On My Bookshelf: War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

The basic plot from Amazon: VICTORY COMES AT A PRICE.

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 demolish 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.

Why I liked it: I've been working my way through a bunch of series and just wrapped up the Red Queen series by reading War Storm (though there is also a short story collection that I haven't read yet plus a novella focused on Cal's mother). I loved the third book in the series, King's Cage, as well as the first book, Red Queen, but the second book, Glass Sword, dragged for me. I'm happy to report that the fourth and final book continued to come back with a vengeance.

Narration alternated primarily between Mare, Evangeline who is now betrothed to Cal, and Inge, Maven’s water nymph bride. Maven and Cal each had a single section at the end. While the introduction of multiple narrators in the previous book had been a bit off-putting at first, I loved hearing the the trio of powerful female voices in this book. I especially liked getting to know Evangeline better as she was very much an enemy earlier in the series and becomes an ally for Mare in this book. I was also relieved that Mare and Cal's relationship could be repaired. I liked them together too much to see Cal becoming king separate the two of them.

Classroom application: As with the rest of the series, there is violence in the novel, though mostly of the fantastical kind, so the book is appropriate for upper middle school and high school students. 

Issues surrounding equality and different types of governments arise in the book and would be perfect for making cross curricular connection with history and/or real world connections to current events.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of War Storm for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.