Stormrise by Jillian Boehme (2019)
-eARC Review-
YA Fiction | Fantasy
Blurb:
“If Rain weren’t a girl, she would be respected as a Neshu combat master. Instead, her gender dooms her to a colorless future. When an army of nomads invades her kingdom, and a draft forces every household to send one man to fight, Rain takes her chance to seize the life she wants.
Knowing she’ll be killed if she’s discovered, Rain purchases powder made from dragon magic that enables her to disguise herself as a boy. Then she hurries to the war camps, where she excels in her training—and wrestles with the voice that has taken shape inside her head. The voice of a dragon she never truly believed existed.
As war looms and Rain is enlisted into an elite, secret unit tasked with rescuing the High King, she begins to realize this dragon tincture may hold the key to her kingdom’s victory. For the dragons that once guarded her land have slumbered for centuries . . . and someone must awaken them to fight once more.”
–Goodreads
Expected Publication Date: September 10th 2019
pooled ink Review:
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to review!
Okay I’ll be honest, the cover didn’t win me over and I’m a total cover-judger haha BUT I ended up with an eARC and so I read it and was swept away almost immediately. I love when I love a book and this one earned a spot on my shelf. It’s a military fantasy, it has dragons, it has the perfect dash of romance, and it’s a standalone! YAY!
In the promo I’ve seen they market this book as inspired by Twelfth Night (Shakespeare) and while I get that Twelfth Night has a girl pretending to be a guy and then that whole tangled romantic web that ensues, Mulan is a way better story comparison in my opinion. If someone liked the Shakespearean play this would so not be the first thing I’d suggest to them but if you like Mulan then you’ll probably really enjoy this. While it takes a LOT from the Mulan storyline (something I was on the fence about at first because at times the plot line just seemed too similar, ya know?) I ultimately didn’t get too annoyed by it because we got to go so much deeper in the training and characterization, etc. plus the whole dragon angle was original so there’s that.
Stormrise is a YA military fantasy infused with dragon lore and it was captivating from start to finish. War, battle training, a band of young men (except one lol) marching to evacuate the king, a dragon prophecy set into motion, and a young heroine who sets forth on a dangerous path impersonating a solider to save her family and her kingdom. Lots of action, plenty of lore, many intriguing characters, tons of challenges to be overcome, and every moment Rain is desperately guarding her secret.
I really liked Rain and that’s a large part of what kept me glued to the page. I especially liked Rain and Forest. You’ll meet several different souls, some smiling and some scowling, but regardless of how you feel about them you’ll feel each of their deaths or survivals. This book was an overall successful blend of familiar legend and unique journey that just clicked for me. I’m especially glad that it was a standalone as it worked for the story and the pacing far better than if the author had tried to drag it out into a series. No book is perfect but I truly enjoyed reading this one and yet despite this I don’t seem to have lots to say in this review, but seriously, if you like Mulan and dragons then you simply must check this book out. I think it’ll be the type of story people either love or toss aside and I’m more than happy to be one of the fans.
I’m on the hunt for more stories like this one so if you know of any then let me know!
Cheers.
Purchase Here: Stormrise
Similar Reads: Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh, The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Meet Jillian Boehme!
JILLIAN BOEHME is known to the online writing community as Authoress, hostess of Miss Snark’s First Victim, a blog for aspiring authors. In real life, she holds a degree in Music Education, sings with the Nashville Symphony Chorus, and homeschools her remaining youngster-at-home. She’s still crazy in love with her husband of more than thirty years and is happy to be surrounded by family and friends amid the rolling knolls of Middle Tennessee.
pooled ink 