The Storm Keeper's Island

I recently finished The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle, and it was an enjoyable read. The story is about Fionn Boyle, a boy who moves to a mysterious island where his family has a magical connection to the weather. The setting is really interesting, and I loved how Doyle described the island—it feels like a character in itself. Fionn is a great main character, and I enjoyed his journey of discovering his family's secrets and the magic around him. The plot has a nice mix of mystery and adventure, with a few twists that kept me hooked. While the pacing was a little slow at first, it definitely picked up later on. Overall, it’s a great start to a series, and I’m looking forward to the next book. If you like magical stories with a bit of mystery, I think you’d enjoy this one!

My daughter chose this book for her book report and she wanted me to read it so badly. Like every mom, I was always busy doing my chores and every time she asked if I had read the book, I guiltily admitted "No, I did not get the time." After the eight time, I was determined not to disappoint her...When I started reading the book, I did not want to put it down, it was so entertaining and suspenseful. My daughter was so happy, that I found "The Storm Keeper's Island" so entertaining as this book is one of her favorite.

I found the dialogue wonderful. It flowed together well. I would give this to my granddaughters, a interesting and entertaining read. While the 20-year-old grandkids would say oh grandad, I believe the 12-year-olds would find it interesting.

I have been reading along with my son and we are actually just halfway through from reading this week, but the characters are interesting, the story has us wondering what comes next, and the writing is very vivid and descriptive. These are all great things for a book my son chose for his summer reading project for Pre-AP ELA class. Great choice that is interesting, dramatic, perplexing and fun to read. We aren’t even at the end - but I cannot wait to see what happens. Lots of reading this weekend!

One of my favorite books that I've read this year is "The Storm Keeper's Island" by Catherine Dolye. Gorgeously written, bursting with magic, and an intricate multi-generational time travel mystery, this book will delight anyone who loves a good fantasy adventure story.

This book was really good. I would recommend to anyone who loves magic and trials. You won't be disappointed. Excellent.

I liked the idea behind the story, but I felt it was very slow-moving. The author held on to all of the mysteries for too long (and not in an “oh, I wonder what’s going to happen next” fashion). I almost gave up on the book in the beginning, but I’m not one to quit a book, so I held out. The book did pick up towards the end, hence 3 stars instead of 2. I generally enjoy sticking with a series until the end, but this initial story just couldn’t grab me enough to make me curious about the next installment.

Magic and Adventure – these components are what the story revolves around in this wonderful novel by Catherine Doyle. “The Storm Keepers Island” is about how Fionn and Tara went to Arranmore to spend their summer with their grandfather and were astounded to find that Arranmore was an enchanted island. Soon they also realized that the island needed a new storm keeper to protect its magical powers. So, both Tara's boyfriend Bartley and Fionn rushed to prove themselves that they were the next storm keeper. Then a bunch of exciting twists happen before the island picks the true storm keeper of Arranmore. Overall, the plot has a calm beginning, an action-packed middle, and a powerful ending. The description of the island were easy to picture and boosted the story. Also, the feelings of the characters made me feel how they did, which really made it special. To wrap it up, I would recommend it to students in Grades 4 – 6 and give it a rating of 4.3 out of 5. I deducted 0.7 because it might be hard for some people to keep up with the climax.

What a wonderful story. The Storm Keeper’s Island follows Fionn, sent to the island of Arranmore with his sister Tara when his mother becomes too ill to care for him, into the care of his grandfather. Fionn’s grandfather is the Storm Keeper of Arranmore. The maker of storms and wielder of elemental magic that protects against the darkness of ancient sorcery. With Fionn’s arrival, this darkness starts to awaken, leading Fionn to face his fears and protect the people he loves the most. The characters are so full of life and vigour, and really help to propel the story forward by making you care about them. Fionn and Tara have a typical sibling relationship full of bickering and fighting that’s only heightened by Tara’s teenage love for Fionn’s island enemy Bartley. It’s obvious they love each other however, and the sibling bond comes into full effect as the story progresses. It was the relationship between Fionn and his grandfather that really stood out for me the most. It’s a relationship full of joy and a love for each other that’s also tinged with sadness and sentimentality as it develops. It’s a passing of knowledge and stories about the island and their family from a master to the apprentice, told with a sprinkling of magic and mystery. Add to this Fionn’s desperate longing to hear stories about his father, a man who died a hero before he was born, and you get a real sense of love between these characters. Fionn’s desire to see his father Cormac is built upon to create a wonderful bittersweet moment that is both subtle and elegantly done to such an extent that it took me by surprise, yet was also so obviously meant to happen. The writing really is outstanding. The secondary characters we meet throughout the story help support and encourage a feeling of community spirit amongst the islanders. You get the feeling that everyone of the island has a strong familial connection to the area, and will do anything to protect it and their ancient traditions. Any outsider would have a hard time integrating into the island life without a host of eyes casting suspicious glances. The island itself could also be said to be a character in its own right. Descriptions are vivid, and really big to mind a feral and wild environment that’s filled with hidden beauty. It has a personality all of its own that welcomes and calls to Fionn and his desire to be free from his familial responsibilities. The descriptions of the weather also add to this overall atmospheric feel, and allow the reader to become deeply involved in the island. The plot is full of mystery and magic. It’s well paced and the world building is well explored and explained properly. It’s simple, to the point, yet also compelling and believable while retaining a uniqueness about it. The writing contains a hint of folktale about it, you could almost imagine it being told over an open fire like tales of the past. Magical, funny, heart-rending, terrifying - and with plenty more adventures still to come, I’m on tenterhooks for the next book. A superb 5⭐️ read.

The cover is awesome and there is magic brust out of every word amazing book .A must-have. A must-read

Was ist „The Storm Keeper‘s Island”? Ein phantastischer Jugendroman? Ja, aber die vielschichtige Geschichte überwindet problemlos Altersgrenzen und spricht auch Erwachsene an. Urban Fantasy? Irgendwie schon, außer dass die Handlung nicht in einer Großstadt, sondern auf einer entlegenen irische Insel spielt. Eine Coming-of-Age Geschichte? Ja, aber es geht auch um einen Großvater mit Alzheimer und geschwisterliche Beziehungen, um schmerzhafte Verluste und Depressionen, das Überwinden von Ängsten. Der Roman war bei der britischen Buchhandelskette Waterstone das Buch des Monats im Juli 2018. Zurecht! Der 11jährige Fionn Boyle fährt in den Sommerferien mit seiner drei Jahre älteren Schwester Tara nach Arranmore, die Heimatinsel seiner Mutter, die wegen Depressionen behandelt werden muss. Er hat seinen Vater nie kennen gelernt, da dieser vor seiner Geburt dort als Seenotretter ertrunken ist. Bereits bei seiner Ankunft spürt er, dass die Insel auf ihn in magischer Weise reagiert. Doch er weiß bisher fast nichts über seine Familengeschichte. Nach und nach erfährt er, dass sein Großvater Malachy der Storm Keeper von Arranmore ist, welcher die Insel vor Unwettern schützen kann und die Welt vor einer dunklen Zauberin, die dort seit Jahrhunderten begraben liegt, und nun sucht die Insel einen Nachfolger. Aber es gibt jemanden, der dieses Amt unbedingt will, doch es zu seinem eigenen Vorteil nutzen will, und jemanden, der die böse Macht wiedererwecken will. Ein spannendes Abenteuer beginnt. Sprachgewaltig und ohne unnötige Längen erzählt, hat dieses Buch das Potential ein moderner Klassiker zu werden. Eine Fortsetzung ist für den Sommer 2019 geplant. Man darf freudig gespannt sein.

Voyage of the Sea Hawk is an exciting adventure story full of action, danger, and exploration. The journey keeps you hooked, with interesting characters and plenty of twists along the way. It’s easy to follow and makes you feel like you’re part of the voyage.

Really enjoyed this. The way the magic is used is very clever. It takes power and mixes and matches it in ways which are really inventive. A great start to a trilogy.