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mastersal's review against another edition
2.0
Rating 2.5 stars
The decision to binge both books in the duology in one month may have been a bad idea. Ah well …
After the lovely surprise of Book 1, perhaps my expectations from this book were too high because it kind of crashed. Didn’t exactly burn - it was ok I guess - but didn’t really follow through on some of the set up from to E previous book IMO.
The scale of this book was much larger - with a rebellion / war to save the kingdom etc - which meant the laser light show magic system got on my nerves a lot more. Too many last minute magic introduced for me to really be invested in the actual war. Even when Dragon Ball Z does it I am not always a fan - but at least there is screaming there. Lesson learnt - shouting in necessary if you’re going to Super Saiyan your characters.
Then there were some odd structural choices in the plot which left me scratching my head -
I suppose I get the decision because it was supposed to add angst but it kind of left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I think that may have been my biggest problem with the book. It gets pretty dark in this book - torture, casual mention of assault, death etc etc. It wasn’t the tone I was expecting from book 1 and not one that I think worked for the YA nature of the book. This needed to be aged up or kept more fun adventure. Most of the angst came across as navel gazing to me than actual conflict and dread.
It also left me wondering if I would give this to a young reader - but what do I know? But please see trigger warning for this book in case.
About 245 pages into the book I wasn’t really invested in the characters of the plot. It was fine - nothing that really made me want to DNF but it wasn’t fast enough in terms of the plot to keep me turning the page either. The last bit of the book gets better but it too long for me to give it a pass.
For transparency I was sick while reading this so that may have impacted my enjoyment. Going with 2.5 stars as it was fine - I kept reading and theoretically like what happened.
The pacing issue and some of the plot choices kept this book from being more successful for me. The expansion in scale was a bad idea in my mind but then I am a old fogey to take this with a pinch of salt.
Side note - the Star Warrior is a pretty dumb title and the constant use of it made me grit my teeth.
The decision to binge both books in the duology in one month may have been a bad idea. Ah well …
After the lovely surprise of Book 1, perhaps my expectations from this book were too high because it kind of crashed. Didn’t exactly burn - it was ok I guess - but didn’t really follow through on some of the set up from to E previous book IMO.
The scale of this book was much larger - with a rebellion / war to save the kingdom etc - which meant the laser light show magic system got on my nerves a lot more. Too many last minute magic introduced for me to really be invested in the actual war. Even when Dragon Ball Z does it I am not always a fan - but at least there is screaming there. Lesson learnt - shouting in necessary if you’re going to Super Saiyan your characters.
Then there were some odd structural choices in the plot which left me scratching my head -
Spoiler
Gul and Cavas are separated pretty early on in the book when he gets captured. For all the fuss made about how they are true mates and what not and how their powers combine to form Captain Planet - oops wrong series - this decision made all of that the character growth moot.I suppose I get the decision because it was supposed to add angst but it kind of left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I think that may have been my biggest problem with the book. It gets pretty dark in this book - torture, casual mention of assault, death etc etc. It wasn’t the tone I was expecting from book 1 and not one that I think worked for the YA nature of the book. This needed to be aged up or kept more fun adventure. Most of the angst came across as navel gazing to me than actual conflict and dread.
It also left me wondering if I would give this to a young reader - but what do I know? But please see trigger warning for this book in case.
About 245 pages into the book I wasn’t really invested in the characters of the plot. It was fine - nothing that really made me want to DNF but it wasn’t fast enough in terms of the plot to keep me turning the page either. The last bit of the book gets better but it too long for me to give it a pass.
For transparency I was sick while reading this so that may have impacted my enjoyment. Going with 2.5 stars as it was fine - I kept reading and theoretically like what happened.
The pacing issue and some of the plot choices kept this book from being more successful for me. The expansion in scale was a bad idea in my mind but then I am a old fogey to take this with a pinch of salt.
Side note - the Star Warrior is a pretty dumb title and the constant use of it made me grit my teeth.
tamarasbff's review
5.0
A rich and riveting follow-up to HUNTED BY THE SKY.
RISING LIKE A STORM is full of darkness--war, tyranny, torture--and yet I found it compellingly optimistic. The story reminded me why tyranny, though cruel and devastating for a time, cannot last.
RISING LIKE A STORM is full of darkness--war, tyranny, torture--and yet I found it compellingly optimistic. The story reminded me why tyranny, though cruel and devastating for a time, cannot last.
worldsunlikeourown's review
4.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
With the usurper Queen Shyla on Ambar’s throne, Gul and Cavas are fugitives wanted for the death of King Lohar. But Gul finds out that the connection between her and Cavas is more than it appears – he is fated to be her partner in magic and love, and this may be just what they need to save Ambar. She must learn to use her magic and get it under control, but when Cavas is taken prisoner, she must also train an army of warriors alone for the fast approaching conflict.
I read Hunted By The Sky over a year ago, and remembered very little of what happened which made it harder than usual to get into the mood of the story. This book starts a few months later, unfortunately, and there were very few reminders of where the story had left things in the first book in terms of the plot, so it took a few chapters before things started to make sense again. Most of the world and background was familiar however, and I enjoyed the additional history and lore that built upon it. The writing was really good and it made visualizing the story easy, particularly the battle scenes, which made for some exciting, action-packed moments.
Gul and Cavas almost felt like brand new characters at first, since I’d forgotten so much, but within a couple of chapters that familiar dynamic between the two was back. The author did a great job aptly capturing the rollercoaster of emotions these two characters go through as where Gul fears using her magic and hurting innocents, Cavas now thirsts for revenge, in the exact position Gul was previously. I really liked both their arcs and there was a lot more depth to the characters this time, and that includes the side characters as well. The romance was much better done in this book as well.
Similar to the first book, the pacing definitely continued to be an issue. There are initially long stretches of training montages which were rather boring after the first few as were the repeated internal dialogues of the characters, as they question each other’s devotion by turn. But the story does hit a turning point eventually after which it was quite the adventure, picking up the pace and drawing the reader completely into the plot. I was a little disappointed that this second book also focused on Ambar as I would have liked to know more about the other kingdoms mentioned.
Overall, this was a pretty good sequel and this is a series I would definitely recommend for fantasy fans, though I would suggest that the books are best read close together. I’m excited to see what this author will write next!
Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
With the usurper Queen Shyla on Ambar’s throne, Gul and Cavas are fugitives wanted for the death of King Lohar. But Gul finds out that the connection between her and Cavas is more than it appears – he is fated to be her partner in magic and love, and this may be just what they need to save Ambar. She must learn to use her magic and get it under control, but when Cavas is taken prisoner, she must also train an army of warriors alone for the fast approaching conflict.
I read Hunted By The Sky over a year ago, and remembered very little of what happened which made it harder than usual to get into the mood of the story. This book starts a few months later, unfortunately, and there were very few reminders of where the story had left things in the first book in terms of the plot, so it took a few chapters before things started to make sense again. Most of the world and background was familiar however, and I enjoyed the additional history and lore that built upon it. The writing was really good and it made visualizing the story easy, particularly the battle scenes, which made for some exciting, action-packed moments.
Gul and Cavas almost felt like brand new characters at first, since I’d forgotten so much, but within a couple of chapters that familiar dynamic between the two was back. The author did a great job aptly capturing the rollercoaster of emotions these two characters go through as where Gul fears using her magic and hurting innocents, Cavas now thirsts for revenge, in the exact position Gul was previously. I really liked both their arcs and there was a lot more depth to the characters this time, and that includes the side characters as well. The romance was much better done in this book as well.
Similar to the first book, the pacing definitely continued to be an issue. There are initially long stretches of training montages which were rather boring after the first few as were the repeated internal dialogues of the characters, as they question each other’s devotion by turn. But the story does hit a turning point eventually after which it was quite the adventure, picking up the pace and drawing the reader completely into the plot. I was a little disappointed that this second book also focused on Ambar as I would have liked to know more about the other kingdoms mentioned.
Overall, this was a pretty good sequel and this is a series I would definitely recommend for fantasy fans, though I would suggest that the books are best read close together. I’m excited to see what this author will write next!
maddiebills's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lmwrites's review
4.0
Half a star better than the first book, but that's not an option, so I've rounded up to 4 stars. I love the parallel plots between Gul and Cavas -- not a fan of Shayla being purely predatory in most of the books and then RLAS trying to make it "but not really, just people thinking it". Still, I love the story!
per_fictionist's review
5.0
Rising like a storm, the second and final installment to the 'Wrath of Ambar' duology, as you might have guessed is just about perfect as the first book was if not more!
If Hunted by the Sky, made your desi hearts flutter with excitement, it's companion sequel leaves you craving for more
If Hunted by the Sky, made your desi hearts flutter with excitement, it's companion sequel leaves you craving for more
hanaslayyer's review
4.0
I wish the author had given us more insight into the characters after everything they have been through trying to get the rightful heir in the throne.
But I loved it! I related to Cavas way more than Gul… is that a bad thing haha.
I look forward to the future works of the author.
But I loved it! I related to Cavas way more than Gul… is that a bad thing haha.
I look forward to the future works of the author.
rebekahentz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.25
bellalang's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
louielouie24's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Violence