Book Review: War Storm

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all… starting with the crown on Maven’s head.
But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power… for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

Not one of the unique books out their but I loved it all the same. War Storm has been one of my most anticipated read because it is the conclusion to the Red Queen Series (one of my favorite fantasy novel). Reading War Storm took me longer than I expected. For some reason, I wasn't quite invested during the first couple of chapters. I was almost halfway through when I finally warmed up to the story. Let's take a look at some of the characters.
1. Evangeline and Ptolemus Samos' bond is very admirable. I used to hate Evangeline's character but seeing her love for her sibling and for Elane tipped the scale to her favor. Her attitude is very amusing she really brings color to every scene she's in. Her POV quickly became my favorite.
2. I could feel nothing but sympathy for Maven Calore. No matter how twisted and despicable he was, all I can see is a damaged boy, all Elara's doing. I couldn't help but imagine how he could turn out to be if it weren't for his mother. Will Mare fall for him instead of Cal? Will he stand beside the Reds fighting for the cause? I also love how the story is told on his perspective. And just like Cal, I find myself searching for even the slightest hint of anything good in him.
3. I highly respect Cal for being a righteous ruler. He's always at war with himself in choosing what he knows is right and what he's trained and made to be. I see genuine goodness in him although some might think that Mare lead him to do things different from cruel Silvers. Though I see his reason for choosing the crown over Mare, I was really hoping that his love for her is enough to set aside anything that comes between them. But I couldn't be more wrong. Later in the story I realized I would gladly trash my musings in comparison on how Cal's choice ended up to be and why.
4. I would really like to see more of who Mare really is if she wasn't forced to be the lightning girl or Mareena. She has a wall built upon herself because the war calls for it but rarely her mask slips and we get to peek at Mare Barrow. I am amazed by her strength not just because of the lightning but her drive to fight for the cause even if it means letting go of the one she loves.

Finishing this series I realized that sometimes, if we let them, people could mold us into a kind of person we may not wish to be. I think this has been a serious issue on the story and I am glad that it was addressed well. I would also like to commend Victoria Aveyard for having such detailed action scenes. But I was quite disappointed on how this series ended because Red Queen was really good so I had high expectations. The ending was predictable. I didn't find any gripping twist to War Storm but there was contentment on how the story ended.