A review by hannahsophialin
Storm Fall by Tracy Banghart
3.0
I must've had really bad timing on my part – by the time I scheduled my review for Shattered Veil in August, Alloy Entertainment had swept up the book and changed it to Rebel Wing.
It was honestly not a bad thing if you ask me – Rebel Wing definitely fits with the storyline more than Shattered Veil does. Coming from the late person who decided not to read the newer version of Shattered Veil, those who choose to do the same when reading Storm Fall will definitely have no need to backtrack as Banghart doesn't stray far from the storyline.
In other words, there are a few spoilers from the original... and footnotes. I never thought I would actually use them.
Storm Fall starts approximately a year after the events of Shattered Veil(1), after the Ward of Ruslana (Galena Vadim) is rescued by Aris Haan and her companions (consisting of males and of course, a few females disguised as men) from the horrendous hands of Elom(2). After some return to normalcy, Aris Haan is offered to return to her former stationpoint as not only a woman, but also a promotion to lieutenant.
The second book in the Diatous Wars series isn't my favorite though (I think I may have mentioned I was excited to see what happens in my review for Shattered Veil, but I'm not sure). I love how Aris changes from a girl who went with a "perfect" life behind the front lines to a girl who could stand for herself and go for the adventurous life of a flyer that she so desired. I love how Dysis sticks up for Aris even though she has her own worries and conflicts. But for a few various reasons, Shattered Veil's(3) sequel seemed to have lost a bit of the spark compared to its predecessor. In fact, I personally think the first book is better than this latest installment.
The dominion of Atalanta are briefly touched on, as well as Safara. Atalanta and the other cities that have been touched on books 1, 2 or both seem to be bustling while Safara seems to be resemble the likeliness of a mashup between a forest and Africa. It's almost hard to tell.
There are also multiple views – Galena, Pyralis, Dysis, and Aris – with no particular pattern throughout the book. That, however, did not bother me as much the number of romantic relationships that the author seems to be implying throughout Storm Fall: Galena and Pyralis, Dysis and Daakon, Aris and Milek.
The plot, while not entirely focused on romance, is beginning to seem focused on romance. With the grim events throughout the book, the happiness of the characters (admit it. Disney movies were the epitome of childhood) is almost welcome. But hope may be lost if the next book focuses too much on romantic relationships. I seriously can't keep up with all of those, even if it's less than the amount of information I stuff in my head every week.
Though the next book in the series probably won't be very appealing, I may consider it with the way Banghart ended Storm Fall with an unexpected cliffhanger.
Footnotes!
1. The last scene/chapter in Shattered Veil is very similar to the very beginning of Storm Fall. It was not mentioned in Shattered Veil if the same scene occurred after a year, and it is a possibility this particular scene is removed in Rebel Wing or touched on very briefly at the end.
2. Back in the original version, Elom is called Ilom.
3. Because Shattered Veil most likely changed and the newer version was not read prior to Storm Fall, any references to the first book will be used with the old title.
---------------
Advanced copy provided by the publisher for review
Original Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Original Review on Bookwyrming Thoughts
It was honestly not a bad thing if you ask me – Rebel Wing definitely fits with the storyline more than Shattered Veil does. Coming from the late person who decided not to read the newer version of Shattered Veil, those who choose to do the same when reading Storm Fall will definitely have no need to backtrack as Banghart doesn't stray far from the storyline.
In other words, there are a few spoilers from the original... and footnotes. I never thought I would actually use them.
Storm Fall starts approximately a year after the events of Shattered Veil(1), after the Ward of Ruslana (Galena Vadim) is rescued by Aris Haan and her companions (consisting of males and of course, a few females disguised as men) from the horrendous hands of Elom(2). After some return to normalcy, Aris Haan is offered to return to her former stationpoint as not only a woman, but also a promotion to lieutenant.
The second book in the Diatous Wars series isn't my favorite though (I think I may have mentioned I was excited to see what happens in my review for Shattered Veil, but I'm not sure). I love how Aris changes from a girl who went with a "perfect" life behind the front lines to a girl who could stand for herself and go for the adventurous life of a flyer that she so desired. I love how Dysis sticks up for Aris even though she has her own worries and conflicts. But for a few various reasons, Shattered Veil's(3) sequel seemed to have lost a bit of the spark compared to its predecessor. In fact, I personally think the first book is better than this latest installment.
The dominion of Atalanta are briefly touched on, as well as Safara. Atalanta and the other cities that have been touched on books 1, 2 or both seem to be bustling while Safara seems to be resemble the likeliness of a mashup between a forest and Africa. It's almost hard to tell.
There are also multiple views – Galena, Pyralis, Dysis, and Aris – with no particular pattern throughout the book. That, however, did not bother me as much the number of romantic relationships that the author seems to be implying throughout Storm Fall: Galena and Pyralis, Dysis and Daakon, Aris and Milek.
The plot, while not entirely focused on romance, is beginning to seem focused on romance. With the grim events throughout the book, the happiness of the characters (admit it. Disney movies were the epitome of childhood) is almost welcome.
Spoiler
If the characters aren't drunk, have a one-night stand in the midst of grief and then one of them gets fantastically killed.Though the next book in the series probably won't be very appealing, I may consider it with the way Banghart ended Storm Fall with an unexpected cliffhanger.
We did what we did. None of us get to choose how our story ends. But they do end, always.
Footnotes!
1. The last scene/chapter in Shattered Veil is very similar to the very beginning of Storm Fall. It was not mentioned in Shattered Veil if the same scene occurred after a year, and it is a possibility this particular scene is removed in Rebel Wing or touched on very briefly at the end.
2. Back in the original version, Elom is called Ilom.
3. Because Shattered Veil most likely changed and the newer version was not read prior to Storm Fall, any references to the first book will be used with the old title.
---------------
Advanced copy provided by the publisher for review
Original Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Original Review on Bookwyrming Thoughts