Book Review: Storm Keeper

The Storm Keeper's Island, by Catherine Doyle

Books like this make me wish I believed in magic.

Especially the type of magic that allows you to bottle an island storm into a candle that when burned could reveal your heritage and your fate. The type of magic that lets you see where you came from, and what it means to you.

Gabrielle also enjoyed The Storm Keeper's Island,
 despite the absence of cats

Such is the story of this Young Adult novel, which tells the tale of Fionn and Tara Boyle, a brother and sister who visit their grandfather on Arranmore Island, off Ireland's rugged western coast. Grandad is the storm keeper of the title, the person who keeps alive the magic of the island and protects it from its curse. Fionn, 11, and Tara, 13, must learn about the island and their place in it, while coming to grips with the death of their father and the sadness of their mother.

They must battle the Beasleys, who believe their son Bartley should inherit the storm keeper's title. Some -- although not all -- members of the family appear to side with the darker side of the island's being.

Complicating the issue is that Tara considers Bartley her boyfriend, leading to tension with her brother, portrayed as an awkward, scared little boy.

The story is compelling and sometimes thrilling. The story-telling is simple yet effective. 

I first read this book last year, but decided to re-read it in preparation for the sequel, which is out next month. I eagerly anticipate it.