Book Review #513 - The Book of Storms by Ruth Hatfield

"A boy on a quest against the power of the storm"

Eleven-year-old Danny's parents are storm chasers - which sounds fun and exciting, and it is, so long as you aren't the son who has to wait behind at home. And one night, after a particularly fierce storm, Danny's parents don't come back. Stranger still, the old sycamore tree in Danny's yard seems to have been struck by lightning, and when he picks up a fragment of wood from the tree's heart, he finds he can hear voices ... including that of next door's rather uppity cat, Mitzy. The stick is a taro, a shard of lightning that bestows upon its bearer unnerving powers, including the ability to talk with plants and animals - and it is very valuable. 

So valuable, in fact, that it attracts the attention of a Sammael, an ancient figure of darkness and a buyer of souls. And he will do anything to get his hands on it ... And so begins a dangerous and daring quest. Danny, who is bewildered, alone and unaccustomed to acts of bravery, must confront his fears, find his parents and unravel the secrets of The Book of Storms.

My Rating: 3/5

I received this book for review from the Five Mile Press.

This was an interesting concept for a story however I found it rather slow and confusing throughout. Things aren't properly explained and the continual shifting in third person narrations didn't help either. 

I did find though that once the plot developed more progressively throughout I did start to enjoy it. 

Danny, the protagonist was a typical 11 year old boy who goes on a very unique adventure. Through this adventure he learns to understand his parents pain and they grow closer as a family. 

I would have preferred the book to have been entirely from Danny's perspective and in first person as I liked this book the most when it was solely focusing on Danny. 

I would have liked the antagonist Sammael to have had more character development. He is depicted as bad and someone to be feared throughout the book but I saw no real evidence of this. Him showing compassion at the end of the book wasn't that surprising for me because of this. 

This book deals a lot with nature which I loved as I found it very fascinating. I liked how the author was able to have talking animals, trees, rivers and storms without it ever seeming too immature or weird.