Of Stormlarks And Silence
Kasmian Chronicles #1
By Constance Lopez
Of Stormlarks And Silence is pure fantasy romance escapism to the core.
Sometime, when I was a kid, after watching a movie with the family, my mom would sigh and say, “what a fairy tale,” and then she’d look wistful and tell me it was late and I should go to bed. I didn’t quite get it, because most of the times, there were no fairies, or any kind of fantastical element whatsoever, and I thought my mom was a bit silly. She doesn’t even like fantasy.
It wasn’t until much later that I figured it out. A fairy tale as my mother meant it wasn’t a story about magic, but a story with magic. The magic of brave heroes and evil villains, dastardly plots and last minute rescues. It’s the magic of heartbreak, just deserts, and the triumph of love against all odds. Perhaps, most of all, it’s the magic of happy endings.
In that sense, Of Stormlarks and Silence is absolutely a fairy tale.
In a more direct sense, it’s a story about a woman finding out that the man she’s out to kill perhaps isn’t deserving of her vengeance. And perhaps, just maybe, she deserves more than that too.
There are challenges in her way, of course, and there is heartbreak and betrayal, but fortunately, there are none of those awkwardly forced misunderstanding that so often make romance stories more frustrating than engaging.
What I’ll whine about
Riona. I would have liked to get to know our heroine a little bit better. So much of the time we spend with her she’s focused on her vengeance. The vengeance is a really big deal to her, so it’s natural that it’s front and centre of her mind, but there’s got to be more to her than that.
By comparison, Prince Tristan felt a lot more fleshed out, and I could see why Riona might fall for him. I didn’t quite get what Tristan saw in Riona, though.
What I’ll gush about
The finale. The showdown between Riona and the evil king was everything I could ask for. So often in books I read, the main character has a ton of opportunities for epic takedowns, and then the author goes for something entirely different instead. Not so in this case. For once, our heroine defeats the villain in the “right” way, and it’s immensely satisfying.
The Kindred. I really liked the idea that the different nations had a connection with a particular type of animal or bird. It’s an interesting concept, and I hope to see more of that in later books in the series.
Final Words
Sweet, sweet fantasy romance.
