Item: Roar
Rating: 5
Author: Kassiah

Cora Carmack has always been one of our favorite authors. We ❤ all of her books so much! So you know we were so excited when we found out she was venturing into the world of YA, and we were thrilled when we were invited to participate in the blog tour for the first book in her Stormheart series, Roar! We’ve got a great excerpt to share with you, as well as our thoughts and a fun giveaway. So without further ado, we’ll get right to it:

About Roar

Roar by Cora Carmack
Series: Stormheart #1
Published by Tor Teen on June 13th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 380
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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.

Trailer

EXCERPT

“No need to burn people from the inside out, Etel. This one is with me.”

A large, masculine form pressed into Rora’s side, and a heavy arm draped over her shoulders. The old woman straightened. She scowled and spit on the ground, and when she spoke, her tone was higher, less raspy, “Ye could have told me that, Locke, before I wasted me time.”

Rora froze. Cassius. He’d found her. She had been so distracted by the woman and her wares that she hadn’t thought to keep watch. He pulled her forward, and her feet dragged like lead. She couldn’t take a deep enough breath, and her eyes began to cloud with tears.

What have I done? How will I explain this? What will he do to me?

“Come on, girl. I’m doing you a favor getting you away from that fraud. You could at least play along.”

Rora lurched to a stop, and jerked her head upward. That wasn’t Cassius. Her hood began to slip backward. She tried to catch it, but her movements lagged behind her mind, and her injured arm had grown stiff and numb. Cool air hit her uncovered cheeks, her nose, then her forehead. Even with the scarf hiding her hair, she might be recognized. And she had a feeling this was a very bad place for a princess to be.

The hood’s descent halted; it wasn’t her fingers that had caught the fabric but his. He was so tall that Rora had to crane her head back to see him. His hair was a dark, wavy brown and hung long enough to brush against his shoulders.

“Keep that hood up. This is no place for little girls.”

“I’m not a little girl!” She clamped her mouth shut, immediately wishing she could take the declaration back. Not only because it sounded exactly like what a little girl would say but also because she had not tempered her volume. At all. And thought it wasn’t Cassius who caught her, he was here somewhere. She bit her lip in worry, and the stranger’s eyes tracked down to her mouth briefly before darting around her face.

He still held on to her hood, keeping it back enough that he could see her eyes. “So you’re not a little girl. Still doesn’t mean this is any place for you.”

She could not argue with that.

“She called you Locke.”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes. And?”

“As in…Prince Locke?”

He laughed so hard that he released her hood. She rushed to grab it and pull it down to cover her face. She had no doubt people were staring now. He sucked in a breath, and then as if he couldn’t help himself, burst into laughter all over again.

Still chuckling, he said, “I’m about as much a prince, as you are a princess.”

About Cora Carmack

Cora Carmack is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Since she was a teenager, her favorite genre to read has been fantasy, and now she’s thrilled to bring her usual compelling characters and swoon-worthy romance into worlds of magic and intrigue with her debut YA fantasy, Roar. Her previous adult romance titles include the Losing It, Rusk University, and Muse series. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages around the world. Cora splits her time between Austin, TX and New York City, and on any given day you might find her typing away at her computer, flying to various cities around the world, or just watching Netflix with her kitty Katniss.

Find Cora Here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Our Thoughts

The 411:

As the lone heir to the throne, Princess Aurora has been groomed her whole life to lead her people. Since she doesn’t possess the magic the leader absolutely must have to protect their people, her mother arranges a marriage for her to a Prince who can do just that. But he’s got secrets. Secrets that lead Aurora to realize that maybe she doesn’t need a man–she can save her kingdom herself.

What We Loved:

There’s so much here we don’t even know where to start. And we loved everything! The world-building was phenomenal. The interesting way Carmack twisted what we already know about Storms and Mother Nature was nothing short of amazing. We loved Aurora so much. She’s strong and fierce and the best kind of character. We want all girls to read this book because she’s absolutely empowering. The guys–we loved both of them. Cassius and Locke each bring something to the table that made us swoon.

Um...Not So Much:

Our only complaint is that her name is Roar. But really, that turned out to not be a complaint because we think our favorite Roar would have liked this girl and cheered her on, right along with us.

Bottom Line:

Swoony and filled with adventure, Roar by Cora Carmack sucked us in from the very first page and enthralled us right up until the end. We can’t wait for book two!