A Storm of Glass and Stars (The Oncoming Storm #4) by Marion Blackwood
Summary:
What could you learn to live without? Your heart? Your mind? Your soul? Having lost her purpose in life, the Oncoming Storm leaves behind everything and everyone she has ever known, and takes off across the continent. But there is one thing from which she can't run. Trouble. When Shade and Elaran track her down, she manages to get them all captured by the star elves. During their stay in the star elves' capital, the Oncoming Storm must learn to navigate a world far outside her comfort zone: court life. With no frame of reference to go by, she desperately scrambles to keep up appearances while also trying to find a way out. But nothing is quite as straightforward as it first seems. When secrets about herself and the world around her are revealed, she is forced to question whether the star elves really are the bad guys. It might actually be someone else entirely. Namely, the Oncoming Storm herself. Can she figure out the truth before she gets her friends killed? Or will she lose herself in the darkness first?
Spoilers ahead if you haven’t read any of The Oncoming Storm series. You can see my previous reviews here: book one, book two, book three.
Is it really a surprise anymore that I love these books? The sass and sword fighting, world building and surprises, and the way Blackwood develops her characters keep me coming back for more over and over.
In the previous book, we left off with Shade becoming the War General of Pernula and Storm questioning the source of her Ashaana powers. While the others in her ragtag yet lovable gang might have found their places in this new land across the sea, she’s feeling very left out and without a purpose. So, she sets out to find answers.
Of course, Storm doesn’t get far before trouble finds her. Bloody fights and powers spiraling out of control all come to a head when she, Shade, and Elaran get a surprise visit from the star elves. Brought back to the City of Glass as ‘wayward souls,’ the trio soon learn that all isn’t as it seems in the land of the star elves.
Blackwood branches out yet again in her world building by introducing readers to the capital city of the star elves. Her descriptions of buildings made of glass and the palace in which Storm and Shade roam are so detailed that I could see exactly where all these activities occur. Brilliant ballrooms, sandy beaches, and a cozy library are added to the various settings for the characters, and you feel like you’re there alongside Storm.
But what would an Oncoming Storm book be if it didn’t have knife throwing and sword fighting? Again, these actions are written so well and easy to follow that the fights make sense, and you can feel the danger that Storm does. This time, however, there’s a new twist: Storm’s Storm Caster powers. The ability to command a storm comes from within her, and this ability is exactly why the star elves have their sights on Storm. But as I mentioned, everything is far from the way it seems.
Once again, I’m rooting for team #OncomingShade (Marion, that was a lovely start but I neeeeed more!) in the next installment of whatever comes for these characters. With Storm finally finding her own path, I’m very excited to see what comes next!
To learn more about Marion Blackwood and her Oncoming Storm series, check out her website here.
Comments