Fantasy

We Ride the Storm

We Ride the Storm

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-01 10:54:53
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Devin Madson
  • ISBN：0356514080
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Summary

AS AN EMPIRE DIES， THREE WARRIORS WILL RISE。 THEY MUST RIDE THE STORM OR DROWN IN ITS BLOOD。

'A visceral， intriguing， intense and emotionally charged ride 。 。 。 I'd strongly recommend this bloody and bold tale to fans of Mark Lawrence [and] George R。 R。 Martin'
Grimdark Magazine

War built the Kisian Empire and war will tear it down。

Fifteen years after rebels stormed the streets， Kisia is still divided。 Only the firm hand of the god-emperor holds the kingdom together。 But when a shocking betrayal destroys a tense alliance with neighbouring Chiltae， all that has been won comes crashing down。

In Kisia， Princess Miko T'sai is a prisoner in her own castle。 She dreams of claiming her empire， but the path to power could rip it， and her family， asunder。

In Chiltae， assassin Cassandra Marius is plagued by the voices of the dead。 Desperate， she accepts a contract that promises to reward her with a cure if she helps an empire fall。

And on the border between nations， Captain Rah e'Torin and his warriors are exiles forced to fight in a foreign war or die。

'Breathtakingly triumphant 。 。 。 it has become one of my favourite books of all time'
Novel Notions

'Buckle your seatbelts and prepare for a hell of a ride' Fantasy Book Critic

'Complex and immersive 。 。 。 doesn't let go until the final electrifying pages' Fantasy Book Review

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Reviews

Oshinuga Olakunle ，

it started slowly for me， but I warmed up to it and couldn't let go。 a wonderful start to a trilogy and can't wait to start book 2。 We lie with death。 it started slowly for me， but I warmed up to it and couldn't let go。 a wonderful start to a trilogy and can't wait to start book 2。 We lie with death。 。。。more

Timon Andries ，

Took a while to get into since I didn't read The Vengeance Trilogy but after the first chapters it was hard to put this book away。 Took a while to get into since I didn't read The Vengeance Trilogy but after the first chapters it was hard to put this book away。 。。。more

Stanislas Sodonon ，

Well， that was。。。 confusing。Even though I finished the book， I still can't tell how I felt about it generally。I kept oscillating between irritation and respect。Respect because the book is very well written。 Whatever emotion needs conveying， it is always masterfully done。 Tension felt really palpable。 It was a very solidly crafted story。 Irritation because I felt stuck with whimsical secondary characters throughout the book。 And that is a weird feeling。 The three POVs we're following all are vict Well， that was。。。 confusing。Even though I finished the book， I still can't tell how I felt about it generally。I kept oscillating between irritation and respect。Respect because the book is very well written。 Whatever emotion needs conveying， it is always masterfully done。 Tension felt really palpable。 It was a very solidly crafted story。 Irritation because I felt stuck with whimsical secondary characters throughout the book。 And that is a weird feeling。 The three POVs we're following all are victims or their circumstances， constantly reacting， constantly introspecting。 That's hard to avoid when the story is told in 1st person， I'll give you that。 But it goes a little deeper。 And I'll try to sum it up with my review of the three MCs。Read on if you care。Miko annoyed me from the very beginning。 I don't take kindly to rule-by-birthright claims， and even less to brats who use that as moral cover for their own self-centered ambitions。 （view spoiler）[The scene where Tanaka is executed was extremely satisfying。 I was on old man Kin's side the whole time。 （hide spoiler）] I see her whole section of the book as a very long redemption story， where she piles conceit after conceit until she's eventually forced to become a "real" person。For a warband leader in a nomadic people， Rah came off as particularly dense， ungrounded， and whiny。 His obtuse， almost fanatical views， and constant refusal to appraise his circumstances made him totally not relatable。 His lack of foresight belied his position， and even though everyone around him understood the stakes， his stubbornness， and its cost， made him an obvious liability。 （view spoiler）[Gidion's plan was obvious！ Any fighter should have seen it。 When Rah finally gets demoted and taken away at the end of the book， I almost shouted: "Finally！"， because I couldn't stand his stupidity anymore。 （hide spoiler）]Cassandra was more of a mixed bag， because she was her own antagonist。 Her cynical personality brought balance to her arcs， even though her inner demons are never contextualized。 Contrary to the other characters， we never learn enough of her backstory for her condition/predicament to make sense。 This doesn't make here "mysterious"。 It makes here incomplete， which robs her quest of gravitas。The MCs are， in my eyes， unlikable。 I was almost always siding with their antagonists， and I think it's not an accident。 The fact that they got spanked by life while their delusions were shattered is intentional。 Unfortunately， while seeing them getting schooled is satisfying， I had nobody to relate to in the meantime， nobody to keep me emotionally invested。 By the time their personal crucibles have brought them to the point where they become worth following， the book is over， and I'm not interested in continuing the frustrating experience。I found the worldbuilding also not very good。 The level of antagonisms between the characters/regions is just presented but never backed up by lore。 The Kisia / Chiltae conflict didn't hold water for me。 （view spoiler）[Why do the Chiltaeans have everyone in that village killed， including children？ It made no sense， except to paint them as cruel。 （hide spoiler）]。 As for the nomadic tribes， they are presented as stranded in a foreign land， but how did they even get there？ They were behaving as if they'd crossed some kind of magic portal。 Their predicament felt too contrived， just an excuse to make them vulnerable。 Finally， the book was just full of so many Deus-Ex-Machinae， and incoherent characters/moments that I can't say I enjoyed the actual flow。So what am I left with？ A very very well written。。。 bad story。The best I can do is give it passing grades。 。。。more

Sasan ，

It's exciting starting a new series， and it's even more so when all of the books in it are almost out for me to devour。 If that was not enough of an indication， then let me say that this was a brilliant entry for me in Devin Madson's writing。 ───────────────────As long as I enjoy myself， I'm not very rigid about anything in fantasy， however， when I hear Asian based I admit that I get kind of extra excited。 Now going into this book I expected politics and war without looking too much into details It's exciting starting a new series， and it's even more so when all of the books in it are almost out for me to devour。 If that was not enough of an indication， then let me say that this was a brilliant entry for me in Devin Madson's writing。 ───────────────────As long as I enjoy myself， I'm not very rigid about anything in fantasy， however， when I hear Asian based I admit that I get kind of extra excited。 Now going into this book I expected politics and war without looking too much into details， and what I got was a lot better than what I had hoped for。 It took me about 5 or so chapters to get into the book and get familiar with the setting and the characters， but once I did， it was time to pay closer attention to the happenings around them。 Best part？ They all experience different sides and problems related to the war。 With Miko I got to see how the court works in this world， the obviously included inequality between genders， the familial issues she has to live through， learn a bit about the history of the royal family of Kisia and finally see her try her hardest to save her country。 Rah starts out in a terrible position thanks to his exile and he has to tackle whole other issues like leadership， tradition， tribal norms and powerful enemies。 While the third character， Cassandra deals with both internal and external problems。 Each one of them had their fair share of issues to deal with and each one of them was also a joy to follow。 This is where the talent of Devin Madson shined to me， as she made them all very distinct， they come from very different backgrounds and most importantly， she made me care about them all。 My favourite of the bunch was Cassandra， if I had to choose one， as I really liked this strange but exciting struggle she had with herself before any of the external stuff。 But that doesn't mean that I wasn't rooting for Miko to succeed or hoping that Rah would find some form of peace on the imposed changes his world was going through， au contraire， chapter 21 is one of my favourite chapters in the book and it's because of Miko。It's also interesting to note here， that none of the three POV characters had a complete control of their lives and/or decisions， all of what happens to them here is imposed on them because someone somewhere decided that it was a good idea to do it。 This struggle of theirs in this grimdark world where people die， bad things happen to good people and the characters are forced to do things they don't want to do was brilliant to see。 Combine that with Madson's intricate writing and it's an all round incredibly experience。 I'm focusing more on the characters than on the actual plot and it's mainly because the plot was this predetermined to happen war that no one could really stop and it was in the background for the majority of it while I watched the struggle of the characters take front and center。 I do admit that I expected a bit more magic to go with everything， but only one character actually deals with it， in a sense and it's not enough for me to know what exactly I'm dealing with here， but my interest is piqued for the remainder of the books which are hopefully coming in 2021。 Speaking of books， I had no idea that this is actually the sequel series to The Vengeance Trilogy， but since I didn't really feel any entry barriers， I took that as a very good indication to continue till the end。 It was an incredibly experience in the end， I had a lot of fun and I can't wait to continue （and hopefully finish） the journey later this year。Final rating: 4。5/5 。。。more

Boulder Boulderson ，

It's fine/ vaguely competent fantasy， I guess， but all memories of this book have been obliterated by the fact that it ends at （on Kindle） 93%， and on a cliff hanger。 Really， really frustrating work there， thanks。 It's fine/ vaguely competent fantasy， I guess， but all memories of this book have been obliterated by the fact that it ends at （on Kindle） 93%， and on a cliff hanger。 Really， really frustrating work there， thanks。 。。。more

Pedro Marroquín ，

Tres culturas （estepas mongoles， china， y otra más） están en una especie de guerra permanente， además de conflictos internos。 El relato se ve a través de tres personajes， uno de cada cultura， y que hasta el final apenas se relacionan entre si。 Entretenida y te deja con ganas de leer más。 B+

Brad ，

EBR - like

Lisa ，

Extremely gory， not for the faint of heart。Two nations at the cusp of war。 The Kisian Empire with its royal twins， Princess Miko Ts'ai and Prince Tanaka Ts'ai fighting for their rightful place in the empire。 The Chiltae Empire and its masked priests of the One True God offering up their priest son to stop a century-old war。 Chiltae assassin Cassandra Marius desperately searching for a cure for the voice in her head and her ability to hear the songs of the dead。 Stuck in the middle are the exiled Extremely gory， not for the faint of heart。Two nations at the cusp of war。 The Kisian Empire with its royal twins， Princess Miko Ts'ai and Prince Tanaka Ts'ai fighting for their rightful place in the empire。 The Chiltae Empire and its masked priests of the One True God offering up their priest son to stop a century-old war。 Chiltae assassin Cassandra Marius desperately searching for a cure for the voice in her head and her ability to hear the songs of the dead。 Stuck in the middle are the exiled warriors from the nation of Levanti， Captain Rah e'Torin， and his merry band of horsemen as they find welcome， fighting in a foreign war。 Packed with political intrigue， warring kingdoms， and epic wars， WRtS does a wonderful job of building three empires with a distinct culture and the individual narrators， Rah， Cassandra， and Miko as they survive in them。 I won't deny that I haven't read such a blunt and jarring book that does not ease the reader into the dark and harsh world of political intrigue。 Madison does not hold back in depicting both the stark imagery of desperation and fear with the vivid details of blood， and carnage but also the nobler aspects of tradition， loyalty， and courage。 Each of the character's story arcs was done so well and so immersive that even the "evil-doers" motivations were understandable。Beautifully written， packed with action and suspense， WRtS was an interesting and fun read with surprisingly well-thought-out plot twists that kept the pace of the story high and engaging。 I am not sure the supernatural nature worked so well for me since it didn't jive with any other part of the story specifically the world-building since only two characters were extra-ordinary out of the whole cast。 It only seemed to give Cassandra and Leo an extra edge and motivation for their actions but nothing else。 I liked that Cassandra， the aged prostitute， was not the stereotypical assassin both in voice and in age as she did what she wanted and barely concerned herself with the consequences as long as she got what she wanted。 Rah's adherence to the Levanti tradition and honor code， even if he himself broke those same laws and in contrast to Gideon who also wanted to save the Levanti people seems to foreshadow that Rah is a relic to the past， and will not survive this new reality。Ending on a high note， a cliffhanger with the "good guys" getting their revenge， I hope the next book continues with the fast-paced， action-packed， and character-driven story that made this book such a ride to read。Great read！ 。。。more

Sadie （The Booty Queen） ，

Haven't read the book。 Will never read the book （or any other written by the author as she is one of those mentally defective TRAsh sympathisers on the internet）。 Any woman who supports the misogynist TRAsh movement deserves to be bitch slapped for her treachery。 #IStandWithJKRowling ❤️ #TakeOutTheTRAsh 🗑️🚮 Haven't read the book。 Will never read the book （or any other written by the author as she is one of those mentally defective TRAsh sympathisers on the internet）。 Any woman who supports the misogynist TRAsh movement deserves to be bitch slapped for her treachery。 #IStandWithJKRowling ❤️ #TakeOutTheTRAsh 🗑️🚮 。。。more

A。D。 Green ，

Wonderfully evocative， brutally visceral fantasyIt is not often I pick up a book that so enraptures me it is hard to put it down。 Devin Madson， I salute you。 What a beautiful written expertly told fantasy。 I loved every page and lived every moment。 What a ride。 Action-packed but so emotionally charged and full of intrigue。 Wow。The story is told through the eyes of three uniquely distinctive characters。 You would think I would have a favourite。 That I would mourn the passing of one character-driv Wonderfully evocative， brutally visceral fantasyIt is not often I pick up a book that so enraptures me it is hard to put it down。 Devin Madson， I salute you。 What a beautiful written expertly told fantasy。 I loved every page and lived every moment。 What a ride。 Action-packed but so emotionally charged and full of intrigue。 Wow。The story is told through the eyes of three uniquely distinctive characters。 You would think I would have a favourite。 That I would mourn the passing of one character-driven chapter to pick up the thread of the next but I didn’t。 I was so invested in each character that it just flowed。 That is a really hard and really impressive ability to maintain throughout an entire book。 I particularly liked the Asian feudal feel to it。 It was refreshingly different from the medieval European fantasy that is the standard trope。 The nomadic Levanti， horse lords and fearsome warriors were reminiscent of ancient Mongols and the Khans only instead of Steppe ponies they rode towering horses。 The Empire of Kisia had hints of ancient China but woven into a unique creed and history。The story is left on a knife-edge for all three of our protagonists and I can’t complain having been guilty of a few cliffhanger endings myself。 It just means I’m going to have to buy the second book…。oh wait I already have。If you love fantasy then I highly recommend this book。 ‘Take a look inside’ and if that first chapter doesn’t grab you then maybe you need to take a long hard look at yourself。 。。。more

Nathalie ，

This book single-handedly put me into a bit of a reading slump。 （I say slump but it just took me about 5 days longer than I usually would， so this is a bit overdramatic but still）。There’s one POV character that is legitimately interesting， which is Miko。 Her opening lines were great and immediately brought you into her story。 I think if you had to name a main character， it would definitely be her。But then there’s Rah， whose chapters （and whose character） I found very boring and was only really i This book single-handedly put me into a bit of a reading slump。 （I say slump but it just took me about 5 days longer than I usually would， so this is a bit overdramatic but still）。There’s one POV character that is legitimately interesting， which is Miko。 Her opening lines were great and immediately brought you into her story。 I think if you had to name a main character， it would definitely be her。But then there’s Rah， whose chapters （and whose character） I found very boring and was only really interesting for the connections to the other POV characters。There’s also Cassandra - who on paper should be a very fascinating character， but it doesn’t really work。 The situations she got herself in were just so ridiculous at times that I couldn’t take her seriously， and the way her thoughts were written she felt way younger than she was supposed to be。There’s a few side characters that cross over between each character’s chapters， and I felt that Rah’s and Cassandra’s chapters mostly served as a purpose to let us know what they were up to or what happened consequences wise after certain events in Miko's chapters。 Them as characters didn’t get as much development or attention as Miko did， and were mostly our viewpoint for the other characters that just happened to be at their location。Miko’s story is genuinely exciting though， and does have some surprises along the way。 I just wish the other characters were as engaging。 。。。more

Karen ⚜Mess⚜ ，

Even though this was a MacHalo buddy read， I ended up soloing it。 I guess no one was really in the mood for an epic fantasy， but I always am！ So glad I read We Ride the Storm。 A gripping epic fantasy with touches of grimdark。 I would have to say Cassandra is my favorite character。 Her story touches a paranormal that I would like to read more about。 I think Leo also toes the line of the same kind of paranormal in the story。 I'm interested to see how the paranormal and the politics mesh togethe Even though this was a MacHalo buddy read， I ended up soloing it。 I guess no one was really in the mood for an epic fantasy， but I always am！ So glad I read We Ride the Storm。 A gripping epic fantasy with touches of grimdark。 I would have to say Cassandra is my favorite character。 Her story touches a paranormal that I would like to read more about。 I think Leo also toes the line of the same kind of paranormal in the story。 I'm interested to see how the paranormal and the politics mesh together。 I've already bought the second book。 Now it's just a matter of finding time to read it。 。。。more

Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin ，

This book just didn’t do it for me。 Sucks， I was hoping to buy the trilogy in paperback 🤷🏻‍♀️🤨Buddy read with my wonderful， MacHalo’s This book just didn’t do it for me。 Sucks， I was hoping to buy the trilogy in paperback 🤷🏻‍♀️🤨Buddy read with my wonderful， MacHalo’s 。。。more

Aundine ，

3。75*

Rory Coleman ，

Great book！ Amazing plot！ Loved all the characters and really invested in what happens to them！ Absolutely excellent！！！！！

Liam Newsome ，

“I desire to kill many men。 It’s nothing personal”Maybe I expected too much from this book， I had seen several good reviews of which I trust。 Looking back I should have read ‘the vengeance trilogy’ before this book which maybe would have changed my score。 One day I’ll re-read them & update。 I ended up struggling through this book， hope the following book starts taking off。 There are 3 different people we follow in this book， Princess Miko， Rah e’Torin & Cassandra。 I really only enjoyed reading a “I desire to kill many men。 It’s nothing personal”Maybe I expected too much from this book， I had seen several good reviews of which I trust。 Looking back I should have read ‘the vengeance trilogy’ before this book which maybe would have changed my score。 One day I’ll re-read them & update。 I ended up struggling through this book， hope the following book starts taking off。 There are 3 different people we follow in this book， Princess Miko， Rah e’Torin & Cassandra。 I really only enjoyed reading about one of these characters which was Cassandra。 I felt Cassandra was the more interesting of the 3， being a whore and an assassin although I don’t think she was put across as too much of an assassin。 I hope we see more of her in book #2。 Rah I felt was just dull， I really just did not enjoy his chapters at all。 I just felt all he wanted to do was to hack heads off his dead people。 Miko I thought I would like at the very start of the book but by the end I was disappointed， she turned out to be so annoying。 I only really enjoyed one of the plots in this book out of the 3。 For me unfortunately I have to give 2 stars， I just could not get into this book and only one of the characters I found interesting。 。。。more

Nessa ，

Brilliant read which is set in an Asian inspired fantasy world where the north and south are on the brink of war。 The narrative is from three different characters pov who have no interaction with each but have a part to play in the looming battle。 I wasn't too keen on the 3 characters， but somehow the plot kept me engaged to find out how they get out of certain difficult situations。 It felt as though it was inspired by First Law series， and I definitely will be continuing with the following book Brilliant read which is set in an Asian inspired fantasy world where the north and south are on the brink of war。 The narrative is from three different characters pov who have no interaction with each but have a part to play in the looming battle。 I wasn't too keen on the 3 characters， but somehow the plot kept me engaged to find out how they get out of certain difficult situations。 It felt as though it was inspired by First Law series， and I definitely will be continuing with the following books。 。。。more

Dale Thompson ，

I saw a tweet this morning about different types of reviewers， some being very liberal about their five-star reviews and the other being picky about how they rate those books。 Now in my The Girl and the Stars review I said I don’t use five-star ratings， and apparently， I’m a liar。 Devin Madson’s We Ride with the Storm gets another five-star review。 You know what， I don’t care， and you know why？ Because this book was fucking amazing。 And if a book is really fucking amazing it gets a five star （If I saw a tweet this morning about different types of reviewers， some being very liberal about their five-star reviews and the other being picky about how they rate those books。 Now in my The Girl and the Stars review I said I don’t use five-star ratings， and apparently， I’m a liar。 Devin Madson’s We Ride with the Storm gets another five-star review。 You know what， I don’t care， and you know why？ Because this book was fucking amazing。 And if a book is really fucking amazing it gets a five star （If I don’t feel the need to use swear words then it just gets four stars）。Now I’m kind of ashamed of myself because I hadn’t heard of Devin till very recently and I didn’t realise until the interview at the end of WRtS that she had a series before this （The Vengeance Trilogy）， a series that I would imagine might enhance certain parts of the book。 However， if you’re like me and you’re in the same boat， do not fret， you can read WRtS without needing to read the prior series。 However， Devin if you read this by some small chance， I will go back and read them， I promise。The story tells of the struggles between the Kisian， Chiltaen and Levanti people， this world is based on what seems to be Feudal Japan， taking very strong cultural impressions from all over Asia。 Devin has managed to write a world that feels rich with the history and traditions of those people， and she manages to write this world with little need of piling us with tons of unnecessary details。 Instead， incorporating the information we need to know into the story and allowing us to feel like we know these people， characters and what drives them while keeping the story going at breakneck speeds。 Devin’s writing style was incredible the entire way through the book and really felt unlike anything I’ve read in recent years。 As I was scribbling down notes， I wrote it felt like every time I was turning a page， I was waiting for Devin to pop out from wherever she was hiding and slap me in the face， before running off and hiding somewhere new so I wouldn’t know where to expect the next one from。 I felt scared and tense for the characters I came to know， I spent chapters holding in my breath without realising， clenching my jaw， I wrote angry sentences about how Devin didn’t want any of us to be happy as she twisted the plot once again。 It’s not often a book stresses me as much as WRtS and it should be taken as a massive compliment。 I never knew where this book was going to take me， whether that was the storyline Devin was so masterfully crafting。 Scenes I couldn’t even try to pretend I could guess what was going to happen next， or just actual scenes that were stunning to read， whether that being for how beautiful the prose were or because of how shocking the scene was。 I mean we basically open the book with Devin in detail describing how to cut off a head。 “It’s harder to sever a head than people think。 Perhaps， if one were skilled with an axe， it could be done in a single blow – so long as the body was not trying to run away at the time – but out in the grasslands， decapitation is done with a knife。 The first incision is easy。 Then you drag your serrated blade through the flesh and think you’ll soon be done。 I thought so my first time。 I thought it would be quick and simple and not involve such thick globs of blob。” Rah e’Toring， We Ride the Storm – Devin MadsonIf it wasn’t for the fact it was incredibly illegal， I would think Devin’s been hacking off human heads herself， and to be honest I’m not sure if that stopped her， she knows vastly too much on the subject。 On top of this incredible writing， we had then potentially some of the most wonderful chapter structure I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a long time。 Epic fantasy that tells its story through the POV of multiple characters tends to do similar things， creating nice little cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter （series like the Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones are prime examples of this）， leaving you with your favourite character bleeding out on a battlefield while then jumping halfway across the world to maybe two characters you don’t care about， talking politics。 Leaving you with a knife in your gut as you try your best not to skim over those next hundred pages， till you finally return and find out what happened。 Devin instead writes these beautiful chapters which each tend to have their own crescendo， each picking up quickly till it peaks with something jaw-droppingly exciting before then normally giving you some sort of resolution at the end。 You get the knife thrust to the gut， swift battlefield surgery and sent on your merry way all in one chapter and I can’t tell you enough how much I loved that。Now I mention my desire to skim over or just skip over chapters （Don’t shame me， I don’t do it。 I’m just tempted）。 I’ve touched on this in previous reviews， when it does happen it can occasionally be because of the character， I’m now having to read about someone who I can’t get along with。 Devin negates this issue of mine really easily by making sure all three main characters are insanely amazing。 I would also like to make it clear that Devin wrote every character， no matter how minor to the story as someone important to the reader。 Each one was written so you became invested， somehow even becoming emotionally attached to the characters you maybe thought were arseholes， Devin’s ability to write characters incredibly， no matter how big or small is something that truly makes this book great。I thoroughly loved reading each character’s perspectives， no character felt more important than another， each falling into their parts of the story perfectly and each slowly being entwined together to get it to its ending masterfully。 As much as I loved all three characters， I think Miko ended up as my favourite even though she probably started out as my least。 Miko is a princess of Kisia， her and her brother， Tanaka， prince of Kisia and potential heir to the throne are stepchildren to the all mighty God Emperor of Kisia。 However， both are Okato children， this information hidden away for years to stop any uprising from the troubled north， still fiercely loyal to the Okato’s。 Miko even though quite clearly the more capable of the two siblings is looked over due to her being a female， classic historical misogyny。 Although， Miko has very different plans for herself and I think quite early on you can guess the sort of storyline that she will follow， however what I wouldn’t have guessed is the gorydamn roller coaster of emotions that Devin would put us through。 Her story starting out slowly ends up rampaging in excitement as the book carries on， the last hundred or so pages being a complete emotional maelstrom that truly makes you grit your teeth。 “They tried to kill me four times before I could walk。 Seven before I held any memory of the world。 Every time thereafter I knew fear， but it was anger that chipped sharp edges into my soul”。 Princess Miko， We Ride the Storm – Devin MadsonThe second character is Rah e’Toring， Captain of the Second Swords of the Torin Tribe， part of the nomadic tribes of the Levanti。 A people heavily steeped in an honour and code that was incredibly fun to read and potentially is based on the Mongolian people， Devin did a really incredible job of giving us a ton of information on how the Levanti lived without ever needing to sit down and explain it。 Rah’s people are exiled from their lands and end up being captured and forced to fight by the Chiltaens， finding out as you go that this was all a lot more complicated than it seemed。 Rah started off as my favourite character and held that spot till right at the end， his story is a constant source of gripping excitement， his struggles to return his people to some sort of freedom and a way back to the code that he has been forced to stray from。 Devin does as incredible job of communicating this character’s emotions onto the paper and really makes us feel his pain and fear， his love for his people and his concern for the decisions he has taken。 I’m glad I don’t have to wait to long to read the second book because Devin really upped her slapping game for the end of this one。 “We are the Swords that hunt so your hands may be clean。 We are the Swords that kill so your soul may be light。 We are the Swords that die so you may live。” Rah e’Toring， We Ride the Storm – Devin MadsonCassandra is the last of our characters， a Chiltaen full time assassin， part time prostitute， full time mental case， or so you think early on。 You find out everything she does is to quiet the voices of ‘her’ -a voice in Cassandras head that she wants rid of。 Cassandra is caught deeply in the web of Chiltaen politics as she finds herself being bounced between the different sides， all wanting her skills for their own devious ends。 Cassandra quite quickly shocks as she’s introduced and is a character you eagerly wait to reappear in the story， but as we go on it turns out there’s so much more to her than the drug fuelled sex fiend that’s portrayed at the beginning。 Devin doing a fantastic job of humanising her character and really drawing you in emotionally as you realise her story in fullness。 Towards the end I did find her story overshadowed somewhat but only due to how incredible the other two were， Devin left Cassandra’s story in the perfect place and I can’t wait to find out what happens next。Devin has achieved something magnificent with We Ride the Storm， I don’t think since Pierce Browns Golden Son have， I felt so much emotion from a book， that emotion being mainly stress， and again I can’t stress （haha） how much this is a compliment。 A book that drives you to madness with how incredibly well done the story is， the sort of book you don’t want to put down at 2am， the sort of book you want to shout in frustration at。 This book has quickly entered the list of my all-time favourites and if it wasn’t for the queue of books I currently have and the fact Mike Brooks told me on twitter I had to read his book next， I would have gone straight onto the sequel。 I bet this series will feature in some sort of end of year post and I’m positive it will stay my favourite book of 2021 till May… 。。。more

Reece Dinn ，

I really wanted to like this。 The writing was decent and solid enough but it didn't draw me in。 The setting was well realised but lacked individuality。 The characters were three dimensional but forgettable， and lacked uniqueness。 Everything that I'd like about it was here but lacked flair and I found I was forcing myself to get through it。 Part of me thinks I just want in the mood for it and I should give it another chance at a later date。 I think it's unlikely however。 There wasn't anything abo I really wanted to like this。 The writing was decent and solid enough but it didn't draw me in。 The setting was well realised but lacked individuality。 The characters were three dimensional but forgettable， and lacked uniqueness。 Everything that I'd like about it was here but lacked flair and I found I was forcing myself to get through it。 Part of me thinks I just want in the mood for it and I should give it another chance at a later date。 I think it's unlikely however。 There wasn't anything about it that drew me in。 I've seen it all before and done better。 That being said the prose is good and there is a lot of potential here。 If you're in the mood for a solid fantasy epic this is worth a look。 。。。more

Sarah ，

These books manage to be brutal and realistic without having one-dimensional， purely evil characters。 Very interesting world， great characters， and what feels like an original magic system， possibly alien influenced。 The personal challenges of the individuals are not overlooked in the telling of the greater challenges of these clashing cultures。 We get inside the heads of a bunch of very different characters and they are all well developed and relatable。 Definitely reading the next book！

Wexakus ，

Why I finished a book were I liked only about half of the POV characters is beyond me tbh。 The plot finished in an incomplete and sequel-requiring way。Bonus meme: All books that bait me by having a substantial amount of pages left to read and then having a fuckton of appendices and "bonus chapters" can fuck off。 Why I finished a book were I liked only about half of the POV characters is beyond me tbh。 The plot finished in an incomplete and sequel-requiring way。Bonus meme: All books that bait me by having a substantial amount of pages left to read and then having a fuckton of appendices and "bonus chapters" can fuck off。 。。。more

Sarah ，

Love it， love it， love it。 I have book 2 ready to go and I can’t wait。 Full review coming on Breaking the Glass Slipper

Gerard ，

Not for me

Megan Hackbarth ，

While it was a good read， it didn't completely grasp my attention or interest。 Maybe it was the writing style or the characters but this book wasn't for me。 Not saying it was a bad book。 Far from it。 It just wasn't the book for me。 I'd give it 3。5 stars but am unable to。 While it was a good read， it didn't completely grasp my attention or interest。 Maybe it was the writing style or the characters but this book wasn't for me。 Not saying it was a bad book。 Far from it。 It just wasn't the book for me。 I'd give it 3。5 stars but am unable to。 。。。more

Maggy ，

So what’s the book about？An empire is on the verge of collapse and three fighters become involved in this war。 Each of the three characters experiences the death of the empire through a different perspective。 Princess Miko must feel like a prisoner in her family castle and she is more than just a marionette。 Rah， too， just wants to live in freedom， but has to fight in a war he can't identify with。 And finally Cassandra， who through strange circumstances takes on an atypical assignment as an assa So what’s the book about？An empire is on the verge of collapse and three fighters become involved in this war。 Each of the three characters experiences the death of the empire through a different perspective。 Princess Miko must feel like a prisoner in her family castle and she is more than just a marionette。 Rah， too， just wants to live in freedom， but has to fight in a war he can't identify with。 And finally Cassandra， who through strange circumstances takes on an atypical assignment as an assassin。 What these three have in common is that they cannot trust anyone， not even their long-time friends or families。 And these three， after a betrayal fuels the war， must go their own way， no matter what。 Why I wanted to read this series？A Grimdark novel that also contains complex political contexts and is set in an Asian-inspired world？ Of course I had to buy the book immediately。 My absolute favourite genre is grimdark and that's why I'm always very happy when I read new books from this genre。 I want to be emotionally destroyed and then have to cry and wonder how mean humanity can be。 That's why I really wanted to read this book。 I discovered it in a Facebook group and was immediately impressed by the great cover and the fact that it was published by Orbit also played its part， because I think Orbit has only published great books。 These aspects attracted me the most while reading。•tI love political stories and this one is also complex and also comprehensible。 At times I had the feeling that this was set in a real world and that all these political couples were real。 If someone told me that the story was set in Asia， I would believe it in a heartbeat。 The different races that fight against each other build their political intrigues and teams differently， and in doing so， the differences between the individual races can also be seen in their intrigues。•tThe aspect that it is an Asian-inspired book was extremely appealing to me。 Also like the political realms the world also feels real。 I had the feeling that Princess Miko and the royal state she belongs to could be set in Japan， in that there is a certain austerity here。 That much is said without talking and that respect is brought to higher ones。 On the other hand， Rah reminded me a lot of the Mongols。 Who probably sound barbaric to many and the culture is so far removed from the known other Asian cultures， that this race can really only be misunderstood。•tEach character was so exciting in his or her own way that you just have to love all three main characters。 Miko， who is somehow reserved and on the other hand is so much more intelligent than her brother who is heir to the throne。 Rah， who believes in principles and doesn't want to change， even though the whole world around him is changing。 And Cassandra， who doesn't actually know what she wants and what she is and what she is getting into。 Every character was so genuinely described。 Every character trait felt natural and not that the character was forced to do anything。•tThe whole story was extremely exciting at every moment。 There were always surprising twists and turns that just made you want to read on。 You couldn't put the book down because something exciting was always happening。 But these twists don't seem forced， they fit into the whole storyline。 And these twists also make the book a Grimdark story， because after each twist you had to ask yourself why it had to happen now。•tThe story was so brutal and dark and also depressing that it really fits into the Grimdark genre。 The book just gripped me so emotionally that even after I put it down， it still finished me off。 It felt like my heart was ripped in two after almost every chapter。 It was an intense story throughout。So what are my final thoughts about it？Wow。 Honestly， I don't know what to say about this book。 It pulled me in from the first second to the last page。 I got an extraordinary Grimdark story， with an unbelievably great setting。 I could take every single character to my heart， as each one was interesting and versatile in their own way。 You could tell which character it was from the first few sentences because each had their own way of thinking。 The whole story is fast-paced， but still doesn't involve as much action as one might think。 And that's what I liked about it。 Many readers may seem reminded of Asian-style Game of Thrones， but I have to say that this story stands on its own and I didn't even have to think of comparing it to other books。 Also， Devin Madson is a great narrator as many words were left unspoken and this made you think more and therefore you could link the written story from the author with your own thoughts and everyone can create their very own story as a result。 For me， this book was a highlight on all levels。 It is one of my top 5 favourite books and if you haven't read it yet， you definitely need to。 You just have to love this book。 。。。more

Declan ，

5/5 StarrsWhat a BRILLIANT book！！！！ I mainly got this book because the cover is AWESOME but what I did not expect was to read a vividly imagined world with intricate cultures， morally grey characters and fabulous moments。 The pace was fast but not too fast， the writing was wonderful and some of the moments in this book！ DAMN they were good。 I actually didn't know this was a 2nd trilogy in the same world but I don't think that affected my reading experience at all。 HIGHLY RECOMMEND 。 5/5 StarrsWhat a BRILLIANT book！！！！ I mainly got this book because the cover is AWESOME but what I did not expect was to read a vividly imagined world with intricate cultures， morally grey characters and fabulous moments。 The pace was fast but not too fast， the writing was wonderful and some of the moments in this book！ DAMN they were good。 I actually didn't know this was a 2nd trilogy in the same world but I don't think that affected my reading experience at all。 HIGHLY RECOMMEND 。 。。。more

Syl ，

4。5 stars This book is so underrated and I don't know why ！！ This story is about three completely different people who live under the same sky of ‘Kisian’。 War is about to tear everything down and these three will have to rise ！ The book has 3 main POVs， which is something I like if it’s done correctly， and it is done exceptionally well ！ Each one of the characters was interesting but of course I had a favorite ！ Rah e’Torin had my awe with his inspiring code of honor as he was constantly a li 4。5 stars This book is so underrated and I don't know why ！！ This story is about three completely different people who live under the same sky of ‘Kisian’。 War is about to tear everything down and these three will have to rise ！ The book has 3 main POVs， which is something I like if it’s done correctly， and it is done exceptionally well ！ Each one of the characters was interesting but of course I had a favorite ！ Rah e’Torin had my awe with his inspiring code of honor as he was constantly a light during the darkness ！ At one point all 3 lines come together and the plot starts to make more sense。 In the end all POVs were left on a cliffhanger ！ And I honestly can‘t wait to read the next installment ！！ ⚠ Make no mistake guys， this is not YA and it‘s not a light book。 This is dark fantasy with many traumatic scenes， brutal scenes & a whirlwind of emotions ！ There are also a few explicit scenes。 This is me warning you ！ ✨ 。。。more

Dejvo ，

The author took a hard challenge and wrote a book with three different POVs - this is very hard to pull off （to be interesting）， but she mostly succeeds。 There is a daughter of emperor， who is scheming a revolt， a leader of nomad tribe， who is exploring new country and a whore-assassin， who has a strange problem， that needs to be fixed。Overall it is quite readable， with a lot of violence and interesting story。 The cons are:every character has some dull chapterspolitical scheming is very simple a The author took a hard challenge and wrote a book with three different POVs - this is very hard to pull off （to be interesting）， but she mostly succeeds。 There is a daughter of emperor， who is scheming a revolt， a leader of nomad tribe， who is exploring new country and a whore-assassin， who has a strange problem， that needs to be fixed。Overall it is quite readable， with a lot of violence and interesting story。 The cons are:every character has some dull chapterspolitical scheming is very simple and predictablethe story seems to be pushed by random events rather than any decision/planning there's lot of strange things going on without the tiny bit of explanation The bonus is reading the reviews on this book， by ppl saying 'oh no， there's a rape and a nomads are considered savages' while being ok with things like child killings， suicide etc。 。。。more

Kes ，

This was a difficult book to get into， and I found myself waffling about the number of plotlines that we're introduced。 It also looks like this is a sequel trilogy， which I didn't know。Miko Ts'ai is growing up as a princess together with her brother， Tanaka。 The heir is undeclared; as a girl， Miko is comfortably out of the running （even though she is a more diligent student than her brother）。Cassandra is an assassin; we see her running around killing people， and taking advantage of her beauty to This was a difficult book to get into， and I found myself waffling about the number of plotlines that we're introduced。 It also looks like this is a sequel trilogy， which I didn't know。Miko Ts'ai is growing up as a princess together with her brother， Tanaka。 The heir is undeclared; as a girl， Miko is comfortably out of the running （even though she is a more diligent student than her brother）。Cassandra is an assassin; we see her running around killing people， and taking advantage of her beauty to do so。 She's looking for （view spoiler）[the Witchdoctor， who she finally meets at the end of it。 We also find out that the mysterious voice the plagues her can take over dead bodies。 （hide spoiler）]Captain Rah e'Torin provides a third cultural perspective: he's from a nomadic people who have been edged out by the increasing number of city folk。 They're also gender-egalitarian， and they have particular beliefs e。g。 beheading the dead to free their souls。 They're captured and brought into the conflict between Kisia and Chiltae， and his overriding desire is to go home。 The characters grew on me; and I'll probably move on to the next book。 However， I didn't really get into it， somehow - the good is that each character has character development; the bad is that I just couldn't connect。 It also edges somewhat grimdark: there's a lot of death and politicking involved。 There's also sexual assault: one of Captain Rah's teammate is （view spoiler）[gangraped in front of him and his Swords so that the Chiltae can show dominance （hide spoiler）]。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=We Ride the Storm

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=We Ride the Storm&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,We Ride the Storm&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0