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bhruscik's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
angelastaples's review against another edition
4.0
My son and I loved the magical tone of the book and the sense of adventure and mystery. It seems that Catherine Doyle has poured her real-life experience of Arranmore and her love of Irish myths and legends into her writing. The result is a gorgeously poetic prose. Doyle’s writing is inspiringly imaginative. Read my full review here.
newyorkshire's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was FANTASTIC!!!
feralgardengnome's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
One of my goals for 2019 is to read more middle grade, and The Storm Keeper's Island sounded right up my alley: set on a small island off the coast of Ireland, with family secrets and magic.
Eleven-year-old Fionn Boyle and his older sister Tara are sent to the island of Arranmore to spend the summer with their grandfather, Malachy, while their mother is hospitalized for depression. Tara's excited to return to the island where she has friends and a boyfriend, but this is Fionn's first visit and he's missing his mother and apprehensive about staying with a grandfather he's never met.
Arranmore is a magical place, and Fionn can feel the magic almost as soon as he steps off the ferry. His grandfather is a bit odd and lives in a ramshackle cottage filled with candles he makes. Tara has no time for her younger brother and ditches him as soon as she can to hang out with her boyfriend, the truly awful Bartley Beasley (Fionn refers to him as a "follically gifted Voldemort." He's actually much more of a Draco Malfoy type.). Left to his own devices, Fionn begins to explore the island and its secrets.
Fionn learns that his grandfather is the island's Storm Keeper, the person who wields the island's magic and keep it safe. Malachy's mind is beginning to fail, and it's time for the island to choose a new Keeper. An ancient evil may be waking up, and the Storm Keeper's job of keeping the island safe is going to be a difficult one.
Fionn is a great character. He's a little lost, he misses his life in Dublin, and he worries that he's not as brave as his dead father (who died before he was born during an island rescue) and Malachy. His growing bond with his grandfather is lovely and we see him begin to find himself. The connection between Fionn and Malachy was the best part of the book for me.
I found the book's villains a bit weak. They're revealed to be bad the first time you meet them, so there's not much suspense. One of them even has a resplendent mustache, which is a bit too on the nose for me. But the villains aren't really that important to the story. It's much more about Fionn and his family and the ways they're trapped in the past and bound to the island.
This is a lovely book, and I think kids will really enjoy reading about Fionn. There's going to be a sequel, and the next stage of Fionn's tale should be very interesting.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
Eleven-year-old Fionn Boyle and his older sister Tara are sent to the island of Arranmore to spend the summer with their grandfather, Malachy, while their mother is hospitalized for depression. Tara's excited to return to the island where she has friends and a boyfriend, but this is Fionn's first visit and he's missing his mother and apprehensive about staying with a grandfather he's never met.
Arranmore is a magical place, and Fionn can feel the magic almost as soon as he steps off the ferry. His grandfather is a bit odd and lives in a ramshackle cottage filled with candles he makes. Tara has no time for her younger brother and ditches him as soon as she can to hang out with her boyfriend, the truly awful Bartley Beasley (Fionn refers to him as a "follically gifted Voldemort." He's actually much more of a Draco Malfoy type.). Left to his own devices, Fionn begins to explore the island and its secrets.
Fionn learns that his grandfather is the island's Storm Keeper, the person who wields the island's magic and keep it safe. Malachy's mind is beginning to fail, and it's time for the island to choose a new Keeper. An ancient evil may be waking up, and the Storm Keeper's job of keeping the island safe is going to be a difficult one.
Fionn is a great character. He's a little lost, he misses his life in Dublin, and he worries that he's not as brave as his dead father (who died before he was born during an island rescue) and Malachy. His growing bond with his grandfather is lovely and we see him begin to find himself. The connection between Fionn and Malachy was the best part of the book for me.
I found the book's villains a bit weak. They're revealed to be bad the first time you meet them, so there's not much suspense. One of them even has a resplendent mustache, which is a bit too on the nose for me. But the villains aren't really that important to the story. It's much more about Fionn and his family and the ways they're trapped in the past and bound to the island.
This is a lovely book, and I think kids will really enjoy reading about Fionn. There's going to be a sequel, and the next stage of Fionn's tale should be very interesting.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
geovanachi's review against another edition
2.0
كنت بوقف اقراه... بس وصلت نقطه عجبني الجد فيها و كملت
inwonder's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
aherrst's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
clarkso6's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
This YA novel was good, and sets up a sequel or series well. A preteen brother and siste go to visit thei grandfather on a island during the summer. Magic, candles and wishes are the focus of the adventures that Fionn and his sister, Tara have. The idea of the candles was a completely new concept to me, so that was nice as opposed to other types of magic. However, I sometimes had to go back and see if I missed something as it seemed to skip details I may need. I probably will not read the next book.
This book concludes my Battle of the Books challenge! 👩🏼📖👩🏻📖👧📖👧🏻📖👧📖👩🦰📖
This book concludes my Battle of the Books challenge! 👩🏼📖👩🏻📖👧📖👧🏻📖👧📖👩🦰📖