In the Storm by Karen Metcalf

Release Date: February 15, 2011
Publisher: Vagabondage Press
Pages: 88
Review Source: eARC from author

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Abandoned by the world around her, Carly believes she is fated to a life of torment at the hands of her stepfather and is desperate for an escape. When she can bear the abuse no longer and gives in to a thunderous rage, she suddenly finds herself in an unfamiliar, yet beautiful, storm world. This limbo between dimensions appears to be her private sanctuary, but it may just be her purgatory.

No one escapes fate without sacrifice, but is the price more than Carly is willing to pay?

My Thoughts:
In the beginning I was confused about what exactly was actually happening in this book, but it was okay, somehow, because the main character, Carly, was confused as well. What’s so great about this novella is that in a short period of time you really grow to care about Carly and her little brother, Mitchell. You want Carly to find out answers about this strange storm world she’s been transported to, but you also desperately want her and Mitchell to be able to escape the abuse of their stepfather. It’s so horrific to me that people have to live with abuse. The sad reality is that most people don’t have a storm world to escape to, and it makes me wonder what their escape is. However, even a storm world is no guarantee of everything going right, and I liked how this was dealt with in the story, even though it was heartbreaking.

I would definitely recommend that you check out this novella. The writing is so incredibly lovely; I would definitely describe it as atmospheric or evocative. You could really imagine what the storm world was like, and I loved that. The whole book is a very emotional, worthwhile read. While I found the ending to be predictable, it was still very satisfying. With so much horror in Carly’s life I can only hope that her ending remains happy.

Rating:


Find In the Storm by Karen Metcalf on Goodreads & buy it from the Vagabondage Press Bookstore (epub, mobi, & pdf), or for Kindle and Nook.

P.S. Be sure to check out the Guest Post & Giveaway from Karen Metcalf here.