Unleash the Storm (Steel & Stone #5)

It’s been a year coming since I started the series, and I was extremely excited to reread the ones I already read and to dive into the new.
I had read 1-3 of the Steel and Stone series and they were amazing. Fantastic. But after 3, I felt like each book dropped a little in quality. They were slowly falling short of delivering what I wanted and expected from them after having such a great start.
Which, to be fair, most series end up doing.

And just so everyone understands I’m not here to completely bash on this series or its author, I have to make a note that despite this series going downhill, I am still absolutely in love with the author’s writing, the detailed fights, witty banter between well rounded characters, and more than anything this intricate world filled with magic, politics and corruption. Even though this series fell into a slump, at this point in time, I still plan on reading anything Annette Marie writes- steel and stone universe or not.
Her writing style, flair, and characters remind me of two authors: Karen Chance, and Sarah J. Mass. With some time, I’m sure she will be up there shining with the book stars soon enough.
All she needs to do is work on her landing.
Or more accurately, her endings.

I was completely satisfied with the endings of the other Steel and Stone books, feeling like they were well balanced between closure of the main plot focus, yet still ending with a cliff hanger to leave me wanting more.

But after finishing Unleash the Storm, the fifth and final book following Piper and Ash, I was left in disbelief and disappointment.

If you are into YA fantasy with plenty of mystery, magic and action, check this out. If you are looking for something more mature/NA, check out A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas or Touch the Dark by Karen Chance.

Below are my thoughts of why exactly the ending fell short, but as you can see, they are all SPOILERS.

***THE REST OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.***
I’ll get right to it, guys. Of course there were small things here and there that dropped the overall score of some of the books. But I want to focus on just one thing.
Asher and Piper.
With Samael dead, Asphodel destroyed, the Sahar Stone destroyed and the Ra and Gaian armies disbanding (for the most part) all conflict is resolved. But is that good enough?
No.
After four friggin books, I had expectations. Of course there were hints of Ash and Piper’s sort of inevitable break up. But I admit. I was in denial. I expected Piper to get over it, and they would live happily ever after or something like that, warlord daemon or not.
But after all they have been through together, THAT is what the ending was going to give us? “Hey, Ash, look, I’m leaving. Like that one time, I left you after throwing away your tracking belt. Same thing. But this time, it’s not because I’m trying to save you or me, it’s just because you are a Taroth Underworld Daemon and I’m some mix of crap and we’ll I don’t belong here. Anyway, love ya, but I gotta go.”
“I’ll always want you, Piper. I’ll be here for you whenever you want or need me.”
“Oh Ash, but what about the Taroth name? You need to make plenty babies with all these draconian ladies, and I can’t bear the thought of you being with anyone else.”
“Eh, that’s not happening right now. No matter the future, I’ll always be here when you want me.”
“Oh, okay. Want to go have sex one more time before I go?”
“You know it.”

OKAY obviously that’s not how it went and I’m greatly exaggerating but REALLY?! We waited forever to wait for Piper and Ash to get their shit together so they can admit their feelings and they finally take down all their enemies and it leads to them breaking off any real commitment and becoming some sort of loving f-buddy relationship where they are okay with being with each other every so often but yet eventually Ash making kids with someone else, basically Piper to be his mistress?
It all just didn’t sit well with me.
I understand Piper has concerns bigger than most people, with ties to the Overworld, Earth and the Underworld. She wants to go spend time with her Overworld kin, check on Earth, help rebuild a better system and all that jazz but did they have to reduce their relationship because Piper was concerned they were headed in different directions and him making babies?
Okay. Sorry. Fuming still. Rant over.

SPOILERs so don’t read if you aren’t through the book….

There is some strong emotions around the ending of this book and I cannot quite figure out why. First let’s just admit the first 32 chapters of this book are fan freaking tastic. I love this whole series and am going to promptly go start it over now that I finished it. That said…let’s consider the ending….the whole point of character growth and hero journeys is to actually grow. Piper was…for all intents and purposes….a girl who depended on the acceptance of men in her life. Her father, uncle, Lyre, Ash and her first naive relationship with an incubus. The whole series she could not see her own strength and self worth. Always thinking she needed rescuing and the approval of men. If the book ended with her taking a throne in the underworld next to Ash all of her growth to become this amazing strong woman with her own future would be for nothing. The groundwork was already laid that due to her overworld daemon blood the underworld didn’t feel like home. Her story was left wide open because it was only 3 weeks since they took down Asphodel and she had her whole life of new prospects in front of her. Why should she have life already wrapped up when she didn’t think she would live this long?

Ash is a guy who loves this girl. Do you really want to doubt that now? Remember that Piper already knew that gaining Ash’s respect by becoming his equal would cement her position. When she stopped being scared of his nightmare effect he gained a calm because he knew then she trusted him. His strength in her grew. He opens each day as a gift and doesn’t put any expectations on her. He once did. He once dictated her every move because she wasn’t an equal. His heroes journey was recognizing her as a true equal and therfore not stepping in to hinder her own future and journey. She fought as his equal to take down Samael. That set the stage. He wasn’t her hook up buddy by any means. He said that he was hers as long as she wanted him. That doesn’t mean he was going to go have Taroth babies just because she was away. He was as committed to her as she was to him. He just said they didn’t need to place their relationship in a traditional way because they were paving new ground. He has a kingdom to oversee. If she gave up her future for him do you think she would be happy? He was an amazing man for not putting his own desires and selfish wants on her. That is true love. Anything else is just obsession and selfish. He trusted their love enough to not put a label on it. I love that! I love the trust, faith and beauty in that.

As progressive as our society has become I am still shocked by women getting angry when girls don’t give up their futures for the happy ever after. I think Annette was incredibly bold in the way she chose to end the book. What is the alternative? Ash steps away from his blood right to be her lackeye keeping Gaians in line or hanging out in the overworld? Eesh people…they are not in middle school. If you don’t like strong female choices just read through chapter 32 and end with her sitting between Lyre and Ash sleeping.That might better serve the romantic fantasies of those who want her kept with her daemons.

This book series was so incredible and then this…..wtf. So much potential for an epic tale and the author leaves us hanging with the most confusing and disappointing enging. What happened to Piper’s future? She doesn’t belong in the underworld so she doesn’t belong with Ash. After all they went through she just gave up for no reason. Not buying it. The author could have taken this another direction, like hey, remember those promise cloths they exchanged, they could have at least made a promise to love eachother forever and left us with hope. Piper was growling that Ash was hers at the beginning and then leaves him. I want a rewrite or alternate ending:( throughout this series I imagined so many possibilities like blood bonds because Ash kept inhaling Piper’s neck, or possible marriage using promise objects. Ash was always there for her and she kept leaving and now she plans on leaving for good at the end of the series. No closure, no hope. Very disappointed. I would have been sad but I could have handled one of them dying better than giving up for no reason. I very much wanted a HEA.

It could have been epic! I have faithfully followed this series since it began. I think it is one of the best, well-written sagas out there right now! The books were action packed and fast paced. The character interaction was great. But nobody wants a “see ya around ending” after investing in 5 books. It really didn’t feel complete. I stayed up through the night to read this final book, and it rocked it right up to the end….then I couldn’t sleep because instead of feeling satisfied, I felt disappointed…

Well what can I say about this series….I don’t even feel like I have enough words to describe how utterly beautiful and amazing this series is! I am a massive fan of ya books and I just feel this series has done it for me, it has everything you could want in a book, love, hate, laughter, romance, suspension……It’s just got everything. I absolutely love Piper, Ash and Lyre and I love how this wasn’t turned into the classic love triangle. Piper is so independent and beautiful and I love how loyal she is, Ash? Well Ash is just everything you ever want and I love him, and finally Lyre, I just want to hug him and never let him go he’s loving and yet mysterious.
I’m utterly devastated that this series is over but i’m so glad that the Underwood is not done with us yet and now we get to follow Lyre’s journey! Hats off to Annette Marie with this series, it’s one I cannot recommend enough and one I will never forget……i’m just secretly hoping for an epilogue on Piper and Ash as I feel like separate ways isn’t enough for me.

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