. So it’s a very neat concept for a book.

“Now she felt as if she had stepped into the pages of one of her books or strode out of the shadows of her own life for the first time.”

You get to see new insight into Aurora’s mind and how she is. The attention is very new to her and I can’t wait to see how she grows later in the book. All of her emotions and turmoil bounce within me and I feel like I’m right there with her. It’s a burst of feelings and it makes you wonder what she felt all the years before this spot we walked into.

In the last two chapters of the preview (and yes, you got ALL that in the first two chapters), you get more development between both Aurora and Cassius. I won’t go into much detail so I don’t spoil it. However, you get a glimpse into how their emotions are constantly changing towards each other. I feel like this is all where the book takes a turn where everything will develop and shift.

Overall, I’m thrilled with this preview excerpt. The book comes out in June and I cannot wait to get my hands on it and explore this world! And lastly, the map inside of it is absolutely gorgeous! I highly suggest looking it up. 🙂

-Jen