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Storm-Wake
Moss has grown up on the strangest and most magical of islands. Her father has a plan to control the tempestuous weather that wracks the shores. But the island seems to have a plan of its own once Callan -- a wild boy her age -- appears on its beaches. Her complex feelings for Callan shift with every tide, while her love for the island, and her father, are thrown into doubt...
And when one fateful day, a young man from the outside world washes up on the beach, speaking of the Old World, nothing will ever be the same.
And when one fateful day, a young man from the outside world washes up on the beach, speaking of the Old World, nothing will ever be the same.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2018
33 people are currently reading
2128 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Christopher
14 books2,257 followersLucy Christopher was born in Wales but grew up in Australia. She obtained an Undergraduate degree at Melbourne University. She moved to the UK to earn a distinction in a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa University. The novel she wrote for this class, The Long Flight, was picked up by a publisher under a new name of FLYAWAY.
Lucy’s debut novel, Stolen, was written as part for her PhD degree. Stolen explores her thoughts on the Australian desert through the story about a teenage girl who is kidnapped and taken there.
Lucy is working on another teen novel. When she is not writing, Lucy spends her time daydreaming, emailing friends and horseback riding a mare named Topaz as well as helping to run a kid’s wildlife group at Newport Wetlands.
Lucy’s debut novel, Stolen, was written as part for her PhD degree. Stolen explores her thoughts on the Australian desert through the story about a teenage girl who is kidnapped and taken there.
Lucy is working on another teen novel. When she is not writing, Lucy spends her time daydreaming, emailing friends and horseback riding a mare named Topaz as well as helping to run a kid’s wildlife group at Newport Wetlands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
April 7, 2018
This review is based on the Advanced Reader Copy lent to me by a friend. The opinions expressed in it are my own unsolicited thoughts.
I had such high hopes for this book. The Tempest is one of my favorite plays, and I love re-workings of old and well-loved stories.
Storm-Wake, however, was a trial to get through. The writing itself is not bad. I enjoyed its lyrical, dream-like quality for the most part. It suits the story Lucy Christopher set out to tell. But I couldn’t read more than thirty pages at a time without sleepiness coming over me. For about half of the book the plot, if you can call it that, meanders along in a haze of hallucinogenic flower pollen. Nothing is explained at all as the reader is thrust forcefully into the world, which can make it even harder to connect with the story. There is very little plot contained in this story, but it’s not really a character study, either. This book simply -is-. I can’t help but feel I would have enjoyed it more if I was using a hallucinogenic myself while reading it.
When things finally do start happening the backstory of the island’s inhabitants is pealed back slowly at first and picks up steam until the book is nearly finished. The book’s ending is also worth noting, because it is incredibly unsatisfying and more than a little confusing.
I had such high hopes for this book. The Tempest is one of my favorite plays, and I love re-workings of old and well-loved stories.
Storm-Wake, however, was a trial to get through. The writing itself is not bad. I enjoyed its lyrical, dream-like quality for the most part. It suits the story Lucy Christopher set out to tell. But I couldn’t read more than thirty pages at a time without sleepiness coming over me. For about half of the book the plot, if you can call it that, meanders along in a haze of hallucinogenic flower pollen. Nothing is explained at all as the reader is thrust forcefully into the world, which can make it even harder to connect with the story. There is very little plot contained in this story, but it’s not really a character study, either. This book simply -is-. I can’t help but feel I would have enjoyed it more if I was using a hallucinogenic myself while reading it.
When things finally do start happening the backstory of the island’s inhabitants is pealed back slowly at first and picks up steam until the book is nearly finished. The book’s ending is also worth noting, because it is incredibly unsatisfying and more than a little confusing.
June 6, 2018
Lucy Christopher’s STORM-WAKE is a mystical fairy tale loosely based on Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Most of the story is told from the perspective of Moss, a girl stranded on a magical island with a man she calls Pa. Moss is a young child when the novel begins, but she’s a teenager by the end. And in the years in between, we come to see the island and Pa through her eyes. This is a lyrical story, told in magical prose, providing little clue as to what parts of it are real and what parts are not. The island is covered with brilliantly colored flowers which seem to have some hallucinogenic qualities; Pa uses them to conjure up storms and to create spiritual beings from the sea (first a white horse, and then a fish-boy). But are the flowers really magical, or are they drugs in disguise? And is the horse really made of water, and is Cal (who has webbed fingers and skin covered in shiny scales) really part fish? Pa has always told Moss that there is no escape from the island, and that massive floods have destroyed the rest of the world. But when two teenage boys are shipwrecked on the island, Moss begins to see that reality – hers as well as Pa’s – may be very different from what she has been led to believe.
Thematically, there are connections here to Shakespeare’s play. The contrast between dream-like magic and reality is central to both stories. In “The Tempest,” Prospero has fled a deceitful world with his young daughter, Miranda. He is a magician, and he uses his magic to lure his enemies into a trap. In STORM-WAKE, Pa’s magic seems derived from the hallucinogenic flowers, and from the dreamy stories they conjure up within him. And while Prospero is determined to force his enemies to see the error of their ways (so he and his daughter can return to Milan), Pa seems increasingly fixated on keeping Moss with him on their island forever. Neither Moss nor Miranda have any clear memories of the world beyond the island, but both find themselves awakening through contact with other people. In “The Tempest” this awakening results in a happily-ever-after ending and the assertion that reality is preferable to dreams and magic (Prospero gives up his magic at the end of the play). In STORM-WAKE, the connection between dreams and reality is much more complex (and in some ways, much darker). And the novel’s ending, while suggesting a new reality for Moss and Cal, is definitely both dream-like and magical.
Ultimately, I found myself mesmerized by this novel. But I have a hard time seeing this as a YA book. Yes, the major characters are teenagers, but their story is so mystical, so wrapped up in magical language, that the plot (such as it is) gets a bit lost. The entire first half of the novel involves only Moss, Pa, and Cal (plus the horse and two dogs). Pa gets high on magic flowers and Moss and Cal wonder about land beyond the island. The shipwrecked teenagers show up at the halfway point, after which Moss and Cal begin to realize that Pa has lied to them for years. And things do happen in the final pages, things that begin to feel exciting (until reality morphs into dreamy magic once again). So I would recommend that teens considering this book check out a few pages from the “Look Inside This Book” feature on Amazon – the entire book is written in this same way. I’ve asked myself whether I would have liked this book when I was a teenager (that was fifty years ago!). I think I would have. But then I was always a little weird!
Bottom line, STORM-WAKE is a beautifully written novel about a young girl coming of age in a world that is more dream than reality. I was entranced, but I’m not sure today’s teens will be as interested. For me, this gets five stars (I can’t get it out of my head, and that’s a very good indicator that it works for me). But will it work for its target audience? I’m not so sure. So four stars it is. If you like lyrical prose and fantastical stories (and you don’t mind a slow build to an esoteric ending), give STORM-WAKE a try. It’s a unique read.
[Please note: I was provided an Advance Reading Copy of this novel free of charge; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
Thematically, there are connections here to Shakespeare’s play. The contrast between dream-like magic and reality is central to both stories. In “The Tempest,” Prospero has fled a deceitful world with his young daughter, Miranda. He is a magician, and he uses his magic to lure his enemies into a trap. In STORM-WAKE, Pa’s magic seems derived from the hallucinogenic flowers, and from the dreamy stories they conjure up within him. And while Prospero is determined to force his enemies to see the error of their ways (so he and his daughter can return to Milan), Pa seems increasingly fixated on keeping Moss with him on their island forever. Neither Moss nor Miranda have any clear memories of the world beyond the island, but both find themselves awakening through contact with other people. In “The Tempest” this awakening results in a happily-ever-after ending and the assertion that reality is preferable to dreams and magic (Prospero gives up his magic at the end of the play). In STORM-WAKE, the connection between dreams and reality is much more complex (and in some ways, much darker). And the novel’s ending, while suggesting a new reality for Moss and Cal, is definitely both dream-like and magical.
Ultimately, I found myself mesmerized by this novel. But I have a hard time seeing this as a YA book. Yes, the major characters are teenagers, but their story is so mystical, so wrapped up in magical language, that the plot (such as it is) gets a bit lost. The entire first half of the novel involves only Moss, Pa, and Cal (plus the horse and two dogs). Pa gets high on magic flowers and Moss and Cal wonder about land beyond the island. The shipwrecked teenagers show up at the halfway point, after which Moss and Cal begin to realize that Pa has lied to them for years. And things do happen in the final pages, things that begin to feel exciting (until reality morphs into dreamy magic once again). So I would recommend that teens considering this book check out a few pages from the “Look Inside This Book” feature on Amazon – the entire book is written in this same way. I’ve asked myself whether I would have liked this book when I was a teenager (that was fifty years ago!). I think I would have. But then I was always a little weird!
Bottom line, STORM-WAKE is a beautifully written novel about a young girl coming of age in a world that is more dream than reality. I was entranced, but I’m not sure today’s teens will be as interested. For me, this gets five stars (I can’t get it out of my head, and that’s a very good indicator that it works for me). But will it work for its target audience? I’m not so sure. So four stars it is. If you like lyrical prose and fantastical stories (and you don’t mind a slow build to an esoteric ending), give STORM-WAKE a try. It’s a unique read.
[Please note: I was provided an Advance Reading Copy of this novel free of charge; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
June 23, 2018
This is a tough one to review because I did really enjoy the writing and the story, but it a little like two stories that don’t quite fit together.
The first part is the story of Moss and her dad on the magic flower island. It’s a bit more confusing and slower, but gorgeously written. I particularly loved Jess, Cal and Aster too.
Three second part starts after the time jump really, and with the introduction of Finn and Tommy. I liked this in a different way, because it had more purpose but the way it relates to the first part of the story is a little muddy.
I also read that it’s inspired by The Tempest? I didn’t pick this up while reading it, but I can sort of see it now. However, it feels like a lose inspiration at best, and I wouldn’t hold too much to that if you are going to read it.
The whole concept of the island and the storm flowers is lovely, and Christopher really does have a way of writing that feels magical, so I did enjoy reading it. I just think that I didn’t quite connect in the way that I would want to.
The first part is the story of Moss and her dad on the magic flower island. It’s a bit more confusing and slower, but gorgeously written. I particularly loved Jess, Cal and Aster too.
Three second part starts after the time jump really, and with the introduction of Finn and Tommy. I liked this in a different way, because it had more purpose but the way it relates to the first part of the story is a little muddy.
I also read that it’s inspired by The Tempest? I didn’t pick this up while reading it, but I can sort of see it now. However, it feels like a lose inspiration at best, and I wouldn’t hold too much to that if you are going to read it.
The whole concept of the island and the storm flowers is lovely, and Christopher really does have a way of writing that feels magical, so I did enjoy reading it. I just think that I didn’t quite connect in the way that I would want to.
August 2, 2024
Lucy Christopher's Stolen is one of my favorite books of all time. It's incredible. You will not be the same after reading it. (If you don't believe me, it won the Prinz award.) However, her other books have been a bit hit-or-miss for me. None of them have lived up to Stolen. Flyaway was soft and beautiful and sad. The Killing Woods was intriguing and enjoyable enough, but ultimately nothing really special.
Her new book, Storm-Wake, is different from anything she's ever written, at least style-wise. It reflects the otherworldly nature of the novel's island setting. You could trace some similar themes that run throughout both Stolen and Storm-Wake, such as beauty, dreams, and magical places. This book, though, more than any of her others, felt like it fell into the magical realism genre.
Storm-Wake is about a girl named Moss who lives with her Pa on a magical island. They both believe the rest of the world has been swallowed by floods, and it's only when a few boys wash ashore that you start to figure out the truth. I have to say, it took me a little while to get into the unique style of this book, as you're just sort of thrown into Moss's world. But I ended up enjoying the story and the somewhat bizarre relationships Moss formed with the boys and the island. And honestly, I was curious to figure out the truth about the island.
I didn't enjoy Storm-Wake as much as Stolen, but the story was still unique and gripped me throughout reading it. Although Lucy Christopher's style differs with each book, her writing is consistently lyrical and immersive. Overall, a lovely dreamlike tale.
*I received an ARC of this book *
Her new book, Storm-Wake, is different from anything she's ever written, at least style-wise. It reflects the otherworldly nature of the novel's island setting. You could trace some similar themes that run throughout both Stolen and Storm-Wake, such as beauty, dreams, and magical places. This book, though, more than any of her others, felt like it fell into the magical realism genre.
Storm-Wake is about a girl named Moss who lives with her Pa on a magical island. They both believe the rest of the world has been swallowed by floods, and it's only when a few boys wash ashore that you start to figure out the truth. I have to say, it took me a little while to get into the unique style of this book, as you're just sort of thrown into Moss's world. But I ended up enjoying the story and the somewhat bizarre relationships Moss formed with the boys and the island. And honestly, I was curious to figure out the truth about the island.
I didn't enjoy Storm-Wake as much as Stolen, but the story was still unique and gripped me throughout reading it. Although Lucy Christopher's style differs with each book, her writing is consistently lyrical and immersive. Overall, a lovely dreamlike tale.
*I received an ARC of this book *
August 19, 2018
*THIS IS A VERY LONG REVIEW* It was okay. Like...it was just...okay. Not too good, but also not too bad. Which is very much a disappointment because one of Lucy Christopher’s other novels, Stolen, was one of my favorite reads EVER.
First, I’ll list the bad things that prevent me from giving this book a higher score. Right away, you’re thrust into a mysterious, foreign, magical island and not given much detail until you get much deeper into the book - this makes it hard to connect to the setting and get invested in the story. Also, I think Christopher was very either indecisive, forgetful, or ignorant with her writing in this book - for instance, she’ll be writing about how “Pa” is different, and changing. Then, the next scene, she writes about how things are normal? I guess you’d have to read it to understand what I mean, but...yeah.
Continuing, this story didn’t have much of a plot, but at the same time, it wasn’t necessarily a character study, which at some times was hard to connect with the story because of that. And there were some really great moments throughout the foggy plot, but most of it was just soooo slow and repetitive - the flowers, Blackness, the flickering land - yes, it set up a strong foundation for the concept behind the magic and mystery of the island, but sometimes it just dragggged. Another thing; there were some big emotional moments that only lasted a paragraph or two. One I can remember right now is when Pa left the boat to stay on the island, and Moss was choking up about it. This is such a big, emotional moment for her - this man basically raised her, and saved her. Yet it only lasts like a paragraph!!!
Surely, there are things I’m forgetting that are minor, but the last thing - WHAT THE HECK IS THE DEAL WITH CAL? She just ended the book without explaining who he really is - a spirit, a human? Where did he come from? I think she should’ve answered that.
Now for the positive things - Christopher always does such an amazing job with character tone - it was really easy to FEEL the characters. It’s like she just gave Moss, Cal, or whoever it was TO the reader through her writing. The way she’s able to perfectly paint a character for the reader is really cool. Also, she did a great job in making this story both haunting and enchanting - what with the terrifying elements from her past and with the singing, drug-like magical flowers. Once you get deep enough into the book to understand the details, these two themes were very interesting and kept you attached to the mystery of the island.
And finally, Christopher’s ability to weave in serious issues (such as childhood trauma, abduction) to such a magical, creepy and foreign story is just .... WOW. Inspired :)
I’m really sorry if this didn’t make any sense, I’m just ranting and trying to get stuff off my chest that I’ve wanted to talk about since I started reading the book. I think this book is very see-saw, you either like it or you don’t. I was in the middle!
First, I’ll list the bad things that prevent me from giving this book a higher score. Right away, you’re thrust into a mysterious, foreign, magical island and not given much detail until you get much deeper into the book - this makes it hard to connect to the setting and get invested in the story. Also, I think Christopher was very either indecisive, forgetful, or ignorant with her writing in this book - for instance, she’ll be writing about how “Pa” is different, and changing. Then, the next scene, she writes about how things are normal? I guess you’d have to read it to understand what I mean, but...yeah.
Continuing, this story didn’t have much of a plot, but at the same time, it wasn’t necessarily a character study, which at some times was hard to connect with the story because of that. And there were some really great moments throughout the foggy plot, but most of it was just soooo slow and repetitive - the flowers, Blackness, the flickering land - yes, it set up a strong foundation for the concept behind the magic and mystery of the island, but sometimes it just dragggged. Another thing; there were some big emotional moments that only lasted a paragraph or two. One I can remember right now is when Pa left the boat to stay on the island, and Moss was choking up about it. This is such a big, emotional moment for her - this man basically raised her, and saved her. Yet it only lasts like a paragraph!!!
Surely, there are things I’m forgetting that are minor, but the last thing - WHAT THE HECK IS THE DEAL WITH CAL? She just ended the book without explaining who he really is - a spirit, a human? Where did he come from? I think she should’ve answered that.
Now for the positive things - Christopher always does such an amazing job with character tone - it was really easy to FEEL the characters. It’s like she just gave Moss, Cal, or whoever it was TO the reader through her writing. The way she’s able to perfectly paint a character for the reader is really cool. Also, she did a great job in making this story both haunting and enchanting - what with the terrifying elements from her past and with the singing, drug-like magical flowers. Once you get deep enough into the book to understand the details, these two themes were very interesting and kept you attached to the mystery of the island.
And finally, Christopher’s ability to weave in serious issues (such as childhood trauma, abduction) to such a magical, creepy and foreign story is just .... WOW. Inspired :)
I’m really sorry if this didn’t make any sense, I’m just ranting and trying to get stuff off my chest that I’ve wanted to talk about since I started reading the book. I think this book is very see-saw, you either like it or you don’t. I was in the middle!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2018
Stormwake is a highly whimsical novel that throws you in to the weird island setting without any preamble. There is no introduction to explain anything—what the flowers are, who Moss is, etc. The ones that drove me nuts were the way the dialogue and action were described. It wasn’t just “shutting her eyes” it was “shutting her eyes squint-shut”.
True-fast
Core-deep
Gentle-slow
Crinkle-kind
Quick-fast
Sweet-tasty
Sudden-scared
Tingle-quick
You get the idea. It couldn’t just be “she moved quickly through the brush” it always had to be “she moved quick-fast through the brush”. It seemed unnecessary and distracting and didn’t feel like a play at all, if that was the intent.
True-fast
Core-deep
Gentle-slow
Crinkle-kind
Quick-fast
Sweet-tasty
Sudden-scared
Tingle-quick
You get the idea. It couldn’t just be “she moved quickly through the brush” it always had to be “she moved quick-fast through the brush”. It seemed unnecessary and distracting and didn’t feel like a play at all, if that was the intent.
did-not-finish
February 28, 2023 Received advanced reader copy from publisher via Baker & Taylor book supplier
The Tempest is one of my top two favorite Shakespeare plays. So I grabbed at an advance copy of this story that claims to be a “reflection” of the play. I made it twenty-six pages before I said “Nope. No more. Not even giving it my normal 50 pages before I decide whether to continue. It stops here and now.” Flowery (literally and figuratively) and moved slower than a breeze through my hair. I just couldn’t do it.
** Did not include read date so that it would not count on my Goodreads annual goal** (7/22/2018)
The Tempest is one of my top two favorite Shakespeare plays. So I grabbed at an advance copy of this story that claims to be a “reflection” of the play. I made it twenty-six pages before I said “Nope. No more. Not even giving it my normal 50 pages before I decide whether to continue. It stops here and now.” Flowery (literally and figuratively) and moved slower than a breeze through my hair. I just couldn’t do it.
** Did not include read date so that it would not count on my Goodreads annual goal** (7/22/2018)
March 23, 2018
Christopher, Lucy Storm-Wake, 320 pages. Chicken House (Scholastic), AUGUST 2018. $18. Language: PG (12 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.
Moss and her Ps have lived on their secret island for more years than Moss knows. Their only companions are a horse and a dog and Cal, another odd castaway thrown up by the sea. Pa puts all of his energy into the magical flowers that bloom all over the island. Cal, though is always looking for a way off the island. When two new boys are shipwrecked also, all of their lives will change forever and the magic will begin to unravel.
There is not enough magic within the pages to make this novel sparkle, nor does the writing mesmerize like Shakespeare’s original. The mystical origins are vague instead of dreamy and the ending leaves questions for which I am not sure I care to find answers.
HS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
Moss and her Ps have lived on their secret island for more years than Moss knows. Their only companions are a horse and a dog and Cal, another odd castaway thrown up by the sea. Pa puts all of his energy into the magical flowers that bloom all over the island. Cal, though is always looking for a way off the island. When two new boys are shipwrecked also, all of their lives will change forever and the magic will begin to unravel.
There is not enough magic within the pages to make this novel sparkle, nor does the writing mesmerize like Shakespeare’s original. The mystical origins are vague instead of dreamy and the ending leaves questions for which I am not sure I care to find answers.
HS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
September 15, 2018
This was, to put it mildly, a very strange read. When I went to research it after the fact, I learned that this book is based loosely on William Shakespeare's The Tempest. As I have never read the play, I could not attest to this, and it probably also hindered my enjoyment of the book because I had absolutely NO IDEA what was going on for most of the book. The novel is written in a strange, halting style that gets a little tedious after a while, and parts of the book came dangerously close to putting my to sleep due to the lack of action or plot. While not entirely terrible, this book simply didn't do much for me, and I'm not sure exactly what audience I would recommend it to aside from avid fans of Shakespeare.
Storm-Wake, told in acts like a Shakespearian drama, tells the story of a young girl named Moss and her father, known throughout the story only as "Pa." It begins with the two wayward travelers being shipwrecked on a mysterious and magical island, then jumps ahead to the day when a mysterious boy named Callan washes up on their shore. Believing Callan to be some sort of spirit sent by the ocean, Moss and Pa teach him to communicate and show him the ways of their magical island. The story then skips yet again to Moss's fifteenth birthday, and it is now clear that she and Callan have a strange, inexplicable relationship that they are both desperately trying to navigate. Pa, meanwhile, is adamant about the fact that the world outside of their island has been lost to a devastating flood, and desperately sends out magical flowers every day in a ritual known only as "The Experiment." While he hopes to heal the island and the world, Pa keeps Moss sheltered on the island, never letting her stray beyond the shore to discover the truth. Everything changes, however, when two boys named Finn and Tommy (who are very alive and very normal) are also ship-wrecked. Sharing stories of the world outside the island leads Moss and Cal to wonder if Pa has been lying to them their entire lives, revealing a deep deception that they are both determined to get to the bottom of... before it's too late.
The thing that most annoyed me about this book was the bizarre way in which the inhabitants of the island (Pa, Moss, and Cal) talk. While Finn and Tommy speak like normal human beings, Moss and the gang use repetitive words/phrases like "full-gone, "full-dark," and "quick-fast." While I will admit that this is a unique and interesting style choice, it quickly loses its novelty and becomes annoying and tedious just a few "acts" in. I understand that the author is trying to convey how very disconnected and closed off from the rest of the world Moss and her family are, but it almost feels as though she's trying to smack us in the face with weird, jilted language to get her point across. It felt clunky and unnecessary, and was part of the reason this book was a frustrating read for me.
As I said above, I can't attest to how well this book adapts The Tempest,, as I have never read or watched the original play. Because of that, I am judging this book not as a retelling, but on it's ability to tell a coherent story without requiring background knowledge. On this front, I have to say that it falls flat for me. Aside from the mysterious Pa, most of the characters are a bit dull to me, and the world isn't explained or fleshed out enough for me to feel truly invested in this universe. For example, Pa's magic flowers are mentioned frequently throughout the novel, and yet we never know if the magic is real or if he and Moss are simply hallucinating because they're ingesting shroom-like plants. The novel is told in such a dream-like way that it's hard to tell what's real and what's imagined or hallucinated, making it frustrating and hard to follow. In fairness, this might have been intentional, making the reader feel as lost as Moss, but it ends up giving the reader more of a headache than anything else. I'm not saying that everything absolutely has to be spelled out for me on every page (a little mystery is good), but to be reading a stand-alone book and still feel like I'm missing three books' worth of content, I would have liked a little more background knowledge to pull from.
Two characters I did really enjoy were Cal and Finn, who seemed to have the most interesting arcs aside from Pa. Cal, who was rescued and essentially raised by Pa alongside Moss, begins to resent Pa for treating him like a criminal for having legitimate questions about the island and why they're supposedly trapped. This resentment comes to a boiling point when Pa hits Cal for daring to stand his ground after spotting distant land, and Cal feels betrayed when Moss takes her father's side rather than his. This was actually an extremely interesting plot point when it wasn't getting lost in the book's weird prose, and I would've liked to see more of that.
Similarly, Finn begins the journey as being very skeptical of Moss and the island, but soon begins to doubt his own eyes and thoughts when the "magic" (or hallucinogenic drugs; it's not very clear) begins to take hold. In the end, he wonders if his experiences were a dream or reality, perhaps echoing the reader's experience of the book. I liked that the author placed him and Tommy, two average boys, in an environment where they were completely out of their element. In this way, it felt like they almost represented the audience, seemingly as lost as I was for most of the book.
Another thing I liked about this book was the very frank discussion about menstrual cycles, which is (as I've mentioned in other reviews) very rare in YA literature. It often seems like a topic that authors would rather not broach, whether for fear of offending parents or exposing a child to puberty before they're ready. As Moss is someone who has spent her entire life trapped on an island with only men for company, however, it makes sense that she would see her period and think she's severely ill. I liked that she, without any prompting from Pa, eventually figured out that what was happening to her was normal and connected to her own fertility. In this way, I think this book would be appropriate for middle school girls, as they might be getting their periods without having the reassurance that everything happening to their bodies is normal. I will always appreciate references to natural bodily functions in YA, so I commend Christopher for adding this in.
The last bit of praise I will give this novel is that I enjoyed the unfolding mystery of Moss and Pa, who Finn and Tommy remark looks absolutely nothing like her. For the first half of the book, the reader never questions that Pa and Moss are related, as we don't hear many physical descriptions that cue us into this fact. It is only when Finn and Tommy arrive and remark on how they look nothing alike that we begin to suspect all is not as it appears. The element of mystery surrounding Pa and his illness (known by Moss as the "Blackness") makes for an interesting read, but it's undercut with so much tedious dialogue and slow moments that it's hard to stay invested. If this book had been written more conventionally (without all of the strange hyphenated words and dream-like prose), I likely would have enjoyed the unfolding mystery and magical realism a lot more.
I'm honestly still not sure how I feel about this book. While I can tell a great deal of effort went into it, something about it just didn't click for me. I was bored and confused for a lot of it, and even the parts I did enjoy were so burdened by the strange style that it overshadowed anything I might have otherwise praised. As many other reviewers have stated, I felt like I needed to be on some sort of substance myself to understand this book, as it seemed to be saying a lot that I wasn't grasping through the stilted language. I'm honestly not sure if any teens would enjoy this book, as it's just so unbelievably strange. Even for fans of Shakespeare's work, this book felt very odd and disconnected from Shakespeare's style. While I liked that it was split into acts and scenes like a play, it didn't read anything like a play otherwise, and I fear that the style is too niche to garner a wide audience. At the very least, the cover and synopsis is intriguing enough that teens will likely pick it up, but I'm not sure if it can hold the attention of a teenager when even I (an avid reader and lover of YA lit) struggled to stay awake while reading it.
All in all, this isn't the worst thing I've ever read, but it was weird and frustrating, and likely won't stick with me for very long after I'm done with this review. There was nothing particularly memorable about it outside of the weirdness, and I just wasn't invested enough to care about what was going to happen. Even the ending felt lackluster, leaving me with more questions than I had when I started the book. Everything about this story was just "meh," which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like it. Unless you're a die-hard fan of Shakespeare's plays, I would recommend giving this book a pass.
Storm-Wake, told in acts like a Shakespearian drama, tells the story of a young girl named Moss and her father, known throughout the story only as "Pa." It begins with the two wayward travelers being shipwrecked on a mysterious and magical island, then jumps ahead to the day when a mysterious boy named Callan washes up on their shore. Believing Callan to be some sort of spirit sent by the ocean, Moss and Pa teach him to communicate and show him the ways of their magical island. The story then skips yet again to Moss's fifteenth birthday, and it is now clear that she and Callan have a strange, inexplicable relationship that they are both desperately trying to navigate. Pa, meanwhile, is adamant about the fact that the world outside of their island has been lost to a devastating flood, and desperately sends out magical flowers every day in a ritual known only as "The Experiment." While he hopes to heal the island and the world, Pa keeps Moss sheltered on the island, never letting her stray beyond the shore to discover the truth. Everything changes, however, when two boys named Finn and Tommy (who are very alive and very normal) are also ship-wrecked. Sharing stories of the world outside the island leads Moss and Cal to wonder if Pa has been lying to them their entire lives, revealing a deep deception that they are both determined to get to the bottom of... before it's too late.
The thing that most annoyed me about this book was the bizarre way in which the inhabitants of the island (Pa, Moss, and Cal) talk. While Finn and Tommy speak like normal human beings, Moss and the gang use repetitive words/phrases like "full-gone, "full-dark," and "quick-fast." While I will admit that this is a unique and interesting style choice, it quickly loses its novelty and becomes annoying and tedious just a few "acts" in. I understand that the author is trying to convey how very disconnected and closed off from the rest of the world Moss and her family are, but it almost feels as though she's trying to smack us in the face with weird, jilted language to get her point across. It felt clunky and unnecessary, and was part of the reason this book was a frustrating read for me.
As I said above, I can't attest to how well this book adapts The Tempest,, as I have never read or watched the original play. Because of that, I am judging this book not as a retelling, but on it's ability to tell a coherent story without requiring background knowledge. On this front, I have to say that it falls flat for me. Aside from the mysterious Pa, most of the characters are a bit dull to me, and the world isn't explained or fleshed out enough for me to feel truly invested in this universe. For example, Pa's magic flowers are mentioned frequently throughout the novel, and yet we never know if the magic is real or if he and Moss are simply hallucinating because they're ingesting shroom-like plants. The novel is told in such a dream-like way that it's hard to tell what's real and what's imagined or hallucinated, making it frustrating and hard to follow. In fairness, this might have been intentional, making the reader feel as lost as Moss, but it ends up giving the reader more of a headache than anything else. I'm not saying that everything absolutely has to be spelled out for me on every page (a little mystery is good), but to be reading a stand-alone book and still feel like I'm missing three books' worth of content, I would have liked a little more background knowledge to pull from.
Two characters I did really enjoy were Cal and Finn, who seemed to have the most interesting arcs aside from Pa. Cal, who was rescued and essentially raised by Pa alongside Moss, begins to resent Pa for treating him like a criminal for having legitimate questions about the island and why they're supposedly trapped. This resentment comes to a boiling point when Pa hits Cal for daring to stand his ground after spotting distant land, and Cal feels betrayed when Moss takes her father's side rather than his. This was actually an extremely interesting plot point when it wasn't getting lost in the book's weird prose, and I would've liked to see more of that.
Similarly, Finn begins the journey as being very skeptical of Moss and the island, but soon begins to doubt his own eyes and thoughts when the "magic" (or hallucinogenic drugs; it's not very clear) begins to take hold. In the end, he wonders if his experiences were a dream or reality, perhaps echoing the reader's experience of the book. I liked that the author placed him and Tommy, two average boys, in an environment where they were completely out of their element. In this way, it felt like they almost represented the audience, seemingly as lost as I was for most of the book.
Another thing I liked about this book was the very frank discussion about menstrual cycles, which is (as I've mentioned in other reviews) very rare in YA literature. It often seems like a topic that authors would rather not broach, whether for fear of offending parents or exposing a child to puberty before they're ready. As Moss is someone who has spent her entire life trapped on an island with only men for company, however, it makes sense that she would see her period and think she's severely ill. I liked that she, without any prompting from Pa, eventually figured out that what was happening to her was normal and connected to her own fertility. In this way, I think this book would be appropriate for middle school girls, as they might be getting their periods without having the reassurance that everything happening to their bodies is normal. I will always appreciate references to natural bodily functions in YA, so I commend Christopher for adding this in.
The last bit of praise I will give this novel is that I enjoyed the unfolding mystery of Moss and Pa, who Finn and Tommy remark looks absolutely nothing like her. For the first half of the book, the reader never questions that Pa and Moss are related, as we don't hear many physical descriptions that cue us into this fact. It is only when Finn and Tommy arrive and remark on how they look nothing alike that we begin to suspect all is not as it appears. The element of mystery surrounding Pa and his illness (known by Moss as the "Blackness") makes for an interesting read, but it's undercut with so much tedious dialogue and slow moments that it's hard to stay invested. If this book had been written more conventionally (without all of the strange hyphenated words and dream-like prose), I likely would have enjoyed the unfolding mystery and magical realism a lot more.
I'm honestly still not sure how I feel about this book. While I can tell a great deal of effort went into it, something about it just didn't click for me. I was bored and confused for a lot of it, and even the parts I did enjoy were so burdened by the strange style that it overshadowed anything I might have otherwise praised. As many other reviewers have stated, I felt like I needed to be on some sort of substance myself to understand this book, as it seemed to be saying a lot that I wasn't grasping through the stilted language. I'm honestly not sure if any teens would enjoy this book, as it's just so unbelievably strange. Even for fans of Shakespeare's work, this book felt very odd and disconnected from Shakespeare's style. While I liked that it was split into acts and scenes like a play, it didn't read anything like a play otherwise, and I fear that the style is too niche to garner a wide audience. At the very least, the cover and synopsis is intriguing enough that teens will likely pick it up, but I'm not sure if it can hold the attention of a teenager when even I (an avid reader and lover of YA lit) struggled to stay awake while reading it.
All in all, this isn't the worst thing I've ever read, but it was weird and frustrating, and likely won't stick with me for very long after I'm done with this review. There was nothing particularly memorable about it outside of the weirdness, and I just wasn't invested enough to care about what was going to happen. Even the ending felt lackluster, leaving me with more questions than I had when I started the book. Everything about this story was just "meh," which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like it. Unless you're a die-hard fan of Shakespeare's plays, I would recommend giving this book a pass.
August 6, 2018
@kidlitexchange #partner
Thank you to the #KidLitExchange network for the review copy of Storm-Wake. All opinions are my own.
Storm-Wake was a bit difficult for me. Partially, I think it was because I loved Lucy Christopher's book Stolen so, so much and so I just had hopes that were a little too high for Storm-Wake. Additionally, there just didn't seem to be a lot of flow in this novel. Parts seemed choppy and disconnected.
Storm-Wake is based on The Tempest, which is a Shakespeare play that I have personally never read, so I cannot tell you whether or not it lines up.
The story of Moss and Pa is an intriguing one. Pa uses stormflowers to control the weather. Then one day, a boy washes up on the shore of their island and starts talking about the old world, before the floods. Pa worries that he's going to try to steal Moss away, but Moss is curious about whether there could really be land out beyond where they are.
I never really knew what to expect next, which made the book exciting. I really liked the character of Moss, but also felt really bad for her because even though I wasn't sure what it was, something felt wrong.
Overall, it was difficult to get through, but it was a very interesting story so I would recommend it to those who like this kind of mystical, sci-fi-ish genre.
This book was just released July 31, 2018.
#books #bookstagram #ARC #reviewer #igreads #ireadtoo #reader
Thank you to the #KidLitExchange network for the review copy of Storm-Wake. All opinions are my own.
Storm-Wake was a bit difficult for me. Partially, I think it was because I loved Lucy Christopher's book Stolen so, so much and so I just had hopes that were a little too high for Storm-Wake. Additionally, there just didn't seem to be a lot of flow in this novel. Parts seemed choppy and disconnected.
Storm-Wake is based on The Tempest, which is a Shakespeare play that I have personally never read, so I cannot tell you whether or not it lines up.
The story of Moss and Pa is an intriguing one. Pa uses stormflowers to control the weather. Then one day, a boy washes up on the shore of their island and starts talking about the old world, before the floods. Pa worries that he's going to try to steal Moss away, but Moss is curious about whether there could really be land out beyond where they are.
I never really knew what to expect next, which made the book exciting. I really liked the character of Moss, but also felt really bad for her because even though I wasn't sure what it was, something felt wrong.
Overall, it was difficult to get through, but it was a very interesting story so I would recommend it to those who like this kind of mystical, sci-fi-ish genre.
This book was just released July 31, 2018.
#books #bookstagram #ARC #reviewer #igreads #ireadtoo #reader
April 15, 2018
I received this as an ARC through my job at Coles.
I’m not into plays or classics so I didn’t really have any expectations for this book. I figured it would give me an idea of The Tempest without having to read Shakespeare. (not trying to slam him, I’m just not into it) I’ve read a lot of reviews from people who were comparing Storm-wake to The Tempest and ended up not enjoying it. However, as someone who has never read The Tempest, I really enjoyed Storm-wake.
The writing was dreamy and the atmosphere that Lucy Christopher was able to create felt magical. I read this book in two days because I was so immersed in the story. I think that if you are a person who is not into plays or classic and like magical/fantasy/dreamlike stories then you might really love this book. But if you are a die-hard Shakespeare fan then maybe you won’t love it as much. I did really enjoy it though!
I’m not into plays or classics so I didn’t really have any expectations for this book. I figured it would give me an idea of The Tempest without having to read Shakespeare. (not trying to slam him, I’m just not into it) I’ve read a lot of reviews from people who were comparing Storm-wake to The Tempest and ended up not enjoying it. However, as someone who has never read The Tempest, I really enjoyed Storm-wake.
The writing was dreamy and the atmosphere that Lucy Christopher was able to create felt magical. I read this book in two days because I was so immersed in the story. I think that if you are a person who is not into plays or classic and like magical/fantasy/dreamlike stories then you might really love this book. But if you are a die-hard Shakespeare fan then maybe you won’t love it as much. I did really enjoy it though!
January 6, 2020
I loved this book so much. It is set in a time where floods have swallowed the earth and the two characters on the island are the only people left. I love that the author wrote the book without very good grammar because the characters haven't been to the outside world in a while so they don't know how to talk properly. The book conists of words like "flicker-land" and "ocean-treasures" etc. There were so many twists and turns so the book never gets boring and you never want to put it down.
August 16, 2018
I received a review copy of this from Chicken House and wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s taken me a while to get round to reading and I wish I’d read it sooner. It was wonderful.
Classed as YA, it is in one sense a classic ‘coming-of-age’ narrative. We see Moss as she grows from a ‘Small Thing’ into her teens, and watch as her relationships with both “wild-boy” Cal and Pa change as she does. However, there’s a lot more going on here, and in some ways I’m not sure where or how I’d categorise this, which is no bad thing.
Let’s start with the island and its stormflowers – described in Lucy Christopher’s beautiful and lyrical style, there is a dream-like feel to the place, the flowers and the magical qualities that surround them. But are things as idyllic as they seem, or is there a darker side to the flowers and their effects? There’s a heavy, heady link to poppies and their opioid connections made, but we’re left to draw our own conclusions as the book progresses.
Much of the book feels like this: the line between fantasy and reality is not so much blurred as changeable and shifting. There is a wonderful balance between the real and the fantastic: the real often seeming to be written between the lines of the magic on the page, which I thought was so cleverly done and only added to the sense of foreboding and doubt that gradually creeps in as Moss begins to realise that perhaps not everything is how she has grown up believing it to be.
While not a retelling as such, I loved the many parallels with The Tempest in the book. I want to say more, but am loath to give any spoilers away. Suffice to say – the influence is there with similarities carefully woven into the story. If you don’t know it, it won’t matter: it stands as a well-crafted story in its own right.
This is a book for being swallowed up in – immersed in stories, stormy seas, stormflower smoke and the tingle-fizz of petals on tongues, scales on skin and whispers of another world. You could easily find yourself going as mad as Pa if you try to wrap your head round what’s really real, what’s magic, what’s illusion, what’s lies, what’s truth, what’s a version of all of these… and that’s partly why I loved this book as much as I did.
Classed as YA, it is in one sense a classic ‘coming-of-age’ narrative. We see Moss as she grows from a ‘Small Thing’ into her teens, and watch as her relationships with both “wild-boy” Cal and Pa change as she does. However, there’s a lot more going on here, and in some ways I’m not sure where or how I’d categorise this, which is no bad thing.
Let’s start with the island and its stormflowers – described in Lucy Christopher’s beautiful and lyrical style, there is a dream-like feel to the place, the flowers and the magical qualities that surround them. But are things as idyllic as they seem, or is there a darker side to the flowers and their effects? There’s a heavy, heady link to poppies and their opioid connections made, but we’re left to draw our own conclusions as the book progresses.
Much of the book feels like this: the line between fantasy and reality is not so much blurred as changeable and shifting. There is a wonderful balance between the real and the fantastic: the real often seeming to be written between the lines of the magic on the page, which I thought was so cleverly done and only added to the sense of foreboding and doubt that gradually creeps in as Moss begins to realise that perhaps not everything is how she has grown up believing it to be.
While not a retelling as such, I loved the many parallels with The Tempest in the book. I want to say more, but am loath to give any spoilers away. Suffice to say – the influence is there with similarities carefully woven into the story. If you don’t know it, it won’t matter: it stands as a well-crafted story in its own right.
This is a book for being swallowed up in – immersed in stories, stormy seas, stormflower smoke and the tingle-fizz of petals on tongues, scales on skin and whispers of another world. You could easily find yourself going as mad as Pa if you try to wrap your head round what’s really real, what’s magic, what’s illusion, what’s lies, what’s truth, what’s a version of all of these… and that’s partly why I loved this book as much as I did.
July 31, 2018
A few weeks ago, I received my first ARC (Advanced Reviewer Copy) of a book by one of my favorite authors: Lucy Christopher. I was totally excited to read it because I absolutely loved her books Stolen and Flyaway.
Storm-wake is a novel loosely based on the Shakespeare play The Tempest. The story surrounds a young girl named Moss and her father who are living on a deserted island full of magical flowers. These flowers have the ability to heal and give a sort of high to those who ingest them. They also grant wishes and bring storms. One wish that Moss had was for a companion her age. The next day, a young man with fish scales for skin washes up on shore. Moss named him Callan and they became close friends. They spend most of their childhood together with Pa. Then we have a few years jump and Moss and Cal have grown up into teenagers. Pa was constantly telling them that the world flooded and that the flowers would grant their wish and recede the waters to bring back the outside world. When a boy named Finn from the outside world washes up on their shores, Moss starts to question everything she knows. She began to doubt her Pa more and more as evidence piled up showing that the outside world may not have perished as she had been told.
I really liked this book. It had a sense of adventure. I loved reading as Moss grew up and grew into her feelings for Cal. When they were children, it was a sweet sort of friendship, as innocent as the two children were. As they grew up, their relationship matured into love as Moss saw Cal as more of a person rather than the water spirit she believed him to be. On the back of the book, it mentioned that Moss had to decide who she loved. I thought that it would be between Cal and Finn, but there was barely any romantic ties to Finn. Instead, the love was between Cal and Pa. Moss had to decide who she trusted and, in the end, who she wanted to stay with. It was a sweet story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
My only qualm was also the thing that I liked. I found that, because of the way Moss and Cal's thoughts and speech were written, it was a little bit hard to read. There were a lot of almost infantile words that were smashed together with a hyphen. I found that I breathed a sigh of relief when we were introduced to Finn and his more normalized way of thinking/speaking. However, I realized that I loved the fact that we could see their individuality in the way the story was written by each point of view. When we read a part that centered around Cal, you knew it. When we were introduced to Finn, he spoke more normally than Cal and Moss. I realized that this showed that Cal and Moss were almost stuck in childhood, as they didn't tend to use large words. Their speech was almost stunted. Again, it made it a little difficult to read, but I'm glad of it.
I really liked this book, even when it was a little hard to follow. The end made me cry and I was left thinking about the story in a different light by the end of the book. I want to re-read it with the ending revelations in mind to see how it changes the story. You'll want to re-read it too. It's a beautiful book and you won't regret it.
Storm-wake is a novel loosely based on the Shakespeare play The Tempest. The story surrounds a young girl named Moss and her father who are living on a deserted island full of magical flowers. These flowers have the ability to heal and give a sort of high to those who ingest them. They also grant wishes and bring storms. One wish that Moss had was for a companion her age. The next day, a young man with fish scales for skin washes up on shore. Moss named him Callan and they became close friends. They spend most of their childhood together with Pa. Then we have a few years jump and Moss and Cal have grown up into teenagers. Pa was constantly telling them that the world flooded and that the flowers would grant their wish and recede the waters to bring back the outside world. When a boy named Finn from the outside world washes up on their shores, Moss starts to question everything she knows. She began to doubt her Pa more and more as evidence piled up showing that the outside world may not have perished as she had been told.
I really liked this book. It had a sense of adventure. I loved reading as Moss grew up and grew into her feelings for Cal. When they were children, it was a sweet sort of friendship, as innocent as the two children were. As they grew up, their relationship matured into love as Moss saw Cal as more of a person rather than the water spirit she believed him to be. On the back of the book, it mentioned that Moss had to decide who she loved. I thought that it would be between Cal and Finn, but there was barely any romantic ties to Finn. Instead, the love was between Cal and Pa. Moss had to decide who she trusted and, in the end, who she wanted to stay with. It was a sweet story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
My only qualm was also the thing that I liked. I found that, because of the way Moss and Cal's thoughts and speech were written, it was a little bit hard to read. There were a lot of almost infantile words that were smashed together with a hyphen. I found that I breathed a sigh of relief when we were introduced to Finn and his more normalized way of thinking/speaking. However, I realized that I loved the fact that we could see their individuality in the way the story was written by each point of view. When we read a part that centered around Cal, you knew it. When we were introduced to Finn, he spoke more normally than Cal and Moss. I realized that this showed that Cal and Moss were almost stuck in childhood, as they didn't tend to use large words. Their speech was almost stunted. Again, it made it a little difficult to read, but I'm glad of it.
I really liked this book, even when it was a little hard to follow. The end made me cry and I was left thinking about the story in a different light by the end of the book. I want to re-read it with the ending revelations in mind to see how it changes the story. You'll want to re-read it too. It's a beautiful book and you won't regret it.
February 10, 2019
2.5 stars. (If ever there was a time for half a star, it's now.)
I am very torn about this book.
I absolutely LOVE the cover of this one, both the book jacket and the hardcover book itself. Underneath the cover, the book is this deep forest green, just a lovely color really, with a shiny silver font and a gorgeous flower accent.
But I gotta tell you that I really only adored the cover for this one.
I guess I just feel a bit let down. The idea of a YA Shakespeare retelling of The Tempest immediately appealed to me as an English teacher, even if I haven't read the play in a while.
But I spent most of my time with this book being majorly confused. Can Pa control the weather or can't he? Is the island magical or isn't it? Are the flowers magical or are they some type of hallucinatory drug? Are they bad for the characters' health or aren't they? Can the flowers actually create things, horses, and people, or did all that stuff actually just wash up on the shore after shipwrecks? Where is this island supposed to be anyway? Near England? Do people really forget the island if they leave it? But then how did Pa even know it existed in the first place? Is Aster the horse supposed to be Ariel from the play? And why did the author switch Moss's love interest to Cal(iban) instead of Finn (Ferdinand) as it was in the play? Gah! Just too many questions, and I'm sure I could think of more if I sat here typing long enough.
I will share that I started reading this book during free-reading time at my school while I was also in charge of a couple dozen kids, so I will readily admit that my attention wasn't fully focused on the book for about the first 100 pages. But still.
I also wasn't pulled into the book either. I found the strangely hyphenated words annoying and super distracting even if I understand that the author was trying to make Moss seem innocent and isolated and self-taught to speak so she could creatively describe the world around her. Still, that doesn't change the fact that "tight-close" and "limpet-tight" and "quick-fast" and "kick-kick" are just plain annoying to read repeatedly. Plus, Pa was from the outside world and could have easily taught Moss to speak correctly and saved me a lot of trouble and agony and annoyance while reading.
The only reasons I even kept reading this one were (1) I had already bought it based on its cover, (2) I could no longer return it, and (3) the arrival of Finn and Tommy added some much needed sense to the book about 130 pages in.
However, while the ending of the book helped me understand the beginning A LOT more, I still feel let down. My overall feeling is just . . . why? I'm just not sure what to take away from the story here since not even the magic was really explained or resolved. I'm just torn.
My takeaway? Pretty cover over pretty confusing insides. Not bad . . . just not as good as I would have liked. Sorry. I really did want to love this one. I just didn't really get it. But since I own it, I may reread it some day. Who knows? Maybe then I will understand it.
I am very torn about this book.
I absolutely LOVE the cover of this one, both the book jacket and the hardcover book itself. Underneath the cover, the book is this deep forest green, just a lovely color really, with a shiny silver font and a gorgeous flower accent.
But I gotta tell you that I really only adored the cover for this one.
I guess I just feel a bit let down. The idea of a YA Shakespeare retelling of The Tempest immediately appealed to me as an English teacher, even if I haven't read the play in a while.
But I spent most of my time with this book being majorly confused. Can Pa control the weather or can't he? Is the island magical or isn't it? Are the flowers magical or are they some type of hallucinatory drug? Are they bad for the characters' health or aren't they? Can the flowers actually create things, horses, and people, or did all that stuff actually just wash up on the shore after shipwrecks? Where is this island supposed to be anyway? Near England? Do people really forget the island if they leave it? But then how did Pa even know it existed in the first place? Is Aster the horse supposed to be Ariel from the play? And why did the author switch Moss's love interest to Cal(iban) instead of Finn (Ferdinand) as it was in the play? Gah! Just too many questions, and I'm sure I could think of more if I sat here typing long enough.
I will share that I started reading this book during free-reading time at my school while I was also in charge of a couple dozen kids, so I will readily admit that my attention wasn't fully focused on the book for about the first 100 pages. But still.
I also wasn't pulled into the book either. I found the strangely hyphenated words annoying and super distracting even if I understand that the author was trying to make Moss seem innocent and isolated and self-taught to speak so she could creatively describe the world around her. Still, that doesn't change the fact that "tight-close" and "limpet-tight" and "quick-fast" and "kick-kick" are just plain annoying to read repeatedly. Plus, Pa was from the outside world and could have easily taught Moss to speak correctly and saved me a lot of trouble and agony and annoyance while reading.
The only reasons I even kept reading this one were (1) I had already bought it based on its cover, (2) I could no longer return it, and (3) the arrival of Finn and Tommy added some much needed sense to the book about 130 pages in.
However, while the ending of the book helped me understand the beginning A LOT more, I still feel let down. My overall feeling is just . . . why? I'm just not sure what to take away from the story here since not even the magic was really explained or resolved. I'm just torn.
My takeaway? Pretty cover over pretty confusing insides. Not bad . . . just not as good as I would have liked. Sorry. I really did want to love this one. I just didn't really get it. But since I own it, I may reread it some day. Who knows? Maybe then I will understand it.
August 21, 2018
No. This author wrote the most amazing book with Stolen but this.... I JUST KEPT EXPECTING SOMETHING TO HAPPEN & while things did happen; nothing made sense. One time in school I had to read this magical realism book and I hated it. Maybe that’s why I didn’t like this book?
July 15, 2018
DNF - did nothing new to the Tempest story.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
August 25, 2018
One of the things I most admire about this author is her willingness to take risks and to tackle different topics. In this case, she draws inspiration from William Shakespeare's The Tempest to tell the tale of a girl and a man living on an island far from anywhere else. The story moves from somewhere ten years ago and then covers the next years in brief increments. Since Lucy Christopher organizes her story with the typical elements found in plays--acts and scenes--readers won't have trouble keeping up with how the book is organized. But it's clear almost from the start that something is terribly wrong with Pa. Increasingly, he nibbles stormflowers and seems almost deluded. He's told stories of how they came to the island and the destructive flooding that has destroyed the rest of the world, leaving only Pa, Moss, and Callan, a boy who arrives at the island during a storm. Pa claims that there is no way to leave the place. The island is beautiful and magical, but there are dangers from the lizards, and Pa's kindness toward Callan has turned to cruelty. Callan and Moss develop a close bond, and when he discovers that Pa has been lying about some important things, he tries to share what he's learned with Moss. Pa becomes increasingly confused and angry, and things reach a boiling point when two boys, Tommy and Finn, are wrecked on the island during a storm. The writing is lyrical, and Christopher makes readers believe in this strange and magical place, and the little bits of memory from Moss's early years that are revealed near the end of the book are interesting, but I would expect many teen readers to struggle with this one since there are many holes left unfilled and the ending is a bit unsatisfying. It's easy to see why someone would want to flee from society and live almost alone on his/her own terms, but as another reviewer noted, sometimes I felt as though I were reading this through the lens of some powerful hallucinogenetic influence. I never really trusted Pa even though I wanted to, and although I don't regret reading this book, it left me with more questions than answers.
July 16, 2018
Storm-Wake is an interesting book, and it's beautifully written, but I never felt a connection to it. It's a reimagining of Shakespeare's The Tempest, and it initially stays quite close to the plot of the play. A young girl named Moss and her father, Pa, live alone on a deserted island where they were shipwrecked some years before. Pa tells Moss that floods have claimed the rest of the world and that they're safe on their island. The island is covered in flowers that Pa tries to use for magic to cure the rest of the world.
One day, a boy comes out of the water and joins their family. They call him Callan, and he seems not quite human. He looks like a boy, but has webbed hands and feet and scale patterns on his skin. Moss and Cal grow up together, but Pa begins to not trust Cal, thinking that Cal may be stealing Moss away from him. Then when Moss and Cal are teens (their ages are never specified, but they seem to be older), two more boys come out of the sea and threaten the fragile peace of the found family.
The first half of the book meanders along. Not much happens. Pa eats flowers that seem to drug him. He may be sick. Moss and Cal explore the island. Pa gets mad at Cal. Years pass. When two boys shipwreck on the island, the pace of story picks up, and Moss begins to question her relationship with Pa. Has he been lying to her? Is he mentally ill?
I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first, but the initially slow pace made it hard for me to feel connected to the story or the characters. Even when the story became more compelling, I was never that absorbed in it. I can't decide whether I feel it should have been a shorter book that focused on the action in the second half, or a longer book that explored the odd family dynamics in more detail. That said, Lucy Christopher's writing is beautiful.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
One day, a boy comes out of the water and joins their family. They call him Callan, and he seems not quite human. He looks like a boy, but has webbed hands and feet and scale patterns on his skin. Moss and Cal grow up together, but Pa begins to not trust Cal, thinking that Cal may be stealing Moss away from him. Then when Moss and Cal are teens (their ages are never specified, but they seem to be older), two more boys come out of the sea and threaten the fragile peace of the found family.
The first half of the book meanders along. Not much happens. Pa eats flowers that seem to drug him. He may be sick. Moss and Cal explore the island. Pa gets mad at Cal. Years pass. When two boys shipwreck on the island, the pace of story picks up, and Moss begins to question her relationship with Pa. Has he been lying to her? Is he mentally ill?
I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first, but the initially slow pace made it hard for me to feel connected to the story or the characters. Even when the story became more compelling, I was never that absorbed in it. I can't decide whether I feel it should have been a shorter book that focused on the action in the second half, or a longer book that explored the odd family dynamics in more detail. That said, Lucy Christopher's writing is beautiful.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
May 24, 2024
3.5 stars
Storm-Wake was a really easy book to read for me, and I did enjoy the writing style most of the time, but even after finishing the book, I still don't know what I really thought about it. I enjoyed it well enough, and I think I wouldn't tell people not to read it, but somehow it was also not very satisfying.
It realized pretty soon the directions this book could take, and I thought it was very interesting to have both ways to go, because I couldn't tell which one it would be in the end, and then somehow the book went kind of with both, but also in the end with neither really, and now I'm here, and still can't really say for sure what kind of story it was. Like, it wasn't confusing, I could absolutely say what happened, but just ... right now it feels like three different stories to me, and somehow they don't really go that well together, because the third one (the ending) wasn't really set up in my opinion, but the first two didn't really have a nice ending, and ... I just don't know. It's not a bad book, in my opinion, the characters are likable, most of the stuff that does happen seems logical enough for the world, but after the ending I'm also not sure if I would call it a good book?
But it was a nice read, and I don't regret the time I spend on it at all, it's just ... strange. (And I learned that apparently it was inspired by The Tempest or something, and I don't know that play, so maybe the strangenes comes from there, but without knowing anything but the book, I'd say it's an interesting read, just can't really put my finger on the story itself.)
Storm-Wake was a really easy book to read for me, and I did enjoy the writing style most of the time, but even after finishing the book, I still don't know what I really thought about it. I enjoyed it well enough, and I think I wouldn't tell people not to read it, but somehow it was also not very satisfying.
It realized pretty soon the directions this book could take, and I thought it was very interesting to have both ways to go, because I couldn't tell which one it would be in the end, and then somehow the book went kind of with both, but also in the end with neither really, and now I'm here, and still can't really say for sure what kind of story it was. Like, it wasn't confusing, I could absolutely say what happened, but just ... right now it feels like three different stories to me, and somehow they don't really go that well together, because the third one (the ending) wasn't really set up in my opinion, but the first two didn't really have a nice ending, and ... I just don't know. It's not a bad book, in my opinion, the characters are likable, most of the stuff that does happen seems logical enough for the world, but after the ending I'm also not sure if I would call it a good book?
But it was a nice read, and I don't regret the time I spend on it at all, it's just ... strange. (And I learned that apparently it was inspired by The Tempest or something, and I don't know that play, so maybe the strangenes comes from there, but without knowing anything but the book, I'd say it's an interesting read, just can't really put my finger on the story itself.)
August 19, 2018
I wasn't thrilled with this book when I started it, but I hoped that I would adjust to it. Eventually I did, and in the couple of chapters right before the end I started to think "maybe this isn't the absolute worst, maybe I'll give it 2, 2 and half stars." Then I finished it, and it went straight back to one.
I feel the need to admit that I've never actually read or watched the Tempest. High school English squashed any possibility of me enjoying Shakespeare, and very few remakes even tempt me. This did not rekindle any possible love or hope for his works.
The good: Moss is a very distinct character, and there's definitely an element of "I wonder where this is going." Aster was also a good character, but perhaps that's because she was a horse and never spoke.
The bad: Essentially everything. The words that they use on the island like wonder-bright are just jarring. I never fully adjusted, so even toward the end of the book the words didn't flow all that well. The story wasn't necessarily clear and the timeline in the chapter/scene titles just muddled things for me. I just really didn't enjoy this.
The ugly: Okay, the term "the blackness" to refer to the depression/darkness/craziness of Pa bothered me. I had to call up an English teacher friend to ask her if that was a Shakespearean thing. It turns out that it is, but if you're remaking a book and have some creative license, I think I'd maybe choose a better word for this day and age. Darkness would get the point across just as well.
I feel the need to admit that I've never actually read or watched the Tempest. High school English squashed any possibility of me enjoying Shakespeare, and very few remakes even tempt me. This did not rekindle any possible love or hope for his works.
The good: Moss is a very distinct character, and there's definitely an element of "I wonder where this is going." Aster was also a good character, but perhaps that's because she was a horse and never spoke.
The bad: Essentially everything. The words that they use on the island like wonder-bright are just jarring. I never fully adjusted, so even toward the end of the book the words didn't flow all that well. The story wasn't necessarily clear and the timeline in the chapter/scene titles just muddled things for me. I just really didn't enjoy this.
The ugly: Okay, the term "the blackness" to refer to the depression/darkness/craziness of Pa bothered me. I had to call up an English teacher friend to ask her if that was a Shakespearean thing. It turns out that it is, but if you're remaking a book and have some creative license, I think I'd maybe choose a better word for this day and age. Darkness would get the point across just as well.
August 23, 2020
Moss has always lived on the flower island with Pa and fish-boy Cal. Pa controls the storms, and Moss growing older, but he can’t control Cal. With the storms getting worse, and Pa’s Blackness creeping in, will Moss ever be able to see her Birthday Surprise?
What am I supposed to feel about this whole concept? I read that this is based loosely around ‘The Tempest’, which now makes the chapter/section headings make sense. Reading it just as a novel without this novel makes the reader confused as to why things are Act 1, Scene I etc. Why has the author chosen to do this? I honestly have no idea why the author did ANYTHING in this novel.
The characters are devoid of any introspective thoughts or higher level planning, mainly aided by the lack of language. The novel meandered through deep drug hazes in flowery (haha) language that drove me crazy with its childish repetition and semi-made-up language that runs into itself. This kind of writing reminded me of MunMun. To top things off, there is no conclusion to this novel. What is real, and what isn’t? What are the chances of people actually being able to swim that far?
It’s not fantasy, but it’s not clear fiction either. It’s a made-up world that I regret spending a couple of hours in my life in. Just like Neverland, I forced myself to finish reading this novel in the hopes of a redemption that didn’t come. 1 star.
Did you enjoy this goodreads review? If so you may find it useful to visit my blog The Cosy Dragon . I regularly post new reviews on a variety of genres.
What am I supposed to feel about this whole concept? I read that this is based loosely around ‘The Tempest’, which now makes the chapter/section headings make sense. Reading it just as a novel without this novel makes the reader confused as to why things are Act 1, Scene I etc. Why has the author chosen to do this? I honestly have no idea why the author did ANYTHING in this novel.
The characters are devoid of any introspective thoughts or higher level planning, mainly aided by the lack of language. The novel meandered through deep drug hazes in flowery (haha) language that drove me crazy with its childish repetition and semi-made-up language that runs into itself. This kind of writing reminded me of MunMun. To top things off, there is no conclusion to this novel. What is real, and what isn’t? What are the chances of people actually being able to swim that far?
It’s not fantasy, but it’s not clear fiction either. It’s a made-up world that I regret spending a couple of hours in my life in. Just like Neverland, I forced myself to finish reading this novel in the hopes of a redemption that didn’t come. 1 star.
Did you enjoy this goodreads review? If so you may find it useful to visit my blog The Cosy Dragon . I regularly post new reviews on a variety of genres.
June 14, 2022
4 stars!
(Mild spoilers) This is a really fun book if you're into authors who aren't afraid to play with language, form and voice. At first I wasn't sure if I was into it, but then it really grew on me. It is fantastical, whimsical story inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest and clearly shows the authors love and passion for the tale (even writing the story in Scenes and Acts rather than chapters). I wouldn't call it a re-telling, rather that it borrows some magical ideas, locations, and aspects of characters.
It's hard to tell what age group this is aimed at. At first it seems that perhaps it is for children, with its innocent magical island full of magical flowers and spirit horses that emerge from the sea. But as the plot develops, darker themes emerge and it definitely gets you questioning things- are these magic flowers causing some sort of hallucinatigenic trips? Is Moss's pa mentally ill or an addict? Has Moss been kidnapped? Quite complex adult themes begin to thread through, especially when Moss (our lovely main character) is trying to fathom who she can trust, who's telling the truth, who's who and what's what and why the heck she is stuck on an island with Pa.
This book really gripped me because I'm such a sucker for coming of age tales, dreamy hesitant first kisses, whimsical world's, magic, and darker themes. You can tell the author enjoyed writing it and I really enjoyed reading it, in all its creative, oddball glory.
(Mild spoilers) This is a really fun book if you're into authors who aren't afraid to play with language, form and voice. At first I wasn't sure if I was into it, but then it really grew on me. It is fantastical, whimsical story inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest and clearly shows the authors love and passion for the tale (even writing the story in Scenes and Acts rather than chapters). I wouldn't call it a re-telling, rather that it borrows some magical ideas, locations, and aspects of characters.
It's hard to tell what age group this is aimed at. At first it seems that perhaps it is for children, with its innocent magical island full of magical flowers and spirit horses that emerge from the sea. But as the plot develops, darker themes emerge and it definitely gets you questioning things- are these magic flowers causing some sort of hallucinatigenic trips? Is Moss's pa mentally ill or an addict? Has Moss been kidnapped? Quite complex adult themes begin to thread through, especially when Moss (our lovely main character) is trying to fathom who she can trust, who's telling the truth, who's who and what's what and why the heck she is stuck on an island with Pa.
This book really gripped me because I'm such a sucker for coming of age tales, dreamy hesitant first kisses, whimsical world's, magic, and darker themes. You can tell the author enjoyed writing it and I really enjoyed reading it, in all its creative, oddball glory.
June 23, 2025
This book is absolutely stunning. It’s strange, and beautiful, and whimsical and glorious and raw and poetic and enigmatic. It’s very Shakespeare-ish. The character voice is stunning. Rather than being plot focused, it’s exploration and adventure heavy, character heavy, feeling heavy. The author draws you into another world. I read this in two hours and adored it. After I finished, I just had to sit, and… soak it in.
And this novel is so cool. It’s told in Acts and Scenes, per play fashion, and the character voice… the characters use word meldings like quick-fast and bumble-sting and heavy-bent. Not typical language, and out of context of this novel, I don’t think id like it.
But it’s so fittingly glorious in Storm-Wake. It draws you in and adds to the setting and atmosphere. I’ve never read a book like this before and I doubt I’ll find one again (unless this is typical of Shakespeare retellings…)
I recommend to readers +13 because Shakespeare inspired, so it could be a tad confusing, and recommend for anyone who likes Shakespeare retellings, strange fantasy, and a novel that’ll made your head spin in the best way possible.
Content Warnings: Mild language, mentions of abuse, fantasy magic, animal death
And this novel is so cool. It’s told in Acts and Scenes, per play fashion, and the character voice… the characters use word meldings like quick-fast and bumble-sting and heavy-bent. Not typical language, and out of context of this novel, I don’t think id like it.
But it’s so fittingly glorious in Storm-Wake. It draws you in and adds to the setting and atmosphere. I’ve never read a book like this before and I doubt I’ll find one again (unless this is typical of Shakespeare retellings…)
I recommend to readers +13 because Shakespeare inspired, so it could be a tad confusing, and recommend for anyone who likes Shakespeare retellings, strange fantasy, and a novel that’ll made your head spin in the best way possible.
Content Warnings: Mild language, mentions of abuse, fantasy magic, animal death
June 11, 2018
3.5 stars for me!
I knew that I had to read this as soon as I heard that it was inspired by The Tempest ( I love it!) and is set on a mysterious, magical island, cut off when the rest of the world was flooded. I have always enjoyed the eccentricities and oddities of island culture and have several fantastic books with an island setting.
We follow a young girl called Moss, who lives on the island with her Pa and their dog, later joined by a fish-boy Callan and a horse made from flowers. I was immediately drawn into the book by the lyrical language and beautiful imagery, but, at times, did find myself having to reread due to losing the thread of the narrative.
The story really takes off around the halfway point, when two teenagers from 'outside' are shipwrecked on the island, therefore making Moss question all the stories her Pa has told her about fleeing from the floods. The language is undoubtedly beautiful, but I cannot see this becoming a favourite of those in the targeted age group, due to the confusing storyline.
Like an optical illusion caught from the corner of your eye, this book is strange yet beguiling, beautiful yet elusive.
I knew that I had to read this as soon as I heard that it was inspired by The Tempest ( I love it!) and is set on a mysterious, magical island, cut off when the rest of the world was flooded. I have always enjoyed the eccentricities and oddities of island culture and have several fantastic books with an island setting.
We follow a young girl called Moss, who lives on the island with her Pa and their dog, later joined by a fish-boy Callan and a horse made from flowers. I was immediately drawn into the book by the lyrical language and beautiful imagery, but, at times, did find myself having to reread due to losing the thread of the narrative.
The story really takes off around the halfway point, when two teenagers from 'outside' are shipwrecked on the island, therefore making Moss question all the stories her Pa has told her about fleeing from the floods. The language is undoubtedly beautiful, but I cannot see this becoming a favourite of those in the targeted age group, due to the confusing storyline.
Like an optical illusion caught from the corner of your eye, this book is strange yet beguiling, beautiful yet elusive.
July 17, 2018
I won a copy of this book from Goodreads giveaways, and I was super excited for it! I loved Stolen and The Killing Woods, so I was looking forward to a new book from Lucy Christopher.
On the whole, I really liked Storm-Wake. I very much enjoy Shakespeare retellings and Shakespeare inspired stories in general, and The Tempest is such a great play to retell. I connected with the main character, Moss, and I enjoyed seeing the plot and backstory unfold throughout the book. Lucy Christopher's writing is beautiful, though in this book I did find some of it a little hard to follow, since she gave her characters on the island a very peculiar dialect.
I also had some difficulty differentiating between fantasy and reality, which I think was intentional on the part of the author, for the most part, but it did make the book a little bit confusing at times. I generally like magical realism but it didn't totally work for me in this particular book.
Definitely worth reading though, and I would recommend it to fans of Lucy Christopher, the YA fantasy/realistic fantasy genre, and Shakespeare retellings in general!
On the whole, I really liked Storm-Wake. I very much enjoy Shakespeare retellings and Shakespeare inspired stories in general, and The Tempest is such a great play to retell. I connected with the main character, Moss, and I enjoyed seeing the plot and backstory unfold throughout the book. Lucy Christopher's writing is beautiful, though in this book I did find some of it a little hard to follow, since she gave her characters on the island a very peculiar dialect.
I also had some difficulty differentiating between fantasy and reality, which I think was intentional on the part of the author, for the most part, but it did make the book a little bit confusing at times. I generally like magical realism but it didn't totally work for me in this particular book.
Definitely worth reading though, and I would recommend it to fans of Lucy Christopher, the YA fantasy/realistic fantasy genre, and Shakespeare retellings in general!
October 7, 2021
This book is a mixed bag for me.
I liked it but I didn’t.
I liked the premise and the idea of the story but it seemed disjointed in some areas. I felt that the two main storylines were kind of meshed together but not seamlessly.
Perhaps this was because the book took till about half way through it to start getting anywhere outside the storm-flowers, Pa, and Moss.
When the story picked up it felt a bit rushed: but maybe it is just the pace of the second half was different.
I like the cast of characters. I had my suspicions of Pa from the get go, I am glad to see he was not the sinister man I thought he was. Moss is great, wild and true. I adore everything about her. Especially when she starts listening to her OWN inner voice. Cal was a fun character, who I always thought was human. I like his steady mind and convictions. Way to go Cal you saved everybody. Jess, Aster, and Adder are absolutely adorable. Glad each of them was in the story. Finn and Tommy were a surprise. I sad they will not remember anything.
The ending has me confused as to why the three of them jumped into the water at the end for a swim to another island.
I liked it but I didn’t.
I liked the premise and the idea of the story but it seemed disjointed in some areas. I felt that the two main storylines were kind of meshed together but not seamlessly.
Perhaps this was because the book took till about half way through it to start getting anywhere outside the storm-flowers, Pa, and Moss.
When the story picked up it felt a bit rushed: but maybe it is just the pace of the second half was different.
I like the cast of characters. I had my suspicions of Pa from the get go, I am glad to see he was not the sinister man I thought he was. Moss is great, wild and true. I adore everything about her. Especially when she starts listening to her OWN inner voice. Cal was a fun character, who I always thought was human. I like his steady mind and convictions. Way to go Cal you saved everybody. Jess, Aster, and Adder are absolutely adorable. Glad each of them was in the story. Finn and Tommy were a surprise. I sad they will not remember anything.
The ending has me confused as to why the three of them jumped into the water at the end for a swim to another island.
May 12, 2018
This tells the story of Moss, who lives on a secluded island with only her Pa, her dog Jess and a boy called Cal, as everything begins to change on the island after a storm brings in something very unexpected. While I mainly enjoyed the very descriptive language, I did find myself having to reread passages quite often as I was getting very confused and it did take a bit of getting used to, which is why I struggled to get into the book for a while. I thought the worldbuilding was interesting, liked the concept of stormflowers a lot, and also liked Aster and Jess, as they were great animal characters. I enjoyed Moss as the protagonist, though I didn’t really have an attachment to the other characters at all, but I did always want to keep reading even though I predicted the twist quite early on. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I’d hoped to, but if you prefer a more lyrical/unusual writing style and structure, and are perhaps more familiar with The Tempest (which this is a retelling of, of sorts) than I am, I think you’ll enjoy this more than I did, as it just wasn’t quite my bag. 3/5
November 30, 2018
Moss and Pa and their dog live on an island where they were shipwrecked years ago when Moss was little. The island is covered with magical flowers that Pa uses for healing and to send spells out into the world to keep it from drowning in a weird form of reverse global warming and perhaps to uncover land nearby. One day a storm washed up unusual treasure in the form of a sea/water horse that they name Aster and a fish-boy that the name Callan. As time passes, Pa seems to be suffering from mental illness that may be caused by the flowers and Moss and Cal search for a way off the island.
Language is very complex and is definitely for higher level readers. This is not at all like Christopher's book "Stolen" as it is a foray into fantasy rather than realistic fiction.
Truthfully, I was very disappointed as I wanted to like this book and I never was drawn into it except for at the very end where realism and fantasy finally met.
Language is very complex and is definitely for higher level readers. This is not at all like Christopher's book "Stolen" as it is a foray into fantasy rather than realistic fiction.
Truthfully, I was very disappointed as I wanted to like this book and I never was drawn into it except for at the very end where realism and fantasy finally met.
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