I love books that teach me something new about Canada and The Coming Storm spoke to me for that reason. Set in Prince Edward Island and using magic and music in an engaging manner, this Young Adult Fantasy is the debut book by Regina M. Hansen. While I was putting together this post, I learned from the author’s bio that she has co-edited a book on the television series Supernatural! The Coming Storm is an historical ghost Fantasy and I liked the spooky elements in it.
There’s a certain wild magic in the salt air and the thrum of the sea. Beet MacNeill has known this all her life. It added spice to her childhood adventures with her older cousin, Gerry, the two of them thick as thieves as they explored their Prince Edward Island home. So when Gerry comes up the path one early spring morning, Beet thinks nothing of it at first. But he is soaking wet and silent, and he plays a haunting tune on his fiddle that chills Beet to the bone. Something is very, very wrong.
Things only get worse when Marina Shaw saunters into town and takes an unsettling interest in Gerry’s new baby. Local lore is filled with tales of a vicious shape-shifting sea creature and the cold, beautiful woman who controls him—a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Marina. Beet is determined to find out what happened to her beloved cousin, and to prevent the same fate from befalling the handsome new boy in town who is winning her heart, whether she wants him to or not. Yet the sea always exacts a price…
Content Notes include death of family, single motherhood, death by drowning.
Thoughts on The Coming Storm
I do not know how to swim and I find the sea terrifying. The Coming Storm is about the power of the sea and Scottish legends. I got some background through this book about the early settlers in the region and with the family in focus being Scottish Canadian, it was a refreshing read from all my other historical fiction books. 🙂
Here are three aspects of the book that I loved –
On Community
The close knit community portrayed in the book made it an enjoyable read. There were multiple perspectives and timeline in the book and that offered insight into how the town has evolved over the years. There are so many little things that we learn about the characters as we go – Beet’s best friend and confidant Jeannine is passionate about horror stories and how old Lilly Solomon who runs the library encourages and gets her special books. Lily, being the oldest, remembers seeing the mysterious women, Marina Shaw, earlier in her life. Anytime something in the present came up that was related to a longer incident in the past, a new character or timeline was introduced to give the reader more background. This could make the story hard to follow but I did not mind it.
On Family
After her cousin Gerry passes away, Beet’s family takes his girlfriend Deidre under their protection. I loved the relationship between Beet and Deirdre and how much Beet loves Joseph, their son. Gerry used to teach the fiddle to Beet and after his death, she takes to the instrument with new zeal.
I felt that relationships were done very well in this book! The little moments between Beet’s parents were heart warming to read. It is clear that they adore each other after so many years of marriage. At the same time, strained relationships are also portrayed with the right amount of discomfort. Gerry was left behind by his mother soon after his birth and Sarah’ interactions with the rest of the family are tense in nature.
On Mythology
The book is rooted in the legend of a woman who wants to live forever and uses the power of the sea to renew her beauty every few years. There is a little bit of commentary on what long term relationships like having a child does to the body and makes it hard to have a fresh start. The motivations behind this offered some food for thought. If you remember The Little Mermaid, Ariel pays the price of being human with her voice. I liked how music was interwoven into this narrative and the power of music and singing over the sea was used creatively.
Overall, this was a good book. As you know, I don’t read a lot of Young Adult books and one of my biggest issues with them is usually character development. The Coming Storm did well on this front. The author did a good job of presenting the sinking feeling one gets when something has gone wrong. I found the folklore intertwined in the story complex at times to understand, with a few false starts. The end, though, does solidify the underlying mythology so it all does come together. If you are looking for a quick YA read, check this one out.
** The Coming Storm will be available in stores starting June 1, 2021. Be sure to check your local library and support them. **
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for gifting me a physical copy of the book for an honest review.
The Coming Storm has been compared to An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. I have not read it but if you are familiar with it and liked it, The Coming Storm might be of interest to you. Check out the Book Review Index for more book recommendations!
Cover Photo by Aditya Vyas on Unsplash
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