Review – Unleash the Storm (Steel and Stone, Book 5) by Annette Marie (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 432 pages
Publisher: Annette Marie
Release Date: March 4, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1988153001
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the Steel and Stone series
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Piper thought she could handle the Sahar, the most powerful magical weapon in existence. She thought she could protect her loved ones and stop a war. She thought she could make a difference.

She was wrong, and her mistakes were paid for in blood.

Leaving her world—and her failures—behind, she retreats to the Underworld with Ash and the other draconians. They forge deep into long abandoned mountains, the first draconians to fly the valleys and passes in centuries—or so they thought. Until now, Ash’s mysterious heritage has been nothing but a name, but his presence does not go unnoticed. A new danger stalks him, one that may be even greater than what they escaped.

Cut off from the power she’d come to rely on and lost in a world where she doesn’t belong, Piper has never felt so hopeless. But she must find her strength, and find it quickly, before she loses Ash to an ancient power he can’t fight, before her home is devastated by the daemon war, and before her mind, body, and soul are consumed by the Sahar’s insidious magic.”

I absolutely adored this whole series and this book was a fantastic conclusion to it. I love the action, the world, and the characters. This was an amazing YA urban fantasy series.

So much happens in this book. Piper has a final standoff with the Sahar, ancient dragons are introduced and Ash has to fight for control of his soul against one of them. To top it all off you have the final standoff between the Draconians and Samael in Asphodel.

I enjoyed the ending and thought it was realistic and respectful and completely agreeable for two creatures with long lifespans. While I would have liked a little more concrete happiness for Ash and Piper, I respected the decision to give them a more realistic ending.

I was even more thrilled to find out that there will be another book in the Steel and Stone universe featuring Lyre…I would love to know more about him.

Overall this was a spectacular conclusion to what has been an amazing YA urban fantasy series. I am truly saddened by the fact that this series is over. Marie does an amazing job writing awesome action scenes and has created both an intriguing world and engaging characters that just suck you right into the story. I loved this series and will definitely check out future books by Annette Marie. This whole series is highly recommended and it is one that I plan on reading again at some point.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– New Release Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge