Duty or freedom.
Her Kingdom or the Stormhunter she loves.
If Aurora knows anything, it's that choices have consequences. To set things right, she joins a growing revolution on the streets of Pavan.
In disguise as the rebel Roar, she puts her knowledge of the palace to use to aid the rebellion. But the Rage season is at its peak and not a day passes without the skies raining down destruction. Yet these storms are different—they churn with darkness, and attack with a will that’s desperate and violent.
This feels like more than rage.
It feels like war.
π
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.
I was really looking forward to reading Rage, but I almost gave up on it a few times. Skimming ahead piqued my curiosity, but just barely. I think my biggest issue was that nothing really happened. The story progresses, but there was a lot more adventure and excitement in the first book. Roar had been willing to go outside of her comfort zone and risk her life for knowledge and answers. In this book, Roar felt more timid and unsure of herself, and her self-deprecation really got on my nerves.
"Aurora was no general in an army, nor was she a leader of a rebellion. She was a princess--a naΓ―ve and defective one at that. How had she ever thought she could make a difference? Could do any of this?"
Roar does this a lot. She'll pretend to be assertive and tough to get what she wants, but then she worries about every decision she makes, constantly second-guessing herself and what kind of person she is. She was also stupid and unbelievably selfish, which really made me want to stop reading. Do you remember her secret from the first book? The one she kept promising to share with the others? It takes over 100 pages before she actually confesses the truth to her friends. Why? Because she didn't think they would help her if they knew the truth, and she wanted them committed to the task so they couldn't back out once she told them.
"Goddess, she was selfish. If she had any honor, she would tell them right here, right now and let them leave before they got involved any further. But the greedy part of her was not going to make it any easier for Kiran to leave her."
That's not love! She was using Kiran and her found family, her friends, for what they could offer her. She wanted their skills and abilities on her side so she wouldn't feel alone. She didn't even give them a chance to make up their minds for themselves. She should have trusted them enough to tell them the truth instead of blindly leading them into danger. Yes, she admitted to being selfish, and to wanting to keep Kiran close, but it was shady and manipulative. I thought she was trying to be better than the other Stormlings? She used people to her advantage, and then wanted them to feel sorry for her when she inevitably felt guilty and wanted to cry. Honestly, I think her tears were just another form of manipulation.
Some of the story felt repetitive, but it could also be my review copy, so it doesn't count towards my rating. It was mostly when Kiran couldn't decide how he felt about Roar after she tells him her secret. He was torn and conflicted, which is understandable, but he repeats his thoughts often. His reasons for keeping his distance also didn't feel believable to me, so it was hard to forgive his actions. If I were him, I would've been more upset about her lying and withholding information, not the secret itself. He also kept making decisions for Roar, instead of just asking her what she thought. If he'd just asked her what she wanted and why, they would have avoided a lot of hurt feelings and sleepless nights.
There's a sentence in this book that really bothered me: "Aurora's cheeks flushed, recalling just how adult he had made her feel the night before." Having sex shouldn't be what made her finally feel like an adult. She's a princess that abandoned her people for mostly selfish reasons. Yes, she was trying to escape an evil family and a marriage she didn't want, but she also wanted to find answers for herself. She traveled through dangerous lands with strangers, and accumulated the information and skills she would need to better help others. She survived countless obstacles with her new crew, yet sex is what finally made her feel like a grown up, ugh.
Additionally, Roar thinks Cassian is obsessed with her. How conceited of you, darling. She often talks about his obsession, and why her poor choices wouldn't spell disaster for everyone, because he wanted her so much. She risked countless lives because of a hunch that was based on nothing. Yes, Cassius did look for her when she left, because he thought she'd been kidnapped, and he's not a completely despicable person. He is trying to keep the people safe in his own way, and he's by no means a nice person, but he's not deplorable. He's the product of brutality, fear, and a lack of love. He felt a connection to Roar, sure, but I never felt like he was obsessed with her. He had his own reasons for wanting the marriage, and it wasn't simply because he was dying to have her by his side. He was weird about some things, but I think that said more about him than her.
I really wanted to know more about the secondary characters, too. Zephyr, Sly, Jinx, Ransom, Duke, Bait, Novaya, and even Cassius. I feel like they have the potential to be complex and independent characters, but they move through the story like a blob. No one really sticks out, and I don't feel like we learn anything new about them during this book (with the exception of Nova). Also, the flashbacks or whatever were weird, even though I understood their purpose. I wish they had shed more light on a certain someone, but really they just pulled me away from the rest of the story.
A lot of aspects about this book really rubbed me the wrong way, and I'm not sure if I'll continue the series. It doesn't feel like anything really happened in this book, and Roar was just incredibly frustrating. If she wasn't pushing thoughts aside to dwell on later, she was wallowing in self-pity and whatever else. I'm also not a fan of how this one ended, although I shouldn't be surprised after the cliffhanger we're left with at the end of the first book.
Oh boy, this one sounds like it suffered from a serious case of second book syndrome. With very little happening, and the main character changing so much and feeling much less confident and assertive, that's pretty disappointing. Sorry this one didn't hold up to the first one.
ReplyDeleteI was bummed when it didn't work out! I really liked the first book and the characters, but everything felt different in this one. I had a hard time picking the story back up, and almost re-read the ending of the first book to jog my memory. However, the way the first book ends, doesn't really jive with where this one starts. Some of the details were different, and I struggled to find my groove within the story. On top of that, I felt like we were going in circles and not really moving anywhere at all. :(
DeleteOh no, I thought this would be better! Idk if I'd read it. I'd have to read Roar first since I don't remember much of it. But Roar sounds terrible in this book, my goodness. I'd get so pissed off by her.
ReplyDeleteGenesis @ Whispering Chapters
I skimmed recaps for Roar after I started Rage, because I had a hard time falling back into the story. I had forgotten details about the characters, and couldn't really tell them apart. Roar was frustrating in the first book, but it was soooo much worse in this one.
DeleteI think everything you had a problem with was valid. If a book is boring or just not moving along and I feel like nothing is happening then I probably wouldn't like it much either.
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of adventure and character growth in the first book, but both the story and the people felt stagnant in this one. :(
DeleteYES YES YES to all of this! I am sorry that I essentially encouraged you to continue the book on twitter. Honestly? I read the book almost 2 months ago and am still pissed off about it. My friend Jess and I think the book is supposed to piss us off, because it made us both rage so hard. My biggest pet peeve is tension and conflict caused by lack of communication, and I think I was doomed with this one. By the time she finally told the secret, I was so mad the rest of the book didn't stand a chance. And then Kiran's response was so... weird. Like he was mad and that was valid, but then was at the hideout like a day later? IDEK. It felt like Cora wanted Roar to go through a lot of trials and suffer through the book, but none of it felt organic to me.
ReplyDeleteDefinition of Middle Book Syndrome, for sure. I am actually interested to see where the story goes after the ending, but I am so disappointed with this installment I am not sure that I want to continue either. Which sucks because I am on the street team and was planning on going to the signing for this book... and now I don't know if I even want to own a copy.
Interestingly enough, my review went up today as well. And my friend texted me with her signing number and asked if I am going. WOMP WOMP
Right?? Roar kept telling us how much she's grown/changed since leaving her home, but I would have rather been shown instead of told. Roar thought she could overcome any obstacle because she did this and that, but then she'd be terrified of trying, or regretting her decisions almost as soon as she made them. It was so frustrating! I disliked almost everything about Roar in this book.
DeleteHah! You did make me think I should keep reading, because you said it got better at the end, but at that point I no longer cared. I was still too frustrated with everything that had happened leading up to that point. You think the author's intention was to upset everyone? That seems like a poor tactic... ;)
Yes!! The lack of communication was maddening!! I dealt with her dishonesty in the last book, and I was hoping her secret would be revealed early on in this one. WRONG. It took her forever to finally share her secrets, and it was only when she had everyone else right where she wanted them. She didn't want to make it easy for him to leave?! What is this nonsense? He had a right to know, they all did, before she drug them into the middle of war that wasn't theirs. Kiren's response wasn't believable at all. He was hurt and angry, okay, but then he was totally there for her anyways?? Where was his internal conflict?? Mostly it was just him trying to keep his hands to himself, because he didn't think they would work now. WHAT ABOUT THE LYING ITSELF?? OR THE DANGER SHE WILLINGLY HID FROM HIM AND HIS FAMILY?? There were plenty of other things for him to be upset about. Even Sly disappointed me with her reaction.
Truth. Roar's "trials" and her "suffering" didn't feel organic at all. Even at the end when she's with the Stormlord… I didn't really feel bad for her. Yes, her situation sucked, but I didn't have sympathy for her as Roar. I felt bad for her as a person going through something terrible, just like with the Remnants outside of the walls.
I don't know if I can bring myself to read the next book... her latest acquisition felt weird to me, too. Surely there had to be another way around that? Also, why was that what he wanted her to do first? Nothing made sense!!
Good luck figuring out what you want to do! I met the author last year and had her sign my copy of Roar that I'd won previously, but I'm considering offering up both now. I held on to the first book hoping the second one would be better, and provide more answers. It didn't.
Yikes! I read the first book and very much disliked it and it sounds like this second book just isn't any better. I'm sorry you were so let down. I hate when it seems like nothing happen in fantasy novels. I hope whatever you read next is better!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the first book! I liked the idea of storms being sentient, and how they were souls at their core. It was a really interesting concept. I thought the storm hunters were fascinating, and enjoyed learning about how they fought against them and captured their hearts. Roar's time in the Wildlands felt like an adventure, even if I didn't always like her. I couldn't relate to her choices, and the fact that she put people in danger because she was too selfish to tell them the trust. I understand why she would keep it a secret at first, but not once they became like a second family to her.
DeleteThe second book was just more of the things I didn't like about the first!
DeleteIt's so disappointing when a books doesn't live up to your expectations and the issues you've mentioned here, Lindsi would drive me insane! I can't believe you're actually considering continuing with the series, I doubt I would have read this one after the first book fell short. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you read a great book next. x
"...and I'm not sure if I'll continue the series." As of right now, I have no plans to read the next book. However, sometimes books/authors can surprise you. I'll likely wait until a few people I trust have read/reviewed the final book and go from there. ;)
DeleteThe first book was interesting, and I really enjoyed the overall concept. The only thing I really disliked about the first book was the ending. I don't like cliffhangers! I also don't like secrets, which is what this series seems to revolve around.
I remember a lot of people disliking the first book so I never bothered. Guess that was the right move for me.
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
I was super bummed, because I put off re-reading ACOTAR until I'd finished all my August ARCs. ;)
DeleteI'm sorry to hear this one didn't work out for you. The story looks interesting, but based on your comments, I don't think I'd enjoy this one either.
ReplyDeleteAurora/Roar didn't grow as a character this book. If anything, she went back to how she was before all of her adventures in the first book. It was a huge disappointment. Especially when the story itself felt stuck on a loop. :/
DeleteOh, darn! I really liked the first book. It's been so long since I read it, though, that I'm afraid the momentum will be lost. And now I'm not all that excited to pick this one up. Maybe I should just wait until book three is out.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Same! I had a lot of trouble finding my rhythm with this story, and I had forgotten a lot of details about the characters. The author didn't really repeat any information, so it took awhile for me to get the gist of the story, and by then I really disliked Roar. I don't know if I'll read the third book, tbh. It was just...meh for me. The cliffhanger ending wasn't even that upsetting, because I had stopped caring by that point. :/
DeleteAh this sucks! I was debating reading Roar but I held off as I knew there'd been a lengthy wait on book two due to Cormack's health. Now that Rage was coming I was gearing up but now I'm second guessing... As Nicole says, I may wait for book three and see what the feedback is before committing.
ReplyDeleteMaybe wait for the audio? I honestly don't know what to recommend. Library? I really enjoyed the overall concept, but this book really fell flat for me. I don't do well with stories that have an unlikable main character. Roar grew so much in the first book, and I felt like she lost all of that progress in this one. It was super disappointing. I look forward to seeing your thoughts!
DeleteOh YIKES this sounds a mess! I liked Roar, eventually, once I got into it, but I was on the fence about reading this one anyway. Mostly because it did take me a long time to get into book one, and because I remember almost nothing from it. But now I am going to skip it for sure because 1) I'd probably fling it across the room in *actual* rage (guess that's where the title comes from!) and 2) too many other books out there! So thanks for saving me from this mess! Sorry it was a disappointment though!
ReplyDeleteIt's just hard for me to enjoy a book when the main character makes me want to pull my hair out! I thought Roar's adventures in the first book were exciting and allowed her to become her own person, and all of that was absent in this one. She was even more meek and timid, afraid of everyone's reactions. She had no confidence in herself, and didn't trust her friends with the truth until it was too late for them to change their minds. UGH.
Delete