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thebooklender 's review for:
Storm Witch
by Ellen Renner
It is the time of The Choosing, the rite of passage ceremony where all of the island’s 13 year olds are chosen by one of the four Elementals - Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Most people are chosen by one Elemental, but Storm is afraid that she may not be chosen at all.
Storm has always been different: she has a boy's name, and she doesn’t know why; she has a fear of the ocean (not good for seafaring island folk) since losing her father to it; and her family seems to be cursed. However, at The Choosing she is selected by not one but three Elementals, while the fourth tries to kill her. The Elementals also bestow great power on her, more power than the village Elders have seen in generations - a power she could use to protect her people from the Drowned Ones, an invading hoard of pirates on their floating towns.
But after an unexpected discovery, Storm must make a difficult decision that could have dire consequences for everyone on the island.
Storm Witch, the first book in a new coming-of-age fantasy series, is an enjoyable adventure story, full of magic, tension and heart. The world building is fantastic: the island’s culture feels real and lived-in, the religion and customs shaped by the land- and seascape. The book deals with issues such as bullying, loyalty, marginalisation, loss and xenophobia, from the perspective a young protagonist who is afraid of her own strength. I really liked the ambiguous morality in the book - The Drowned Ones, for example, could so easily have just been written as evil invaders, but are instead presented with surprising nuance.
This book felt like the start of a story, rather than being a complete tale in and of itself. It sets up the rest of the series nicely, and I look forward to seeing where the writer takes us in the next instalment!
I would not hesitate to recommend this to fans of fantasy adventures, but also to students who enjoy reading seafaring tales and battles. It would be a great resource to teach world building to budding creative writers.
Storm has always been different: she has a boy's name, and she doesn’t know why; she has a fear of the ocean (not good for seafaring island folk) since losing her father to it; and her family seems to be cursed. However, at The Choosing she is selected by not one but three Elementals, while the fourth tries to kill her. The Elementals also bestow great power on her, more power than the village Elders have seen in generations - a power she could use to protect her people from the Drowned Ones, an invading hoard of pirates on their floating towns.
But after an unexpected discovery, Storm must make a difficult decision that could have dire consequences for everyone on the island.
Storm Witch, the first book in a new coming-of-age fantasy series, is an enjoyable adventure story, full of magic, tension and heart. The world building is fantastic: the island’s culture feels real and lived-in, the religion and customs shaped by the land- and seascape. The book deals with issues such as bullying, loyalty, marginalisation, loss and xenophobia, from the perspective a young protagonist who is afraid of her own strength. I really liked the ambiguous morality in the book - The Drowned Ones, for example, could so easily have just been written as evil invaders, but are instead presented with surprising nuance.
This book felt like the start of a story, rather than being a complete tale in and of itself. It sets up the rest of the series nicely, and I look forward to seeing where the writer takes us in the next instalment!
I would not hesitate to recommend this to fans of fantasy adventures, but also to students who enjoy reading seafaring tales and battles. It would be a great resource to teach world building to budding creative writers.