Book Review: "In the Storm" by Karen Metcalf

Title: In the Storm

Author: Karen Metcalf

Publisher: Vagabondage Press LLC

Publication Date: February 12, 2011

Reviewed by: Jennifer Shaw for Author Exposure

Carly and her younger brother, Mitch, are living a life of fear. Their stepfather, Richard, is a total jerk that takes pleasure in causing them pain. Everything comes down to a game with this man (if we can even call him that). Carly looks after her brother and protects him as much as she can. One night she gets angry and -CLICK- she’s transported to another world, a storm world where she is safe from Richard. The downside to Carly’s escape into this world is that she cannot bring her brother with her.

In the Storm is a realistic and unbelievably intense read that is overflowing with emotion. Metcalf’s descriptions of Carly’s family life, as well as the world she escapes to, are captivating. Using emotions as a foundation for In the Storm made it easy to connect with the protagonist and feel everything she felt as the story progressed. I did find it interesting to see how Carly’s daily life not only affected her internally, but affected the storm world as well; the storm world changed as she changed.

In the Storm is well-written with more than enough to keep you hanging on every single word. I would like to see Metcalf delve deeper into Carly’s storm world so that we could fully experience this part of Carly and all it has to offer. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read that definitely pulls at your emotions. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading YA.