After the stunning debut, We Set the Dark on Fire I knew I needed the sequel. I knew basically about halfway in that I was obsessed. After We Unleash the Merciless Storm, I am even more obsessed. If I thought that was even possible.
Summary
In this nail-biting sequel to Tehlor Kay Mejia’s critically acclaimed fantasy novel We Set the Dark on Fire, La Voz operative Carmen is forced to choose between the girl she loves and the success of the rebellion she’s devoted her life to.
Being a part of the resistance group La Voz is an act of devotion and desperation. On the other side of Medio’s border wall, the oppressed class fights for freedom and liberty, sacrificing what little they have to become defenders of the cause.
Carmen Santos is one of La Voz’s best soldiers, taken in when she was an orphaned child and trained to be a cunning spy. She spent years undercover at the Medio School for Girls, but now, with her identity exposed and the island on the brink of civil war, Carmen returns to the only real home she’s ever known: La Voz’s headquarters.
There she must reckon with her beloved leader, who is under the influence of an aggressive new recruit, and with the devastating news that her true love might be the target of an assassination plot. Will Carmen break with her community and save the girl who stole her heart—or fully embrace the ruthless rebel she was always meant to be?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
We Unleash the Merciless Storm is a book about development. It’s about the conscious choice everyday to be the person we want to be. We always have the choice to revert back to our old ways, but We Unleash the Merciless Storm is about the bravery to be someone new, to open our heart. It was so great to back in the world of La Voz, revolution, and burning hearts. We Unleash the Merciless Storm is told from Carmen’s point of view as she is divided in her loyalty between her heart and her mission. After awakening her heart, can Carmen still be the same honed blade she was before?
Carmen has to figure out who she will be. It’s a matter of survival, but also of her heart. At the same time, Carmen has to figure out if the cause she left, the one she has sacrificed for, is the same since her departure? Is it still worth her life, her love, and her heart? Featuring a plus size latinx MC, a f/f romance, and a bisexual SC, We Unleash the Merciless Storm is a perfect sequel.
Themes
What if the leaders have forsaken us without knowing it? If we aren’t loyal to each other, to the ones who fight with us, then we are no better than our enemies. We shouldn’t just be tools for others to wield. How do we fight for a future where we aren’t so tired, where we can live our lives in peace? For them the battle is for a chance at living, not merely surviving. We Unleash the Merciless Storm challenges the idea that love makes us weaker. That people we care about are merely just more tools against us. It asks us if we can trust again in the face of fear, a history of mistakes, and the past.
Overall,
We Unleash the Merciless Storm is about walls that force us over cliffs, under borders, and into the unknown. It’s about migration with a fantasy lens, but with the same rhetoric of differences, prejudices, and weapons. The flames from We Set the Dark on Fire rages on. We Unleash the Merciless Storm is a stunning sequel about strength, bravery, and love.
Find We Unleash the Merciless Storm on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.