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Monday, August 14, 2017

Roar by Cora Carmack ARC Review

Format: Paperback ARC
Publisher: Tor Teen/Macmillan
Pub. Date: June 13th, 2017
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
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.


It's been a long time since I made it through a book past my DNF point (the first 25% of a book) and wanted to rate it lower than four stars. While I enjoyed reading Roar—it has solid world building, a unique magical element, and decent writing—I found myself bored through several sections, struggling with my feelings towards the main character, and all of the characters in general. It just sadly wasn't one of my favorite books or one that I would readily recommend. 


Basically, it was okay, and  I don't regret reading it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have finished it. While reading, I felt like a casual observer as opposed to being thrust into the thick of things—I was emotionally unattached for the most part. Whether someone lived or died, I couldn't care less. I was just curious to see what it was all leading up to, but in the end, that didn't even end up being revealed in this book. Though I am kind of curious to see what's in store for this series since it seemed as if this book was setting up for what was to come, reading the sequel won't be a top priority for me.

1) First, I have to admit that when I found out that this book was going to be about storm powers, I was totally expecting the main character to be like this:


Sadly, there were no moments like that BUT Carmack does put a new spin on this type of magic. In this story, the people in power need magic in order to protect their people from different types of storms that ravage the lands. The way these powers are manipulated and controlled was a breath of fresh air—literally.  I don't want to give away too much but I enjoyed the personality of the different elements. You'll just have to read the book to find out what I mean by that ;)

2) The world-building was very detailed with a lot of different types of people and cultures. I could almost hear the different languages in my ears and feel as if I was walking alongside Aurora. Everything was incredibly well described. I liked learning about the different cultures and religions in this book.

3) I initially fell for the guy with villainous intent. The last time this happened to me was when I was reading Shadow and Bone—before it was revealed that The Darkling was the bad guy. Cora Carmack made me doubt my own warning bells—which is extremely impressive—since I usually fall for the brooding, "nice" guy. And yet, I had more feelings towards the malevolent guy than the actual love interest here.


4) For the whole story, I felt like the book was leading up to this big climatic moment and honestly, it was extremely unsatisfying in the end. It didn't feel climactic in the slightest and there were no trace of shock or awe. When I reached it, it was more like, "Oh, that's it? Okay." It's possible that this big pivotal moment is to come in the sequels but after reading this entire book, I wanted some gratification but nope, I didn't get any.



1) I've never been a fan of the I'm-going-to-lie-because-it's-for-the-best-but-it's-actually-the-biggest-mistake-I-could-possibly-make. I've seen this time and time again as a plot device and it's extremely frustrating since you know that the lies are going to come out eventually, because why else put it in the story? And 99% percent of the time, it's not for the best. It's just something the author puts in to help add tension to the plot, and in this case—unsuccessfully, in my opinion. If you're going to lie about something huge, at least make the stakes high and give me some reason to understand why you're stupidly lying. 

2) You guys know how much I love my ships. All it takes is one fleeting moment of intense chemistry between two characters, and this is me:


But in this case, it just seemed like instalove to me, especially on the male love interest's side. I couldn't make sense of why he instantly wanted to help the female lead or how he fell for her so hard. Their relationship developed too quickly, I didn't see or feel enough of their affections for me to buy into it. 

3) The middle section of the plot dragged. It was while the characters were traveling across the country, and usually these types of scenes are pretty boring for me. Hence why I could never make it all the way through the Lord of the Rings trilogy. 


4) Roar's initial spunk fizzles out after the first 25% of the book. At first, I was on her side but as the story went on, she became more blah. By the middle of the book, I didn't care about her at all and was annoyed during her sections of the book.




42 comments:

  1. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this book and I really trust my fellow-bloggers on that..
    Not gonna read this one, since I'm SLUMPED!
    Thanks for the honest review :)

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    1. I'm sorry that you're in a reading slump! I hope it ends soon. But definitely skip on this one haha.

      Thanks for stopping by~

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  2. Sad that you didn't like the book much, I haven't had a chance to read it yet---but on the bright side, you brought your GIF A-game for this review! xD Have a great week, lovely.

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    1. Me too! It was one of my most anticipated ones too.

      I always bring my GIF game haha.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Sorry to hear you didn't love this Brittany! I wasn't planning to read it after seeing some things about how it has an abusive relationship and this review just further reinforces that. It sounds interesting but I think it's one of those where it is just too underwhelming :(

    Thanks anyway!

    xx Anisha @ Sprinkled Pages

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    1. That's okay, you can't love them all, right? I'd definitely pass on this one, the romance was just bad anyway you look at it.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy this one. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews for it. The cover caught my eye on Goodreads months ago and I added it to my TBR, but I've been dragging my feet with picking it up after seeing so many negative reviews. I think I'll hold off for a while. I hope you enjoy your next read much more!

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    1. The cover is gorgeous which is why it's such a shame that I didn't love this one. Probably better to hold off until you can shrug off all the negativity and start it with only your thoughts.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. I was recently gifted a copy of this book, and after reading so many negative reviews I'm not sure if I want to try reading it at all. Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this one, hopefully your next read is a lot better, and actually has a spunky main character that retains her spunk throughout the whole book.
    Aneta @ Angelic Book Reviews 

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    1. Maybe you can exchange the book? I've read several other books since I read this one that were great. I'll be getting those reviews out soon!

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. Ugh. This one's on my shelf--way way way down on my TBR list. Maybe I'll let my daughter test it first. Thanks for the honest review.

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    1. Good idea, let your daughter suffer through it haha. Thank you for stopping by!

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  7. Ugh I'm so sorry this was disappointing for you, Brittany :( I've really been looking to it, but I've heard bad things about Roar and the romance. Looks like the kind of book you either like or you don't.

    Hope you get to read a wonderful book next!
    Great review :)

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    1. It's okay, there are plenty of other books out there for us to love!

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  8. Ah, no favorite quotes?! This doesn't really sound like a book for me after seeing all the reviews. The middle traveling part would bore me too! I hate the whole "I'm lying for the greater good but not actually" plot. Like really? Really?? No thanks! :D

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    1. Nope, not a single one. I tried!

      Yeah, that plot device just needs to die haha.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. Ugh this dose sound like such a disappointment! I read a few reviews that weren't pleased with the romance at all, so like I'm not really keen to try it.😂 Also sooo disappointing when the narrators lose their spunk! And the "I'm lying but for a good cause but it'll ruin our relationship" trope is really old and tired and needs...a 900 year nap tbh.

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    1. Yeah, there are a lot of negative reviews out there about this one, unfortunately I didn't read any of those before I picked this one up last year.

      This trope needs to just die haha

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this one. I've been debating trying it; however, from what I've seen, I just don't think I'll like it. Instalove is never something I really enjoy. I need that well developed, chemistry filled relationship. Great review! :)

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    1. I definitely wouldn't recommend it, obviously haha. For me, if a relationship is not well-developed then I can't feel it, if I can't feel it, then I can't ship it, AND I NEED TO SHIP IT.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. Is it bad that I love your negative reviews Brittany? Because I do. Haha. I didn't like this one either. I wanted to love the "Darkling-esque" character more, but I just couldn't care about him. That was me with all the characters actually, Roar's identity crises were annoying. I don't even remember the climax!

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    1. Of course not haha. I'm glad you like any of my reviews. It seems to me that this is a very unpopular title. And I don't even remember what the climax was (I read this late last year and I'm just posting my review now xD).

      Thankfully there are many other great books out there for us to read!

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  12. Yeah I've heard a lot of bad things about this one which is such a shame because I've also heard a lot of good about the magic system. Great review!

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    1. The magic system was very unique, unfortunately the characters and the plot weren't.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. I am so torn on my feelings about this book! Because honestly? I agree with most of what you said here! I think I definitely wanted to like it more than I did? I didn't dislike it, I suppose, and I might read the next book- though like you, it won't be a huge priority. Like, when I try to remember what I DID like... I come up mostly empty, though I can relate to ALL the negatives. Fabulous review, and sorry it didn't work out for you so well either!

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    1. I went back and forth on my rating of this book but it was between 2 and 2.5 out of 5. I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately, I didn't. And the more I think back on this book, the harder it is for me to think of the positives (I read this at the end of last year). Oh well.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  14. OMG YOUR QUOTE GIF KILLED ME. Thanks for this awesome review Brittany! I've been eagerly anticipating it since seeing your less than stellar review on GR. I'm sorry this wasn't a hit for you :'( But hopefully book 2 will be better as Carmack's writing grows more? I know this was her first fantasy novel. I actually enjoyed the romance until it was pointed out how toxic it was (smh @ me for not seeing it while reading) but the world and powers completely captured me. So we'll see how the series continues!

    - Aila @ One Way Or An Author

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    1. I think this was also her first YA novel and yeah I didn't realize how toxic the romance was until after I thought about it more (I wrote this review last year). Hopefully the next one is better!

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  15. I have yet to read a Carmack novel and I have seen some mixed reviews for this one. I am sorry that it wasn't enjoyable for you. I hope that your next read is amazing! :)

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    1. It's okay, there are more books for me out there. Plus I read this last year and I'm just posting the review now haha so I've had many great reads since this one.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  16. I did enjoy this book, but I definitely agree with everything you said. I think I liked the "bad" guy better too. While I was reading it, I kept feeling like he could be redeemed somehow, but I feel like Locke is basically just a d-bag. I hope that the second book is better because I am actually kind of looking forward to it. Haha. Sorry you didn't enjoy it! Hopefully your next book is better! :)

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    1. I never like the "bad" guy more and I also feel like he has room for redemption. I hope you enjoy book 2!

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  17. I Totally agree with everything you said above! And omg I also fell immediately for Cassius he had a much much stronger introduction than Locke! Awesome review!
    Kariny @Kariny's Book Frenzy

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    1. Right? Cassius was a much more complex and interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed my review, thanks for stopping by!

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  18. Ah, so sorry to hear it didn't do what you'd hoped :-( But I totally agree with your number 1 dislike, it's one of my biggest irritations, even though it is done so much in just about every book or movie. I will keep this on my TBR, but since I didn't receive an early reader copy of it, it will have to wait until I'm in the mood for it. Good review!

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    1. I hope you enjoy this one more than I did! And as for my first dislike, I'm so sick of this device... I could get over it if it actually made sense to lie but that's so rare.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  19. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews for this one which is disappointing because it sounded so good. Great review!

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    1. Yeah there is a lot of hit and miss with this one. Thanks for stopping by!

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  20. Aw, lovely review Brittany. <3 Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this one. I'm so sorry you didn't like it much at all :\ Uuugh. Romance sounds weird. And I also do not like that whole lying thing in books. It's no fun to read about at all. Aw. Not sure this book would be for me either. It do look gorgeous, though :)

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    1. Thank you! You can't love them all and this one just wasn't for me but the cover is fab. If you ever do read it, I'd be curious to read your thoughts on it!

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  21. Awww, when I first read the summary of this book I thought it looked really good! Sad to hear you didn't love it though. I understand about the insta love thing, I used to be able to read books like that but now it just isn't enough for me! It may have something to do with the rational side of my brain being like... wait, how r u two in love? You met like 5 seconds ago!

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  22. THANK YOU! This basically summed up my feelings about ROAR, its getting so many good reviews and I'm the odd one out that simply didn't get the hype at all. And I agree about the love interest, didn't go the way I thought it go. Great review!

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