Once again, Coco Ma has made me fall in love with her characters in God Storm, which is the sequel to her debut novel, Shadow Frost. Her stories are all about her strong cast of characters and I almost died at the ending of Shadow Frost as she separated them and blew the world apart, but thankfully there’s reunions galore here. They had to work and claw their way to one another and although the steamy romance between Asterin and Quinlan wasn’t prominent, other relationships were able to step in and provide the balance of fantasy to romance.
“And tonight he was drinking to get drunk. One hundred days had passed since he had begun searching for Orion. One hundred days since he had delivered Rose and a comatose Quinlan back to Eradore.”
Despite the title of the first book, I think there was way more shadow world incorporated in this sequel. Eion is the god of the shadow kingdom and when Orion was sent there, my heart shattered. He was one of my favourite characters from the first book and having no idea about his fate was unbearable, so I was glad when this was addressed early on. Orion suffers memory loss and is basically coerced into a relationship with Eion, having no idea that he had already fallen for Harry, another character from the same world. I feel like their relationship was only beginning in Shadow Frost and it really ramped up near the end which only made this so much harder to read because I for one wanted them together. Harry makes this book stand out and he was present throughout the entire book and he works so hard to fix things.
“Do not make me repeat myself,’ she spoke, cold ire lacing her voice. ‘I am no murderer.’ She stepped closer to her aunt, her fists trembling at her sides. ‘I am no fool, nor am I ignorant. I am no weapon to be forged by anyone’s hand.”
Luna is a very controversial character. She has a complicated relationship with Asterin due to her mother and this only made things worse between her and Asterin when she chose Quinlan’s life over hers. Betrayal was all she could think of over and over again as she was stuck at her father’s kingdom in book two. She already felt like an outcast before having never been as skilled as Asterin and it was obvious that she could never measure up. This held her back and I feel like being apart helped her to grow. First of all, she stands up to her aunt and then she negotiates with the fearsome Eion, a literal God, all the while playing a dangerous game with a shadow being called Killian who is as ruthless as they come. My favourite part was when she managed to negotiate out of a death sentence from Eoin and turned it around to profit from it which made her stronger and feel like more of herself.
She and Harry are the ones with the most development in God Storm and I loved seeing the morally obtuse characters fighting back and standing up for what they want, despite the very real harm to themselves. They took a gamble with every action and decision and it was a hard to put down book because of them. Luna was very ballsy in her actions in this book and this time, she wasn’t being compared to Asterin at every turn and that helped her character shine.
“Mortals are so fragile, she thought to herself. And yet, what I wouldn’t give to be one of them.”
God Storm introduced several new characters and one of them was Killian, another member of the Shadow Kingdom and one who knew Harry from before he met Asterin and the others, and before he fell for Orion. She’s a vicious and calculating character and yet here you see her underbelly, what she truly wants. This is someone you don’t want to cross and her relationship with Luna is interesting. I’m curious how things develop from here and I wonder if she will get what she really wants by the end of this story.
I loved how strong Quinlan’s familial bond was between his older brother, Taeron, and his cousin, Rose. His fight for survival was only possible with these two fighting alongside him and their relationship was genuinely written. You can feel their love for him and their teasing and constant criticism over him keeping important details to himself felt so real. Ma’s characters seem to carry this bond that unifies them together whether it be of blood or not and I really enjoy that feature to her story. Eadric and Asterin are still close in this book, which I loved, it’s subtle but undeniable. Orion still wants to be there for Luna despite everything she has done and that wasn’t just because she gifted him back his memories.
“The Queen of Axaria had crashed into his life like a meteorite—he had seen it all, right from the start, the attraction, the spark. He had expected her. Underestimated her. Braced himself for the collision, never guessing quite how much her impact would irrevocably change his world. It was the little things—the way she held herself, the way she fiddled with her hands when she paced, the way her eyes had sparkled after the first time they had kissed. And of course it was her strength, too. Her fierce loyalty, her bullheaded determination, and that stupid, irrational, unwavering bravery.”
This was such a tease! I wanted so badly to see more of this steamy romance that was so hot and heavy in Shadow Frost, but this passage really helped curb that opinion. This was so romantic and the fact that they were separated for most of this book made it devastating to read, but the emotional element was there, in full force. They liked to flirt and have witty banter which made their chemistry undeniable in book one and I missed that dialogue between them. I’m hopeful that things between them (as it did escalate but not in the way you guys are thinking!) will be fixed in a way that will make this hopeless romantic happy! I really hope these characters all get a happy ending in the conclusion!
Ma continues to bring humour and seriousness together and it has thrown her beloved characters through a hoop as there’s love and sadness, laughter and sorrow. I’m not sure which book I enjoyed more, but the plot is still going strong and I want to know what happens next. I hope we get to see more of Quinlan and hopefully his current situation is brief, but what I really want is to have them all okay in the end. Hopefully that isn’t asking too much! Harry and Orion are ENDGAME and I love them!
God Storm is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up God Storm? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Everything has a price.
In the kingdom of Axaria, a darkness has fallen. After defeating the evil mother who summoned an immortal demon to kill her, newly coronated Queen Asterin Faelenhart should have every reason to celebrate. Her kingdom is safe, forbidden magic eradicated, and her friends are alive. Except Asterin’s triumph has come at a devastating cost – forced to choose between a lifelong friend and true love, she’s lost both. But the shadows in Axaria have begun to stir once again, and no one is more starved for vengeance than Asterin….
Yet it soon becomes clear that the shadows plaguing her kingdom are just the beginning. Another realm coexists with the mortal world – the beautiful, nightmarish Immortal Realm ruled by the wicked God of Shadow, King Eoin. When their paths entwine, Asterin realizes that Eoin possesses exactly what – and who – she seeks most. And the fates of all those that she holds dear – Orion, her missing Guardian; Luna, the friend she could not save; Harry, the demon who saved them all; and Quinlan, her beloved broken prince – ultimately rest in the god’s hands.
But in a world of magic, not everyone is always as they seem. When shocking discoveries threaten everything and everyone Asterin has sworn her life to protect, she won’t be the only person forced to make a choice…a choice that will change the mortal world forever.
And maybe even destroy it.
