Storm-Wake

by Lucy Christopher

[nightingalereads]

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 *