Stormrise

by Jillian Boehme

Overview

A combat warrior will risk everything to awaken the dragons and save her kingdom in Jillian Boehme's epic YA Fantasy debut, Stormrise, inspired by Twelfth Night and perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce.

If Rain weren’t a girl, she would be respected as a Neshu combat master. Instead, her gender dooms her to a colorless future. When an army of nomads invades her kingdom, and a draft forces every household to send one man to fight, Rain takes her chance to seize the life she wants.

Knowing she’ll be killed if she’s discovered, Rain purchases powder made from dragon magic that enables her to disguise herself as a boy. Then she hurries to the war camps, where she excels in her training—and wrestles with the voice that has taken shape inside her head. The voice of a dragon she never truly believed existed.

As war looms and Rain is enlisted into an elite, secret unit tasked with rescuing the High King, she begins to realize this dragon tincture may hold the key to her kingdom’s victory. For the dragons that once guarded her land have slumbered for centuries . . . and someone must awaken them to fight once more.

“Martial arts, a bold girl, a kingdom under attack, magic everywhere—I devoured it in one sitting! This book is one wild ride!” —Tamora Pierce

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250298904
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/10/2020
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	HL740L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

JILLIAN BOEHME is known to the online writing community as Authoress, hostess of Miss Snark’s First Victim, a blog for aspiring authors. In real life, she holds a degree in Music Education, sings with the Nashville Symphony Chorus, and homeschools her remaining youngster-at-home. She’s still crazy in love with her husband of more than thirty years and is happy to be surrounded by family and friends amid the rolling knolls of Middle Tennessee. Stormrise is Boehme's debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

A bold girl, a kingdom under attack, magic everywhere—I devoured it in one sitting! This book is one wild ride!” —Tamora Pierce

“Stand aside, Daenerys Targaryen. Stormrise is a gorgeous, non-stop adventure that kept me turning the pages well into the night!” —Sarah Ahiers

From the Publisher

08/01/2019

Gr 9 Up—Boehme's debut novel creates a new take on the tale of Mulan. When war comes and calls for all families to send an able bodied male, Rain is tasked with a difficult decision: face the uncertainty of her brother and father surviving, or take their place. The choice seems simple to Rain and she soon embarks on an adventure of magic, dragons, and death, knowing that she'll be killed if discovered to be a girl in disguise. There is a motley variation of secondary characters: from Storm, Rain's twin who suffers from the effects of a fever as a baby, to Dalen, a boy whose beliefs in magic and dragons are seen as nothing more than a laughable myth. The book has a lyrical writing style and while the characters themselves are not physically described in detail, the story draws readers in. Boehme casts a fresh take on classic tropes in this epic fantasy through her captivating world-building and fantastical creatures, which are not ordinary dragons. The novel has light romance and is heavy on the action. Since this book features the beginnings of a war, there are some violent scenes that depict gruesome deaths. VERDICT This lush, epic fantasy filled with magic and dragons will circulate well among fans of Tamora Pierce and J.R.R. Tolkien. —Zoe Leonarczyk, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

School Library Journal

2019-06-18
War has come to the country of Ylanda.

The northern nomads have breached the border, and each family must send one male to fight. Seeking to protect her twin brother, Storm, disabled by a childhood illness, Rain adopts his identity—even though discovery would mean death for her and dishonor for her family. Having trained in the art of Neshu fighting with her father, Rain is confident about battle, but the practical matter of hiding her female body remains. She consults Madam S'dora for something to make her periods stop, even dragon magic. Like most, Rain believes dragons are the stuff of legend, but when she-king dragon Nuaga begins to visit her dreams, Rain recognizes not only that dragons are real, but that they offer hope for winning the war. While the premise is nothing new, solo debut author Boehme makes the story exciting: The world is well thought out, and the dragons are distinctive, with clear rules for magic that will draw readers in. The northern nomads and their leader, Tan Vey, are more a faceless evil than fully developed in their own rights, but the main characters are strong and well rounded, and readers will feel invested in their survival. Characters are described as having olive or golden skin and dark hair.

Mulan with dragons for added fun: Be prepared to break out into "I'll Make a Man out of You." (Fantasy. 13-16)

Kirkus Reviews