By: J.M.D. Reid
Reviewed by: Andy Peloquin
Sucked me right in and kept me reading until the end
From the first chapter, I found myself drawn into this story. The tale of a young man touched by a storm and cursed by death. The tale of a young woman struggling to find herself and come to terms with her place in the world. Together, they will rise Above the Storm to (doubtless) one day save the world.
The setting and worldbuilding details of this story were absolutely awesome. From flying fish (take that Sharknado!) to people riding ostriches (Swiss Family Robinson FTW) to marines wielding guns that channel their lightning magic to pegasi to floating ships, I found myself turning the pages quickly to find out what new and creative twist the author would give their world.
Is the book perfect? I wasn’t a huge fan of the “will she/won’t she” and the constant self-recrimination of her “hot blood”–felt a bit too close to the ethnic slur “jungle fever”. The lack of trust, jealousy, and other relationship-focused emotions of the book were far more prominent than the other more personal, internal ones, so I felt it detracted a little from the more epic story. Almost felt like a romance story that happened to be set in a fantasy world rather than a fantasy story with a bit of romance.
But overall, I LOVED it. It sucked me right in and kept me reading until the end, when I found myself frantically turning pages to find out when the next one was coming out. Great story, great intro to a kick-ass world!
This review is the opinion of the author and does not represent the views of Aethon Books or its employees.
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