War Storm Review

Title: War Storm
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher Info / Release: Harper Collins / May 15, 2018
Source: Personal Purchase from Target
Rating: 3.5 / 5 *’s
Synopsis:

VICTORY COMES AT A PRICE.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all . . . starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolish everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power . . . for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

If you have not read this series, there may be spoilers! Tread carefully 🙂

I’m going to be honest with you guys…there isn’t going to be an easy way for me to write this review. So! I’m going to do a pro / con list then a few statements because…I was slightly upset once I finished it. With that in mind, lets get to it!

Pros:

• Very descriptive writing
• Beautiful world building
• Well thought out battles – and a good bit of them too!
• A conclusion to the Mare, Cal, Maven triangle that’s been going on the entire series
• Evangeline is kind of a badass and you get to see her kind of step up to everyone around her and show them what she’s made of
• Cal has a lot of growth throughout the book and it makes my heart swoon
• Learn more about the former queen and her reign, Cal’s mother
• And you get to see a good bit of teamwork between many people

Cons:

• Drawn out heartache
• The villainization of Cal – again…
• People turning their backs on one another (obviously, conflict is needed but some of it seemed unnesscary)
• A somewhat unresolved ending (in my opinion) between important characters

There were a lot more pros than cons. I haven’t been in love with the series but I felt invested by the time War Storm came out. I obviously needed to see how things would pan out between Mare, Cal and Maven because it’s been the trio since the beginning. But mostly I wanted to see if the relationship between Cal and Mare would be fixed. The ending battle was intense but done very well – actually all of the battles were and the details were fantastic.

I wish there was more for me to say but ultimately, I was upset by the ending. It felt slightly abrupt and leaves you hanging on what could happen in the future. It’s not the first series that I felt that didn’t have a well rounded ending but this one didn’t feel like a happy one. I would feel better if a novella was following that gave more closure but I don’t think that will happen.

I’ll recommend this if you want something that resembles the Hunger Games but I can’t put it on a “must read” kind of list. However, I would say if you want to follow the development of one of my favorite characters, Cal, then I would say that part is worth it. If you’ve read this, let me know below what you thought about it!