Greetings, it is I, Paul Frair and I bring a book called Stormcaster to your attention.
Stormcaster is the third installment of the Shattered Realms series, written by YA and fantasy book author Cinda Williams Chima.
Stormcaster, like other books in the series, involves the beginning cast, then introduces other main characters along the way. Some are familiar faces (from previous books) while others are freshly introduced. It just so happens that Stormcaster begins with a new character: Evan ‘Lucky’ Faris, also known as Strangward of Tarvos. It seems that this character might have quite the reputation, but that is not the case. As of the beginning of the book, he’s only 13, and quite dependent on his adoptive father, Captain Strangward. Evan’s father however has built quite the reputation; he is a pirate, and captain of his own ship (dubbed the Cloud’s Spirit), after all. The story explains some characters, their connection to Evan, and a couple of specialty people, which become almost irrelevant later on.
By the second chapter, the first big baddie is revealed — the Pirate Queen Celestine. Catchy name, right? She’s tempestuous, greedy, and tyrannical, but she does have one redeeming feature: her all-natural multi-coloured hair. Anyway, she’s on a mission to hunt down magically-gifted individuals and wants to take over the world, all because she’s related to the Nazari bloodline (and not even royally. Her father was a fornicator).
Regardless, Evan’s story continues, and after an encounter with Celestine, he abandons his crew and becomes a freelancer in Tarvos, adopting the alias “Lucky Faris.” While there, he meets (his soon-to-be-lover) Destin Karn, a magically gifted young man on the run from his abusive, sociopathic father — who just so happens to be the Ardencourt’s best general.
Well, that’s all the plot I’ll give you. Now that know some part of the story, I’ll reveal what I have to say about this book:
Stormcaster is wonderful. It’s extended off Flamecaster and Shadowcaster (notice a pattern, yet?), the first and second books in the Shattered Realms series, respectively, and I find each one intriguing and better than the last. The book is rich in detail and has its own developed world, taking place somewhere off our planet.
As things in the novel escalate, the book centers more and more on the individuals and their thoughts (as the book has multiple perspectives). I really enjoy and promote the idea of seeing the world through the eyes of different characters because it gives an onlooker’s view of important events.
The book does have a romantic nature, though it isn’t explicit and raunchy. The author makes good use of imitating emotion and providing thorough views of the thoughts of various characters, all of whom are well-written and easily come to life with realistic personalities (another strong suit for Chima) despite the novel taking place in a fantasy world.
I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a book that covers fantasy, romance, intrigue, and has loads of details.
This is the conclusion of this review, and given how this is a partial pirate-based book, fair winds and following seas to all who read this article! Also, Happy Thanksgiving!
