Into The Storm Review

Author: Karen Metcalf
Release date: February 11, 2011
Pages: 88
Publisher: Self-pubbed
How I got it: For review from author 

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?

At a mere 88 pages, Into The Storm is a fast read with a really cool concept. Despite how cool it was to finish this in about an hour, I can't help but feel that some more length was what this book needed.

Into The Storm deals with dimensions, something that's intrigued me for a long while. While other things lacked due to the novella's short length, the world managed to be striking and interesting.

Most of what did suffer is the characters. The only thing I found relatable or likable about the main character, Carly, was her love for her brother, probably because it pretty much defines her. That and her atrocious home life, which left me feeling like I was supposed to be pitying her instead of anything else. Personally, I like to have a more solid connection to a main character than just pure pity.

Oh and also there was insta-love. There was a decent enough excuse for the insta-love I suppose, but even with that it felt sort of forced and unnatural. And so very insta.

So basically I found Into The Storm to be a decent read, but its lack of develoment kept me from becoming involved with the story, leaving me with the sad knowledge that this will not be be one to stand out from the crowd. However, if you're interested in different dimensions and have an hour or two to kill, this is something you may want to check out.

Plot: Unique and interesting, though it did move a tad too slow.

Characters: Didn't connect with any of them like I was hoping too.

Writing: Pretty good.

Ending:

Kid friendly? Some intense scenes dealing with an abusive step-dad, as well as mentions of sex, and some swearing.

Overall:

I would've had a conversation with someone while reading.

Into The Storm was by no means a bad book, it just didn't capture my heart like it had the potential to.