BOOK REVIEW: WAR STORM BY VICTORIA AVEYARD

Title: War Storm
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen #4
Published: May 15 2018
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 662
From: Barnes and Noble
Rating: 7/10

War Storm is a novel of revolution, love, and trust, or lack thereof. It is a novel of the faith we have in each other, and the different kinds of love of which we find ourselves capable. It is also a novel of self reflection and character, and what we are willing to do for those we need in our lives.

War Storm is the fourth and final instalment of the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard, her debut series. The entire series takes place in an unsettling future where some of the population have evolved to be godlike with silver blood and magical abilities, while others remain destitute with red blood and no special attributes. That is, until Mare Barrow accidentally discovers she is a girl with red blood and the same magical abilities as those who believe them to be her betters. And thus, the revolution begins.
In this fourth instalment, Mare is no longer caged in by Maven. She is part of the political intrigue that is sinking its teeth deeper in the nation. And so is Evangeline, the morally gray magnetron, and Iris, the newest character in this mess of a country. Iris, a nymph, is pledged to marry Maven, but she has her own sort of political agenda to push.

I love the various women in this story. The women are what make this story because without them, there would be no story. Sure, the kingdom is run by men, and those men are oppressors in every sense of the word, but the women. They are the ones who truly run the kingdom. They are the ones who truly want change. Look at Farley, Mare, Elara, Iris, Evangeline, Cameron. These women are what make the country what it is, and what it will become.

Aveyard does an impeccable job detailing these women and for what they are fighting. She shows what they want, what they don’t want, what gives them their character. Who they are. Why they are that way. She never just tells us. And that is a sign of a distinct voice and good storyteller. This storyteller, however, could do with fewer words to tell these stories, shorter, more concise sentences, fewer repetitive statements. But in the end, it doesn’t matter, because her story has come across to thousands upon thousands of pairs of eyes and she continues to be a voice in this genre and the industry.