#aurora pavan

[ladyeowyn]

...whether it be thunderstorm, hurricane, or some storm on which we have not yet laid eyes, one truth remains—challenge a tempest, survive it, and you become its master...

[torteen]

Happy book birthday to Roar by Cora Carmack!

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.

[betterbooksandthings]

Roar: Cara Carmack

Roar by Cara Cormack is a novel that rolls in, displays its destructive brilliance, and leaves the land decimated in its path. That is to say, the novel is an incredibly inventive YA fantasy novel written with passion and care. Aurora Pavan is to inherit the throne as the last descendant in a line of powerful Stormlings, but unlike the rest of her family, she is powerless. For years, her mother has ferreted her away so that their people only have a chance to recognize Aurora’s power from afar without inspecting her abilities. Carmack cleverly constructed Aurora’s personality with these constraints in mind. So while, Aurora is a strong, argumentative character, that strength and skill come from a place of perceived inferiority. Her love for literature fits in with her lack of close friends, her combat abilities come from a place of powerlessness, and her tactical abilities have been drilled into her by a mother preparing her for a throne with no power. And so, when she is betrothed to a Stormling prince, she is struck by a need to defend her kingdom in the best way possible. On her path towards power, she encounters the world she has never been exposed to. One that could endanger her life and her kingdom’s well-being in the process. The storm magic in Roar is utterly unique and I cannot help but thank the gods that the magic is constrained by legitimate rules. Without giving too much away, I would also like to commend Carmack’s portrayal of a relationship based on consent. With the uncertainty left in my heart over the ending of the novel, I will eagerly be awaiting the next book in the series.

[bookwormreads]

She enjoyed her time alone, reading or riding her horse, Honey, or studying. She did not want to wear fancy dresses or attend parties or experience the frivolity of court life. At least, that was what she always told herself. Now she felt as if she had stepped into the pages of one of her books or strode out of the shadows of her own life for the first time.

Roar, Cora Carmack