Stormbringer (Weather Witch, #2) by Shannon Delany

Stormbringer (Weather Witch, #2) Reviews

• 
  Jessica (a GREAT read)

  I received this ARC from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review. Note that this is based on the ARC and not the finished version.
  
  
  Shannon Delany's Stormbringer is the second book in her new trilogy set in the steampunk world of the United States. I have to admit that I love these covers! I think they are so bright and brilliant, they are just simply stunning!
  
  I had a bit of a rough patch with the first book in this trilogy and I am sad to say that it kind of continued throughout this one. It's not so much the world building, I don't think. I am fairly close to understanding it. A few times, I might forget what this or that is, but I just roll with it. There's no glossary unfortunately. It might be some of the rules of this world that I struggle to remember. It's never good when you forget what's already come to pass, add in my being confused the first go around and it does make for a difficult read.
  
  What plays the largest part in my confusion, I believe, are all the characters. We get many points of view in this trilogy and for some reason, I struggle to adjust to each one and try to comprehend what's going on with them. It almost feels like these characters all have different lives going on, but don't really connect to one another, at least not yet.
  
  Some of the magic involved in this world also tends to confuse me. Particularly the thing with the soul lights. I think that's the term anyway. I can understand its base concept, but then the whole idea that you can get new ones or replacements starts to confuse me. I do my best to stop trying to analyze and understand things and try to simply enjoy the story, but that can be hard at times when you're not sure what exactly is going on.
  
  Jordan and Rowen are in bit of a pickle. They are both taken to separate airships to fly to who knows where. Jordan is a prisoner of sorts, she's with Bran and his family, plus a few other mysterious characters. I can't remember if they were there before or not. But Jordan is the ultimate prisoner here. She is being forced to "learn" how to control her abilities so that she may fly the airship and take over from the previous Weather Witch.
  
  Bran kind of confuses me in his behavior. He's starting to seem regretful for what he did to Jordan. I don't understand him. I had thought him to be a villain of sorts, but he doesn't act that way. He was selfish for sure, but I am not entirely sure what to expect of his character now.
  
  Rowen was taken by traders, not pirates--which becomes the joke--and is flying around the air or wherever with them while trying to convince the captain to release him so that he may rescue Jordan. I had thought there to be no love lost between those two, but I am starting to think otherwise. There is no one else that could win Jordan's heart, so to speak, so I wonder if Rowen is still meant to be her "true love".
  
  Despite the complexities that I continue to have with this series, I still try to enjoy these books as much as I can. And there are moments when I can grasp what's currently going no. But for some reason, I do find myself struggling to stay on top of what's happening. I rarely find the read that befuddles me so, but it's bound to happen occasionally. Since the trilogy is nearly done, I find I will stick with it and see how things turn out for Jordan in the end!
  
  
  Overall Rating 3/5 stars
• 
  Shelley

  *Genre* Steampunk
  *Rating* 3.0
  
  *My Thoughts*
  
  Stormbringer is the sequel to Weather Witch and pretty much picks up right where the previous story left off. Shannon Delany is a writer who takes her characters to every emotional situation you can think of and then pushes them even further than you can imagine. The world of the Weather Witch series is filled with steampunk, and dangerous creatures known as Merrow, and council members who truly believe that they are the only ones who can be allowed to determine a persons fate and station in life.
  
  Case in point is Seventeen year old Jordan Astraea. Thanks to the manipulations of several key characters, Jordan and her family have lost everything because of the events of Weather Witch when she was outed as a Witch on her birthday. In this world, Witches are slaves, and anyone who attempts to hide them from the council ends up paying the price for their deceit. But, there is also a prophecy that states a unnamed Stormbringer will unite all the ranks and end not only the Wildkin War, but also take on the machinations of the council as well.
  
  Delany gives us a hopeless, depressed, and angry character in Jordan who after being Made into a Weather Witch by the Maker (Bran Marshal), is now supposed to train to be a Conductor on board the Artemesia under a Captain who has made no bones about the fact that witches aren't really people, and therefore he can do whatever he likes to them at any time he likes.
  
  I have previously stated my position on using rape to tell a story. Any story that has the unnecessary use of rape in the story, automatically gets a huge deduction in my rating system. If it happens more then once, then you are in danger of a review that becomes close to a sermon on the idiocy of this in any book, and in the end, I find myself fighting between continuing the series, and giving up on it entirely. The rape scene in Stormbringer, and the aftermath is descriptive, dark, and disgusting and should not be read by teens under the age of SIXTEEN.
  
  Stormbringer once again takes on a plethora of characters POV's to the point where it seems as though Delany is writing for a TV show, or a movie. I prefer to have no more than two POV's and therefore when you toss in 3 or 4 other characters, I lose focus on what is happening to my favorites.
  
  Rowen Burchette is a major character in this story and you can tell that he is more focused than ever after being torn apart from Jordan and finding himself onboard the Tempest under Captain Elizabeth while trying desperately to rescue her before it is too late. I think he genuinely feels horrible for the events that happened in Weather Witch and chooses a path that leads to reconciliation and hopefully a happy ending when all is said and done.
  
  In the end, I give EVERY effort to remain stoic, and passive, and not rant and rave without merits or because I feel like it and have NEVER abandoned a book because of something awful that happens, or the writing not being up to par. Sometimes stories leave me raging and wanting to fling my Kindle or book across the room. Yet, where exactly does that get me except perhaps a scared out of his mind cat, and perhaps the satisfaction that I'm not really hurting anyone.
  
  As I have already finished reading the first two books in this series, and the next Thunderstruck, will be releasing May 20, 2014, I will most likely find myself requesting the sequel and waiting to find out what happens next to Jordan, Rowen, Meggie, Wandering Wallace, Councilman Stevenson, Catrina Hollindale, Bran Marshall, Marion Kruse, John and Laura, the Astraea family, and a slew of other characters that got to tell their stories in Stormbringer.
  
  *Recvd 01/09/2014 via NetGalley* Published: January 14th 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin
• 
  Sandie

  While I really enjoyed the first book in The Weather Witch trilogy, I had difficulty getting into the second book. It took me forever to get through it, so I probably won't read the third book even though I'm sure everything will get straightened out. I guess I'm just not invested enough in the main characters.
• 
  Samantha

  "Jordan Astraea lives as practically a slave now as she is forced to train to be a Conductor. It doesn't help that she can barely understand her powers herself. Her only hope, Rowen, wants to rescue her, but he is forced to work on a ship as well. They will have to learn to fight their own battles if they want to brace the storm that is about to come." Full review at Fresh Fiction:
  http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id...
• 
  Veronica

  This was almost a 2 star book, due to certain events that happened that I did not care for at all and that I felt did not need to be in the book, but the fast pace and action toward the end brought it to a 3 star.
• 
  Dani

  CW: rape, cutting, self harm, exoticism
  
  This book is bad on all counts. Misogyny, racism, and dull, I'm glad this author is no longer being published.
• 
  Haley

  This book surprised me. It doesn’t seem like a whole lot is happening but I enjoyed the characters and the story. I will look forward to the next book.
• 
  Ruthsic

  In the intrigue-filled follow up to Weather Witch, Jordan Astraea, once a young Philadelphia lady of good social standing, is now in the final stages of her brutal training to become a Conductor—the Weather Witch who serves as a living battery to keep the massive airliner Artemesia aloft. Meanwhile, Rowen, determined to rescue her after losing his only other true friend and being wanted for murder, has found himself forced aboard a much different air vessel, this one manned by a dangerous crew and carrying a cargo so treasonous, that, if finding its destination, will herald a storm of revolution for the still young United States.
  
  Firstly, this book exceeded expectations. I mean, Weather Witch was okay, in my opinion, and I had not come to expect much from it's sequel. Where Weather Witch had a languid pace and a very short plot-line, most of which was not focused on the heroine of the series, Stormbringer had an entirely different pace and build-up. The separate story-lines were reminiscent from the earlier book, the plot really thickens in this one. We had Jordan being pushed beyond her breaking point in Weather Witch, but here she faces another form of torture. I don't know whether it qualifies as a spoiler, but the book contains rape and I would advise caution, for people who would be upset by it. It is terrible and dark, be warned. Rowen discovers the world is much more wider than the society of Philadelphia and finds a cause. The Maker and the one who seeks retribution against him, Marion have their own journey of sorts. All this was set against the backdrop of a rebel uprising brewing on the sidelines and the Council grasping on it's grab of power. Also mixed in are the little snippets of magick, which somehow come together, not wholly, towards the end of the book.
  
  The characters were rendered wonderfully - a lot was left to interpretation and maybe that makes the novel a bit harder to read than normal, but this time around I enjoyed the subtle shifts in behavior and emotions so intricately described. Each of them a mystery - even the little girl with the tremendous power. I was half in love with the story of the Wandering Wallace and Miyakitsu, even though I didn't understand what exactly happened - not fully. There are a lot more mysteries still not clear, like the reason for the soul stones and what is the Wandering Wallace's aim. The overall atmosphere of the book, is dark and grim, and even horribly sad at times.
  
  The thing I was miffed with, however, was the start - it was the scene from the end of the Weather Witch - the same scene where Jordan and Rowen are boarded across different ships. The scene showed some differences this time around in the novel. Leaving that, I was pretty much into this book - hanging on to every word. The book got better and better as the story progressed, and by better I mean with regards to the plot. Mood-wise, it was dark, and even the end was sort of bittersweet. That, however, makes me really excited for the next book.
  
  Received a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Nikki

  My copy was provided by Netgalley.
  
  Stormbringer is the sequel to Weather Witch and this book took place right after the first one. Jordan has come to terms that she is a Weather Witch, someone with the ability to control the weather, and she is training to become a Conductor. A Conductor helps keep air vessels up in the sky by manipulating the weather to keep the vessels afloat. Yet Jordan is a slave on the Artemesia and she just wants to go back home and be with Rowen.
  
  Rowen can't accept that Jordan is gone and he will do anything to get her back. Even though he was born to be a gentleman, he runs away and joins the crew of a different air vessel to try to get close to Jordan. His troubles don't stop there, however. The ship he's on contains a cargo that can destroy the United States and spark a rebellion that will burn everything in its path. All Rowen wants to do is be with Jordan and all Jordan wants to do is escape, but it doesn't seem like Fate is smiling on them.
  
  Weather Witch was okay, though it was a bit boring and slow. The plot had a simple solution and the book went at a slow pace. Yet the sequel definitely changed my opinion of this series. Now, the plot thickens and there are multiple twists and turns. The book kept me guessing throughout the whole time I was reading it. The other storylines were like the first book, but they were much more interesting.
  
  While the book was confusing at times, the action and mystery more than made up for it. I love the magic Delany came up with. It's so original and intriguing and I love how she illustrated all the emotions and pain Jordan is going through. The book is darker than the first and some things included could be upsetting.
  
  What I didn't like was all the different characters. I kept losing track of who is who and I got confused of what was happening because of all the point of view changes. While these characters lives all connect to each other in some way, it was difficult at times to realize what the connection was and to forge a connection with all the characters. It takes awhile to adjust to the other character and to understand what they're all going through.
  
  The plot got better as the book progressed and it kept me entertained the whole time. The book ended with not so much as a cliffhanger, but it did leave some things wide open. I can't wait to read the next book and find out what happens with Jordan and Rowen.
  
• 
  Chelsey Wolford

  After reading the first book in this series back in June of last year, I was anxious and excited to find out that the second book was going to release rather quickly. This book picks up almost exactly where the last one left off, and I was very intrigued to continue this story in Delany’s world of magic, steampunk, and lots of adventure. Our heroine, Jordan Astraea, has recently landed herself in a bit of trouble, and not all by her own doing. On her birthday she was outed as a witch, which is not a good thing in Delany’s imagined world. Now Jordan is training to fulfill a prophecy that could be set out for her. She is angry and somewhat confused but full of willpower; this is truly what makes a makes a great heroine, right?
  
  There are things that I do not like about this series, or should I say an issue that I prefer not to read about. However, I have tried to put my feelings on that topic aside because there are so many more things that I enjoy about this book. The characters in this book have grabbed a hold of my soul, heart, and mind and I am constantly rooting for them to come out on top. I have read some reviews in which people were not too fond of Jordan, but I for one cannot agree. Jordan is a phenomenal character and a stand up witch! I love following her through this world that Delany has envisioned. Jordan faces dangerous situations and a lot of action and adventure around every corner. I love that she handles herself and others that she cares about as well!
  
  As I alluded to earlier, this book is full of some dark elements, but at the same time is so wonderfully imaginative that it just cannot be passed up. I am very excited for the next book in this series, which I am hearing will release in May of this year. If you are a fan of witchcraft or steampunk then I highly recommend this book to you!
  
  ***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for my honest review***
  
• 
  Mary BookHounds

  Jordan is now being forced into the role as a conductor on the airship, Artemesia, while Rowen is now aboard a ship that conducts trade, not all of it above board. The pair, now separated, are both fighting for survival and Rowen has vowed to find Jordan once again and rescue her. The Artemesia has an assortment of passengers including the Maker, Bran and his daughter. Bran has been kidnapped by those in opposition to his creations and Wandering Wallace has ulterior motives as well. That little turn in the plot caught me off guard. This is one of the better second in a series I have read in a long time. I thought this really gave the Weather Witch a run for the money.
  Jordan story in this one is almost more heartbreaking than the first. She does come out a stronger person and it is such a surprise turnaround that it will take you off guard. I had a few weepy moments as what she endure aboard the ship and her imprisonment comes to light. Rowen on the other hand, is forced to grow up a bit, which I never expected he needed. I though he had it pretty well together but when the captain of the ship, Elizabeth, points out the holes in his rescue plan, he does meet the mark.
  I found this installment amazing and heatbreaking at the same time. What Jordan has been forced to endure will indeed make her a stronger person, but getting there isn't easy or pretty. There are some wonderful insights to minor characters and they really help move the plot along as well as make me wonder what else they are up to. Parents: This is best suited for older teens since there are themes of slavery, abuse, violence and some language. This series would spark a nice conversation on these subjects that mirror what is happening around the world today.
• 
  Frances

  I didn't get to read the first in the series before this one, as it was an ARC and my library doesn't have the first book. That said, the first few chapters were a bit confusing. It is not completely a stand-alone story. It was pretty easy to play catch-up and become familiar with the main voices of the book, though.
  
  Reading in the author's acknowledgements, she said she wanted to make kids (teens, really) think, so I was a little hesitant, also. I read to get lost in something and be entertained, not to thank, darn it! But... I was entertained, and thought. Good job, on that account.
  
  The story itself is set up like many of this kind are, in a "what if" type of history, where the people are perfectly aware of magic/witches/Reanimators/etc. They fly around in dirigibles (or airships, as this case may be), and have interesting doodads that do interesting things. They are also fighting sea people, who I'm guessing will turn out to be like merfolk if we come across them in the series. Set in the late 1800's, it is the huge, ginormous battle with these merfolk that is basically staving off a revolution on the U.S. home turf. And the story seems to be ultimately about the tides changing in that regard, since the main theme (to get those teens thinking) is about how Government makes decisions for us "uneducated folks," where that fine line is between slavery and pressing people with special skills to service for the country, and what "humane" treatment should people expect as being one of those pressed into service.
  
  Honestly, I think the author did a brilliant job of making me think and entertaining me. It doesn't take much to keen me entertained, but it does take a bit more to make me forget I'm learning a lesson.
• 
  Ange (Our Epic TBR List) Schmelzer

  Jordan Astraea, once Fifth of the Nine until falsely found to be a Weather Witch on her seventeenth birthday, has now officially been Made! Something that should be completely impossible to do, but it has now come to pass and she has been handed over to the airliner Artemesia as their Conductor-in-training, a.k.a. their living battery until she burns out in about a year as the others before her she's replacing. Will Rowen be able to get to her in time now that he's found himself about a Pirate ship instead of the Artemesia? What about The Maker and his young family who have been kidnapped by none other than the infamous Frost Giant? The storms are brewing and we're all awaiting the one from the prophesy who will save them all...
  
  My thoughts: I LOVE THIS SERIES! This has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. The witchiness, the fight to end slavery, the romance, the fight to help others and save what's right and good in the world and to destroy who and what is evil and bad...ALL OF IT!
  
  In this second installment of the Weather Witch series we really get to delve into the characters! At the end of book one, Jordan was quite literally just handed over to the extremely EVIL captain of the Artemesia to become its next Conductor...
  
  To read more, go to:
  

  
  
• 
  Lígia Bellini

  I have mixed feelings about this book. I'm a huge fan of Shannon and i really enjoy to read her books, but this one makes me feel a little bit frustrated, but at same time satisfied! The story is really interesting and the whole concept with steampunk, magic, witches and different creatures is reaaally cool! But the frustrating "thing", is that i was expecting to see Jordan become more powerful and fight back, against all the awful things that happened to her! And talking about that, i think it was shocking to read about the rape! And it wasn't just once, but many times. Besides the torture, the girl, also suffered that.. and i felt reaaaally bad about it, i wasn't expecting that! And the worse, the captain's death was soo silly! I wanted to see him suffering!! Oh well... I also confess, as i started the reading, i was lost, because there were sooo many characters, but as soon as i "got the rhythm", it was fine! The moments of Rowen with the "traders" (not pirates) are funny and makes the "mood" more light, during the reading, but he took so long to rescue Jordan! But i guess that's the feeling of Weather Witch series. It's tense, with dark moments, but there's hope for a better tomorrow and the end, satisfied me! I liked the reunion and i'm curious to read the next book! I just hope is going to end all well.
• 
  Misty Rayburn

  I have been waiting a long time for the sequel to Weather Witch and now it’s here! We return to Shannon Delany’s intriguing world of steampunk with a hint of magic. We rejoin Jordan who is in a very bad spot and Rowan on his quest to save her after everything that happened in Weather Witch. If you haven’t read the first novel, you need to. You won’t understand much of what’s going on without it.
  
  Stormbringer is dark and beautiful at the same time. I would use that description for both the world and the characters. Delany’s world building is second to none as she mixes reality, fantasy, a dash of political intrigue and adds in characters that you love to hate and learn to love. If you like moments that make you go “wow” or nearly bring you to tears then you won’t go wrong here. Even the secondary storylines are heartbreaking. My love of Shannon Delany’s storytelling is right up there with Mercedes Lackey and considering I read The Heralds of Valdemar for years and even read them aloud to my fiancée because there were no audio books available, that’s very high praise. She’s deserving of every bit of it.
  
• 
  Carolyn Keel

  I received this through First Reads Giveaways, and it was just a lovely book. Just BEAUTIFUL! This steampunk world is not something I thought that I would be into it, but reading this... wow. I could just picture every scene from every page... There were some small spelling and continuity errors in the book, but still... the book was so amazingly beautiful that I was totally able to overlook those. I DEVOURED this book in a little over a day. I can't wait to read more by Ms. Delany.
• 
  Ivy

  As fun and ambitious as the first book. Jordan and Rowan's paths diverge on two different airships where one finds himself among revolutionary pirates and the other is further enslaved as the new witch powering her ship. The plot thickens as word of a prophecy about the Stormbringer, a powerful witch who will unite the magical and overturn the status quo.
• 
  Nichole

  This goodreads-first-reads book was great! I hope there are more to come. I really loved the characters, especially Jordan, and I was so mad that she had to go through so many awful things. I am excited to find out if she stays with Rowan, and how all of the witches fare now that their is no Maker. I highly recommend this book.
• 
  Foggygirl

  A great read. An action packed story though at times fairly grim as it depicts the breaking down of a young woman's psyche through serious physical abuse and her society's complicity in it. I look forward to reading the third installment though.
• 
  Janet

  This was much less confusing than the first book in the series, because I understood the phrases that were used. It took some much darker turns than the first one, but had a reasonably pleasant ending however, knowing there is another book to come, I know this is not where it ends.
• 
  Vilde

  Read through
  netgalley.com
• 
  Brianne

  Won this book on first reads. Very excited. Will update review once received and read.
• 
  Lysa

  Received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
• 
  Angela Porter

  I really love this series! Can not get enough of it.