War Storm: A #1 NYT Bestselling YA Epic Fantasy of Revolution and Power (Red Queen, 4)

Red queen is the best series I’ve read so far. I am obsessed with it and have been telling all my friends about it. I love the complex themes of this dystopian society that the author does a fantastic job at exploring. Mare is an excellent and conflicted main character. She got a bad wrap in Glass Sword but its character development and let me tell you, she is the MOST human character. Very relatable and makes decisions that aren’t perfect because she isn’t. The world molded and continues to mold her as she develops. This final book is the pinnacle of every conflict. There’s practically no loose ends and even though its ending won’t be Disney style, AKA a perfect happy ending, it does a great job of making this fantasy world realistic. Incredible for YAL and for mature themes.

Book: War Storm Author: Victoria Aveyard Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars This is the first book in the Red Queen series that I have given below a five star rating. I think it’s a fair rating. While the ending was good and depressing, the start was extremely slow. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to finish the book. Yes, it was that bad, but don’t let that scare you away. We have multiple point of views again, which is something that I think really adds to the story. I know a lot of people don’t like Mare and that’s fine. However, Mare is essential to the…Seeing how she is the main character and all. I do like getting to see more characters’ getting their chance to shine. I personally have always liked Mare, but I found that having the others’ just added a bit more flare to the world. Like I just got done saying, I have always liked Mare, but she didn’t actually end up being my favourite character in this book. She has shown a lot of character growth and Victoria has done a lot to develop her character, but I just felt like Mare wasn’t the strong character here. In fact, her point of views, to me, really didn’t add much to the overall storyline in War Storm. To me, she wasn’t the top dog in this one. Evangeline was one character how has grown on me throughout the story. I will admit that she started out as being my least favourite character. However, as the series has gone on, we have gotten to see just how strong and likeable she is. I love the complex story she has. Her family, Cal, and Elaine just makes for some great reading. I was kind of surprised to see Iris as a point of view character. I don’t remember her being a point of view character in the last book, but I could be wrong. It was actually pretty refreshing to see the other side of conflict. Her chapters, I think, is what really added to the story. Cal and Maven even get a few of their own chapters. I wish they had more, but I guess we’ll take it. Here, we get into the mind of the brothers. It has been these two who have kept my interest throughout the series. I loved seeing how there are polar opposites, but, at the same time, are not really all that different. Overall, I really have enjoyed this series. It’s had its rough places, but I feel like it has been more good than bad. However, I just don’t think it’s worth a five star rating. There are just somethings about it that I cannot give it that five.

I cannot put into words how much I've loved this series. It's exactly what I'm a sucker for-- a teen who is nobody special, just trying to make it through life, finds out she is special because she has some sort of powers (actual powers in this case, but sometimes it's just extraordinary character or ability to see things differently). Once those powers are revealed, she has to decide if she wants to help save the world or not and, oh yeah, a few guys are super interested in her (at least one of them always was) and now they vie for her hand. I love it. I can't get enough of it. And this one is especially snarky and beautiful and I love how real the characters are and how you know them so well. No one is innocent or perfect, but they are all complex and interesting. (Well, maybe besides Mare's family. They're pretty flat, but they are not the focus of the story.) I loved visiting Montfort in this one. It really made me think about how the U.S. addresses helping other nations. It's unique in the literature I've read to be looking at a democracy from the outside and not knowing how/ if it's going to work in the country you're in. There are so many good reminders that democracy and equality take time. A LOT of time, but they are worth fighting for and MUST be fought for. I loved the growth of Evangeline and the ways in which we start to doubt Julian. And the ending... oh the ending!!!! Stick around to read the Acknowledgements, too. They made me cry. I did not enjoy Iris as a character or the chapters from her point of view, but there was a lot of narrative importance there so they can't be cut.

This book had a lot of action and was not predictable, and I like that about books. I had no idea what would happen with the war. Although this is the last book of the series, I really feel like the author left open the possibility for another one. Stories were left open. The ending was pretty realistic, not corny or fairytale-ish, as in Mare and Cal getting married and living happily ever after as king and queen. The saga was left open for more--the Lakelanders only retreated, but they will be back. Norta is a hot mess right now that will take years to sort out. There are more stories here to be told. Mare and Cal still love each other, but need time apart. Maven was a good villain, irredeemable, and just hollow. If the author wanted to, she could continue with another series about the aftermath of this war and give the fans the ending they want--with Mare and Cal finding their way back to each other, even if it is years later. The storyline with Maven is finished, but I would like another to begin. Overall, I found the book very entertaining, and I enjoyed reading the viewpoints of several main characters.

The final installment of this series left me with a bitter taste in my mouth....no, not because, as other commentators have pointed out, Mare and Cal don’t get a fairytale ending, but for other reasons: Mare and Cal have both undermined one another over and over. They understand and love one another, but have different ambitions, opinions, and goals. Their ending was, I feel, believable and as sweet and hopeful as could be expected. !!!Spoilers for the first books and vaguely-phrased spoilers for this one ahead!!! No, my gripe is with “the other Calore” No, no, no, not because I was team Maven: that ship sailed burning over the horizon long ago – no way on earth that was going to end happily. But, Maven’s mind was torn apart by his mother: so much of what he did was literally out of his control. It was a fascinating premise, and I really did look forward to how it was handled. How was it handled, you ask? Poorly. It was an opportunity to explore mental illness and culpability; dogmatism and forgiveness. I’ve struggled with whether or not these themes were addressed, and I just didn’t like the message the author decided on....but no, I think not. It was just used as an opportunity to .....show Mare in a certain light. For a more in-depth (and spoiler-filled!) commentary on that, see the comment attached to this review. Adding to this, other characters who have committed atrocities for ambition, out of ignorance, or just for funsies are given free passes, because they were revealed to have some “redemptive quality” – usually romantic in nature. Ah yes, character X killed hundreds of Reds, contributed to political instability, etc....but it turns out character X has a lower-class lover! Cool, send them to the land of milk-and-honey! As for pacing, the book dragsssss. It’s told over multiple viewpoints, which should give us nuanced insights into each faction’s motivations....except that those motivations were often so bland and and cringe-worthy, I found myself skimming them by the end. Four books, two novellas....aaaaand more on the way! Because that ending *facepalm*. I have never seen a more blatant cash-grab. The epilogue should have just read, "ending coming soon.....for just three more installments of $4 in novella form!" I admire Aveyard's writing, I really do. But how this series was dragged out was unnecessary, and contributed to more money out of my pocket for less quality. I'm not putting any more money into this series, and I'm extremely hesitant to invest in any more from this author, if this is her standard. Ultimately, three stars for an interesting premise, nuanced romance between characters whose backgrounds put them at odds, and decent world-building. Minus two stars for trying to force me to care about characters that I don't care about, dragging the story though too many books, and turning a nuanced villain into ....whatever that was about.

I had to pause reading this book so many times because I didn’t want it to end. Such brilliant writing & imagery used, along with character development, suspense and the varying POV’s from the different protagonists. Truly one of my favorite series and wish for another 600+ pager. Brilliance.

I am a huge MareCal shipper and I even made a playlist for them because I could not get over how King’s Cage ended. I have this insane crush on Cal, no matter how imperfect he is and how frustrating some of his decisions might be. I love his character so much because he is so flawed and it makes him closer to reality. I really admire Victoria for writing her characters as flawed as they are. You get torn between cursing them for being stupid and hoping the best for them. For me, the appeal of a story lies heavily on whether you like the characters or not. Writing imperfect characters — which you can't help but hate sometimes — and still making readers root for them is impressive. I have never felt more anxious over the ending of a book as I did for this. If I’m being honest, there’s only two characters I really care about in this series, Mare and Cal. Most especially Cal. I think I’ve never cared for any fictional character as much as I did for Cal and I have no idea why. This book was torture for me. Every accidental touch, every stolen glance had me dying. It set me on edge, afraid for what might happen because I wouldn’t put it past Victoria to kill someone. War Storm is written in the following POVs: Mare - I love seeing the story through her eyes. She did not annoy me in this book, thank God. Cal - Finally. I did not read any spoilers and his POV comes at a later part in the book so I was pleasantly surprised. I wanted to see how the world looks in his eyes and I wish the book had more of it. :( Maven - Maven is the kind of character you can never hate, no matter what he did. His POV made me feel so much sympathy for him and it’s heartbreaking how he can’t help to be the way he is. He deserved better. Evangeline - Although I liked some parts of her POV (and what she did to Mare and Cal *winks*), I don’t like her enough for her personal life to interest me. I feel that her relationship with Elane, especially their moments, feels a bit forced. Iris - She is another character I do not care about. I guess Victoria felt the need for her POV to tell the other side of the story. In my opinion, it would have been enough if it only had Mare, Cal, and Maven's POV. Having Iris and Evangeline's POV showed too many sides of the story. The plot would have been more surprising if we did not know what they were planning. You might wonder why I gave this book four stars even though I was so invested in the characters and the story. As much as I love this series, I can’t ignore the flaws in this book. Although I can’t say it is dragging, I feel that it isn’t fast enough. If I could describe it in one word, somehow, it seems.. sluggish . And the ending is a bit anticlimactic. It certainly affected me in some way and I still have a hard time moving on but I have my biases. If I look at it objectively, it is not enough.

The last book of this series was well worth the wait. It had been a while since I finished the third book so when I started reading the fourth and final book, I had to catch up on what was happening. Within the first few chapters, the memory of events from the earlier books came flooding back. What I really enjoyed in the series finale was how the author wrote from various characters perspectives. I especially liked how some chapters were from Maven’s point of view. His mother ruined his mind, leaving him shattered. Still, reading the story from his point of view makes you search for any sign that he can be saved from his mother’s cruel manipulations. The love story between Cal and Mare was fun to read, as always. They never make it easy on each other and always put their own agendas before each other. But will things change in this book? You’ll find out after reading the book. Overall the series was well written, easy to read, and easy to get sucked into. You’ll love and hate various characters. You’ll rejoice at times and cry at others. You’ll never get bored because there is always something huge happening. If your looking for something to escape into, I would recommend this series and all the drama it brings :)

I’m so into this saga… just read it

Ben echt super blij met dit boek en de serie

More machinations, bigger stakes, bigger world, bigger battles. I thought War Storm was a great conclusion to the serie, definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and really wraped it up well.

Loved my book

Nunca había llorado tanto con un libro, despues de acabarlo no podía hablar con nadie ni podía pensar bien. Literalmente me destrozó no creo que me vaya a recuperar del final. No hay palabras que puedan expresar mi amor y adoracion por este libro y sus personajes. Me encanta como se desarrollan todos estos y la trama nunca se siente forsada. Mi personaje favorito fue Evangeline Samos, tiene una mjuy buena historia. Por un momento se me habia olvidado que esto solo era una nkvelaa de fantasia. Una de mis sagas favoritas sin duda alguna