Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Spies, pirates, palace intrigue heat up complex tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In STORMCASTER, Evan finds out he's a Stormcaster when his pirate ship is attacked by Queen Celestine's ship and he unleashes magic to save himself. He both uses and hides his identity after that, altering the weather just enough to sail ships safely, but trusting no one with his secret or even his real name -- until he meets Destin Karn at a country house he'd been squatting in. They don't quite hit it off: Each thinks the other has been sent to kill him. Evan breaks Destin's leg in a fight. But in time, they begin to trust each other, and Evan explains the threat that Queen Celestine poses to him as a Stormcaster and to the Realms. Fast-forward a few years. Destin is back in the kingdom of Arden in the south, acting as spy to a young and foolish new king. Evan runs a port in the north. From different sources, they hear of Celestine's takeover of the Chalk Cliffs and know that she means to conquer the Seven Realms. Both Evan and Destin have an integral part to play in convincing their warring kingdoms to unify in order to save the Realms.
Is It Any Good?
Full of spies and pirates and palace intrigue, this third installment weaves a complex and windy tale but serves more as a setup for the big final battle. Fans who are in it for author Cinda Williams Chima's great characters will be glad to hear that all the major players they've met so far get a turn to narrate: Lyss, Hal, Ash, Jenna. And in Stormcaster, there are two more as well: Destin, a spy, and Evan, a pirate and Stormcaster. Chima does a stellar job making Destin and Evan, characters with conflicted pasts, worth rooting for. And she brings gay characters forward to take the main storyline when, in fantasy especially, this doesn't happen often.
The downside to following six people so closely is that more than 500 pages pass and the big battles still haven't begun. There's no climactic action here that would befit a series about warring kingdoms -- just revelations that are supposed to tide readers over. Yes, the staging is well done -- spies double-crossing spies, new alliances formed -- but it's still staging, and it will make the wait for Book 4 so much harder.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the gay main characters in Stormcaster. How often are gay characters represented in fantasy?
What obstacles did these characters face that the straight romantic pairings from the first two books did not encounter?
Will you read the next book in the series? Do you think Evan and Destin will see each other again? What about Lyss and Hal? Ash and Jenna?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Pirates
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HarperTeen
- Publication date : April 3, 2018
- Number of pages : 544
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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