ARC Review: Water Storm by Kay L. Moody

My Review:

When Talise and her small band of friends return to the Storm, the most dangerous and deprived part of the empire, things are worse than she remembered. People are starving and hopeless with little chance of prosperity and lack the basic necessities to live. As she and her friends work to bring water, greenhouses, and hope to the people, Talise realizes that something is poisoning the land and people.

Talise strives to find out more about the poison, and when her suspicions are realized, she must decide who the real enemy is. She must also face her breaking heart and feelings for the men who hurt her. With so much at stake, Talise has everything to lose.

I love that Talise continues to learn from her mistakes and from the issues she encounters along her journey. Talise has several epiphanies about her father, her enemies, her relationships, and herself throughout the story. She finally comes to terms with the man that her father is and continues to process her turbulent feelings for all of the main men in her life. She is deeply wounded by betrayal and finds it hard to forgive and move forward, especially when she has to face her feelings for Clay and Aaden. Luckily, she has Wendy to support her and offer guidance.

Stop trying to close off your heart and pretend your feelings don’t matter. If you keep doing that, you’ll lose your humanity.

Wendy shines in this book. Smart, talented, and fiercely loyal, she’s the one person who has stood by Talise from the beginning. She shows such strength of character and loyalty to Talise – not the cause or kingdom, just to her best friend. I love her character, and this book really highlights the wonderful and deep friendship between Talise and Wendy. She is also Talise’s advisor and often offers wisdom and clarity, which I love! The women in this series are strong, wise, and fierce!

Like the other books in this series, Water Storm is filled with unexpected twists and turns. As they travel through the Storm, malnutrition, starvation, and desperation is evident. Talise and her small band of followers encounter new and shocking obstacles, and alliances change. I feel like just when I think I know which direction the story is heading, Moody changes paths in the most intriguing and thought-provoking way. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book as alliances continue to shift, and Talise has to face feelings of betrayal, guilt, and more.

Thanks so much to Marten Press and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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Rating:

Favorite Parts:

• Aaden’s back!!! I hope beyond hope that Talise and Aaden find their way back to each other.

• The twists and turns.

• Wendy. I just love her strength, stability, and loyalty. She’s a true friend.

Favorite Lines:

The knowledge of what could have been mocked them both. It laughed at their desires and speared them with regret.

I hate that he left me, and I hate that he’s with us again. It’s so much harder to hate him when he’s here, and I hate that too.

Perhaps it was time to think of allies as people who did the right thing and not as people who fought on one side or another.

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Interested in The Elements of Kamdaria? Check out my reviews of the other books in the series!

• The Elements of the Crown (The Elements of Kamdaria Books 1-4)
• River Gate (The Elements of Kamdaria #5)
• Smoke Gate (The Elements of Kamdaria #6)
• Vine Gate (The Elements of Kamdaria #7)
• Ember Gate (The Elements of Kamdaria #8)