Blog Tour: Storm Dancer by Rayne Hall
Hi guys! I'm super excited to share my review for the Storm Dancer blog tour. This is my first ever blog tour, so I hope you guys like it!
Synopsis:
Demon-possessed siege commander, Dahoud, atones for his atrocities by hiding his identity and protecting women from war's violence - but can he shield the woman he loves from the evil inside him?
Principled weather magician, Merida, brings rain to a parched desert land. When her magical dance rouses more than storms, she needs to overcome her scruples to escape from danger.
Thrust together, Dahoud and Merida must fight for freedom and survival. But with hatred and betrayal burning in their hearts, how can they rebuild their fragile trust?
Principled weather magician, Merida, brings rain to a parched desert land. When her magical dance rouses more than storms, she needs to overcome her scruples to escape from danger.
Thrust together, Dahoud and Merida must fight for freedom and survival. But with hatred and betrayal burning in their hearts, how can they rebuild their fragile trust?
My review:
My rating: 1.5/5
Storm Dancer was definitely not for me. While it definitely
had some good points to it, I didn’t enjoy it at all.
Firstly, I’m going to start off by saying that this book
definitely isn’t for sensitive people. The age recommendation is for ages 16
and up, but personally, I might actually raise that. I’m sixteen, and I
consider myself to be pretty desensitised, but this book was definitely too
much for me. The violence and animal sacrifices didn’t really bother me (even
though horses are my favourite thing in the entire world), but the rape and
constant ogling of women’s bodies did. Do not read this book if you are
sensitive to rape.
The characters come off as unlikable and vain, but they
definitely grow a lot throughout the book. Dahoud is a demon-possessed siege commander.
Formerly known as the Black Besieger, he was a terrible war commander, killing
and raping many. The demon makes him do all this, but he definitely tries to
fight it until the end. Merida is the other main character, a magician from
Riverland brought in to dance for rain. She has a lot of trouble adapting to
local customs, and she comes off as stuck-up for most of the book. However,
both these characters grow a lot, which I love to see. However, in my eyes, this
personal growth didn’t really redeem the characters.
The world building could have definitely been done better.
Being thrown into a different fantasy world can be confusing as it is so
different to our own. Not explaining things properly shot everything to hell.
It took me ages to realise that Dahoud was possessed by a demon, and even after
finishing the book, I didn’t understand the regions, or the idea of satraps. A
glossary or a map could have helped here.
The plot is pretty slow at times, and the story could have
definitely been cut down a bit. Sometimes there’s a whole bunch of action, but
sometimes there was nothing. The book could have been a lot shorter if some of
the uneventful parts had been cut out, and more time could have been put into
world building and character establishment.
The setting was so awesome and creative! Even though it took
me ages to get used to, and I still don’t fully understand if after finishing
it, I loved the magicians, the crones, and the councils. Gosh, I would pay good
money to go there (as long as I have a bunch of weapons to defend myself, and I
don’t get raped or something).
Definitely not a book for everyone, I can see many people
enjoying this. The personal demons that the characters battle are intriguing,
and the book is very unique. Read a sample of the book before buying it,
though.
About the author:
She is the author of over forty books in different genres and under different pen names, published by twelve publishers in six countries, translated into several languages. Her short stories have been published in ezines, magazines and anthologies.
After living in Germany, Nepal, China and Mongolia, Rayne has settled on the south coast of England.
Buying links:
Amazon: viewBook.at/B005MJFV58
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/88037
Social media links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RayneHall
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rayne.hall
Thanks for reviewing Storm Dancer, and for sharing your experience what reading the book was like for you. It will help other readers to decide whether it's their kind of book. :-)
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