What struck me the most was the realism. It's very obvious and powerful, and its what really urged me to read through it all. I loved and hated the emotions it roused in me while reading. A very strong sense of hate for what happens to the children, fear for their lives amd pity for Carly and Mitch.
Title: In the Storm by Karen MetcalfWhat Carly and her younger brother Mitchell experienced is horrifying and disturbing to say the least. No child should ever experience what they went through. I instantly hated the parents that brought them into this world and left them in the hands of Richard. The guy was a lunatic! It was no wonder Carly felt abandoned and resigned to a life of torment. What can a teenage girl and a five year old boy do?
Pages: 88
Release Date: February 15th 2011
Published by: Vagabondage Press
Source: from author (e-book)
Buy: Smashwords | Vagabondage Press
Summary:
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?
I instantly sympathized with the characters as soon as I read the first page. But it took me time to understood Carly. I could not fully comprehend the reason why Carly had to "click". Even the explanation confused me a little, which made the somewhat paranormal angle of the book lost to me.
What I did love though, was reading the entire book through Carly's point of view. It was scary seeing all of it from her side, but its like a tangible thing that you can feel. All of it. Her emotions, her thoughts, her constant worry over Mitchell.
In a way, it was depressing. I thought with all the beating and emotional torture Carly went though, she'll deserve to have something better, and she did eventually, but not fully. Morgan is the one bright spot that added a touch of romance into it, a welcome feeling for a book with such a sad theme.
As I said, I love the emotions that In the Storm invoked in me, and I always loved reading books that made me feel. The worst way to feel for a book is apathy, and I'm always wary of reading books with powerful themes and not feeling anything for it, but that did not happen for In the Storm. I think adding a few more pages and turning this into a full length book will allow the plot, as well as the characters, develop for a clearer, stronger story with a more solid foundation.
My rating
Content (plot, story flow, character):
Content (plot, story flow, character):
Okay: Liked, but The Goddess demands more!
Book Cover:
I really wish for a cover that will better convey why the book is titled "In the Storm".
No - The Goddess says No!
Oh gosh, this sounds like a tough book to read. I enjoy... well, I dunno if 'enjoy' is the right word, but I like to read books that can evoke such deep emotions and sometimes it's a touch subject, but I guess they bring awareness to the reader. An 88 page book is not something I usually dive into reading, I prefer full novels, but I think I'm going to give this a go. Great review!
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