The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle Fiona Hartley-Kroeger Doyle, Catherine The Storm Keeper’s Island. Bloomsbury, 2019 [304p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-68119-959-7 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-54760-011-3 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-6 In this British import by Irish writer Doyle, eleven-year-old Fionn Boyle and his bratty older sister, Tara, arrive on the island of Arranmore to spend the summer with their grandfather. Their grandfather reveals to Fionn the secret of Arranmore: it was the site of a long-ago battle between the good mage Dagda and the evil enchantress Morrigan, and while Dagda’s magic lives on in each generation’s Storm Keeper, Morrigan lies buried somewhere beneath the island, the prospect of her rising again a constant threat. Fionn’s grandfather, the present Storm Keeper, shows him how to use the magical candles he makes to travel back through “layers” of the island’s history even as Grandad is growing weaker and increasingly forgetful. The suspense and action scenes are less compelling than the quieter moments between Fionn and his grandfather, but Doyle thoughtfully explores Fionn’s struggles with courage and cowardice, renders palpable his longing for a connection with the father he never knew, and peppers the pages with plentiful, entertaining sibling bickering. The engaging construction of magical time travel and Doyle’s beautifully descriptive prose will enchant those looking for an atmospheric magical adventure. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois