I love a story set in Canada, so add in some lore and I jumped at the chance to read. I was not disappointed; haunting and captivating, I loved this from start to finish

SUCH a hidden gem! I adore this!! Im actually surprised I really enjoyed it! Sometimes books not as well known can be bad but this was great!! Kind of Anne of Green Gables + horror/fantasy + the sea. i absolutely love all the lore and folklore

This was pretty cool! As a big Anne of Green Gables fan, I really enjoyed reading a book set in PEI. I haven’t ever been, but it was cool recognizing things from my reading and being like “I know that!” like Cavendish and the red soil. Though, to be clear, this is abolutely nothing like Anne besides being set in the same place. I’m just a nerd.

This is based heavily in Scottish mythology, which I am also pretty familiar with, so I wasn’t surprised by certain things in the book, but it was fun to see those elements. Also, the book uses one of my favourite mythological creatures that I find super creepy, so I loved that.

This alternates first person and third person, which I am not a fan of, and I honestly thought the third person sections weakened the overall narrative. I wish the author had just picked one, especially because the third person sections are all flashbacks. They’re always just backstory, so it slows the book’s pacing down.

And I liked that this was set in 1950. Spooky historical stuff is one of my favourite things. All in all, while this wasn’t an absolute fave, I had a fun time reading it, and I would enjoy seeing what the author comes out with next. If you like mythology, give this one a shot.

Representation: Not really.

Content notes: Lots of talk of drowning, and a couple on-page drowning scenes. Also, a baby is put in some serious danger.

Other notes:

The author and I have the same birthday according to goodreads.

My Rating: 3.5/5 ★'s

Well, this book was an adventure.

I'll be honest, it was the cover that drew me into this one. I saw it and I had to know more. It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I was even more delighted to find out it was set on the East Coast here in our beloved country, and the author is Canadian as well! SOLD.

The Coming Storm delivers all kinds of folktale goodness through the voices of those from a small coastal town in PEI, and particularly that of Beatrice MacNeill. "Beet" is a real firecracker of a girl. When Beet's cousin fails to return from sea, she sees his ghost playing fiddle in the garden and knows - he won't be coming home. But there's something about the sad tune he's playing, and Beet's determined to learn to play it on the fiddle she learned to play through him.

But something is amiss, and it's not just the death of her cousin, there's something more at stake here.

I really loved the folky setting of this story. 1950's PEI - small town where everyone knows everybody's business. The fishing boats, the seagulls. Hansen does an incredible job of really painting the scene. I felt like I could run my hands through the sea grass and smell the salt on the air. This book is picturesque for certain. Very atmospheric, I really enjoyed that much.
Though truthfully, at some parts the actual storytelling dragged for me. I really loved reading Beet's POV chapters, but when it would switch to others, specifically those going back even further in time, my interest wavered. I couldn't quite tell you why, because honestly they were necessary to understand the history and events of what was going on - but I just found them a little.. boring. But then I'd get back to a Beet chapter and I was good.

If you're expecting romance, which the book description seems to suggest at, you'll be disappointed. There's some tender moments, but there's not really a developing relationship there, and to be fair, Beet is only 13 years old at the start of all this. I didn't feel like the story lacked anything without it.

My only gripe with this book was that the ending came on really fast and felt like it ended a little too soon. I can't quite say what exactly, but I wanted MORE from it. The beginning was a very slow burn, and I was just hoping for a little more satisfaction from the ending, but it fell a little flat for me.

At the end of the day, I'm really glad I got the chance to read this book. I think it went outside my usual realm of fantasy and really shook the genre up for me and I really enjoyed that.


Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 stars

I really wanted to love this. I mean, this is basically a darker version of Anne of Green Gables. Henceforth why I was greatly intrigued. But ultimately, the execution is where this book really didn't work for me. The writing seemed like it tried to be historic and atmospheric, when really it came off as dull and boring. Overall, 'The Coming Storm' had poor execution, however, I still recommend this to all folk tale fans!

(Thanks for the eARC Netgalley and Simon & Schuster.)

Thank you so so much @simonschusterca and @netgalley for the e-arc of this book!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a pleasant surprise. It's set in Prince Edward Island and it follows Beet and her friends and family. It's full of magic, mythology, legends. It was super eerie and creepy sometimes I had to stop reading it one night cause it freaked me out. But that was mostly because someone was trying to steal Beets baby nephew and I am a new mom so the thought of someone trying to steal my baby freaked me out. Anyway, there is a mysterious woman who shows up in town and Beet and a few others notice that there is something strange about her. She controls water and has some alluring pull over people and Beet wants to find out who she is and what she wants.
It was a quick, fast paced read. I highly recommend!

☆☆☆☆ /5

Une sortie, datant tout fraîchement d’hier, qui ouvre le bal pour le mois de Juin.
Une sortie, qui m’intriguait beaucoup, tant par la sombre beauté de la couverture, tant par l’ambiance de mystères que soulevait le résumé.
¤
Je pense que c’est l’un des premiers romans que je lis, dont l’histoire se déroule au Canada, précisément sur l’Île-du-Prince-Edouard dans les années 1950. J’ai découvert avec plaisir et délicatesse ce lieu que je connaissais peu, mais qui semble avoir fait sa marque dans l’histoire du pays dans lequel j’habite. Les descriptions qu’en fait l’auteure dans son roman, ce qu’elle en raconte, au niveau historique et mythologique, m’ont donné l’impression d’y être, de faire ma propre visite de l’île.
J’ai été happée par le récit que nous propose l’auteure. Son style d’écriture a tout de suite attiré mon attention et je n’ai pas pu lâcher ce roman. Si je devais définir sa plume, je dirais que l’auteure a une écriture onirique. Le texte est beau, il est bizarre et en même temps fascinant. Dès les premières lignes, une certaine tension, une ambiance que je définirais « creepy » sont de mises. L’auteure a su jouer avec les mots afin de maintenir un certain suspens sur ce qui se passait réellement dans l’histoire, tout en installant les bases de manière claire. On découvre petit à petit les personnages et l’intrigue, ainsi que le côté fantastique, magique du roman.
La première partie du roman m’a semblé assez confus. Pendant les premières pages, j’avais du mal à savoir où l’auteure voulait en venir. On parle de secrets, de fantômes, de signes… Tout ce qui se déroulait dans le roman semblait étrange. Le récit en lui-même était une étrangeté. Même si les pages se lisaient facilement, il m’a fallu de la concentration afin de ne pas perdre les informations que je grapillais à chaque page pour faire le lien entre elles.
Puis, la deuxième partie du roman s’est accélérée. L’intrigue s’est lancée et j’ai apprécié suivre Beet dans son aventure, sa détermination à sauver le nouveau venu dans sa ville pour ne pas qu’il connaisse le même sort que les membres de sa famille.
D’ailleurs, en mentionnant ce nouveau jeune homme, si dans le résumé il est dit qu’elle ressent des sentiments pour lui, il n’y a pas de romance dans ce roman. Cette œuvre est plutôt sombre. Les thèmes de la mort, de kidnapping d’enfants et de tortures sont présents au sein de l’ouvrage.
¤
Ce roman est réellement une histoire entre magie, secrets et horreurs. J’ai beaucoup apprécié découvrir les mystères entourant l’Île-du-Prince-Edouard et connaître la fin de l’histoire de Beet, qui me semblait vraiment intrigante.

•°•°•°•

June is really the month in which there is a lot of book releases, for me. This book came out yesterday and I was so intrigued by the somber beauty of the cover and by the atmosphere of mysteries of the synopsis.
¤
I think it’s one of the first books I read with a story of which takes place in Canada, precisely on Prince Edward Island in the 1950s. I discovered with pleasure and delicacy a place that I didn’t know, but which seems to have made its mark in the history of the country where I’m living. The author's descriptions of it in her book and what she tells about it, historically and mythologically, made me feel like I was there, making my own visit to the island.
I was struck by the story the author offers us. Her writing style immediately caught my attention and I couldn't let go of this book. If I had to define her writing, I would say the author has dreamlike writing. The text is beautiful. It’s bizarre and at the same time fascinating. From the first lines, a certain tension and an atmosphere, that I would define "creepy", are in place. The author knew how to play with words in order to maintain a certain suspense about what was really going on in the story, while giving the information to the reader in a clear manner. Little by little, we discover the characters and the plot, as well as the fantastic, magical side of the book.
The first part of the story was a little bit confusing for me. During the first few pages, I had a hard time figuring out where the author was going. We talk about secrets, ghosts, signs… Everything that took place in the book seemed strange. The story itself was an oddity. Even though the pages were easy to read, it took me a lot of concentration so that I didn't lose the informations I had through each page to make the connection between them.
Then the second part of the story picked up speed. The plot began and I enjoyed following Beet on her adventure, her determination to save the newcomer to her town so that he didn’t suffer the same fate as her family members.
By the way, mentioning this new young man, if in the synopsis it says that she has feelings for him, there is no romance in this book. This story is rather dark. The themes of death, child kidnapping and torture are present throughout the book.
¤
This book is really a story between magic, secrets and horror. I really enjoyed discovering the mysteries surrounding Prince Edward Island and knowing the end of Beet’s story, which seemed really intriguing to me.

I found another favourite!
This book was literally everything; it gave me a fairytale/supernatural vibe, familiarity/home vibe & a lovable heroine! I am from Ireland, and I moved when I was younger to another country, but this PEI book transported me back home to tales my granny would tell.

This story is perfect for reading with your kid, perfect for family reading, and if you have Celtic roots or PEI roots, this will give you a touch of home to hold onto.

Just finished reading THE COMING STORM by Regina M. Hansen. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for my ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Official publication date is May 25th, 2021.

Check out this upcoming YA Canadian 🇨🇦 release set in PEI. Definitely for those who like atmospheric reads, with a hint of mythology and ghosts 👻.

When Beet MacNeil our 15 year old MC, is visited by her cousin Gerry in the garden, soaking wet, playing a disturbing tune on his fiddle, she knows something is wrong. He's dead and she just saw a ghost. Shortly after a stunning woman named Marina Shaw shows up to town and takes a strange interest in Gerry’s new baby boy.

With the help of a rag tag group of friends, Beet will come to understand the local myths and folklore of her island home. They must work as a team to stop an evil sea monster and his mistress, and prevent Gerry’s fate from happening to others.

The first 100 pages were very slow, and the story jumped around alot. But the second half finally brought it together and I am glad I stuck it out.

Now that I've finished this book, I desperately want to bottle this resultant feeling of sheer enchantment and carry it in my pocket at all times.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC!

Where do I start with how much I loved this? When I opened the package I literally shrieked and did a happy dance because I had been so excited about this book! Not only did the cover draw my eye immediately, but the fact that it is set on Prince Edward Island had me itching to read this. There aren't nearly enough books set in Canada and I love that S&S has at least three titles this year set in the true north strong and free. Even better was that I was so delightfully enchanted by what was inside these pages.

This is easily one of the youngest Young Adult novels I've read in a long time. Not in writing comprehension but in the main character. Beatrice "Beet" is just turned 15 as the events of this book unfold. Indeed, when the book starts and she sees the new ghost of her cousin at the garden gate, she is only 13. I adored her whip-quick snark though. She is a firecracker of a main character who has a fierce understanding of her relationships and who she can trust. And her voice! Oh my word, Hansen did an incredible job with letting Beet step off the page with just one word choice. Her entire small community on PEI was so vivid, as were the other characters, and not a lot of authors can do that so effortlessly.

Comping this to An Enchantment of Ravens and The Wicked Deep was the perfect flex because it encompasses the beauty, magic and setting of the story. The quality and voice of the writing alone captures so much and lends so much life to the book. Set on PEI, the imagery of an island small town on the coast, with the sea crashing below their backyard and the boats setting sail for fishing livelihoods--truly an incredible reading experience. You can taste the salt on the air, hear the gulls overhead. All of this lends perfectly to the magic that guides the plot, for there is a sea witch somewhere on the shore, and her sea monster is growing hungry once more. It's a mystery with an obvious culprit from the first moment we see her POV, but the magic is in watching her scheme unfold, trying to figure out her sorcery and what she wants with the characters in this book. There is an eeriness to every interaction we have with the witch that kept me turning the pages quickly.

I've given this five stars because I can't love something this much and not give it as much, but I do have a few critiques. The first: the big ending was a little odd. It worked, but I don't think we were given quite enough for it to pay off properly. This is a short book so there was room to build out the foreshadowing more. Second, the summary is misleading when referring to Beet falling for the new boy in town. This is not a romance by any means. While I am okay with that, I was expecting a lot more from the relationship itself.

I am definitely keeping an eye on this author in the future if this is the type of YA she writes. It is perfectly up my alley and makes me feel.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I only knew it had to do with music and being set in Prince Edward Island, which I’ve never read a book set in PEI before (I haven’t read Anne of Green Gables).

I’ve only read one other book where music was somehow used (Ghost Wood Song), and I liked this one better! I’m not a music person but it was easy to understand when it was being described. Not to mention this book also has ghosts! I loved that aspect of it.

The plot itself felt flat in the first 80 pages, so it took me a while to power through this book. I was thinking of dnf-ing it (did-not-finish) but I am sure glad I didn’t! It picked up so fast from 80 pages onward.

The characters themselves, I loved them. Beet, Jeannine, Sean, Freddy, Deirdre. I think the best character development out of them all is Beet. She grew so much in this book, and it’s surprising at how short this book is (260 pages).

The setting: as a Canadian (living in Alberta) who has never visited PEI before (or the entire East side past Manitoba), the setting is described well! I think anyone who knows the basic that PEI is on the east coast of Canada would understand where everything is.

I took off a star only because the first 80 pages were slow, but that’s it!

I recommend this book to anyone who wants music, ghosts, and PEI all together in one book.

thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Coming Storm in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't a fan of this one, but that comes down to my expectations more than the description. While I think this book is definitely as atmospheric as its description claims, I don't think the comparison to An Enchantment of Ravens was a strong one to draw. Even though I don't think An Enchantment of Ravens ever specifies a decade it takes place in, the narration style and character speak is really modern so as someone who doesn't read a lot of historical fiction, I was surprised to realize that this doesn't take place in modern PEI, it takes place in the PEI of the 1950s. It also switches characters a few times when I don't think it was necessary, but I'm just not a very qualified person to give you an unbiased opinion here since I spent most of this book mourning what I thought it would be instead of being open to celebrating what it is.

This was a very well-written, interesting read! It was nice to get to read a story set on PEI again, as the only other books I've read that were set there have been L. M. Montgomery stories. The mystery was well-done - I saw some twists coming, but definitely not all of them! I think I was most impressed, though, with the way in which the author was able to very subtly include this growing sense of ominous foreboding as the story progressed, without ever being obvious about it being there. The pacing, the word choices, all fit together to form this building tension, just like before a coming storm (hey, it's the title!). I really enjoyed this story!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC of this book.

What a fascinating read! I am from Nova Scotia and visit PEI regularly, and it was so cool to see this beautiful and mystical setting in a fantastical historical book.

I found the first half of the book slightly confused and it did drag a little bit, but partway through it picked up and I was certainly invested in the end.

This was one of the must unique books I've read in a long time, and if only for the setting I will certainly be recommending it.

I am really struggling to review this, because it doesn’t fit into any of the normal categories. I can’t say it was an epic fantasy for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Megan Whalen Turner, because it wasn’t. I can’t say it was a contemporary romance for fans of Kasie West. It wasn’t even your standard paranormal. They say that the essence of a good book review is comparison, but I have no idea what to compare it to. So please bear with my lack of eloquence.

I didn’t have a lot of expectations going into this book, but there were a lot of things I wasn’t expecting. I wasn’t expecting a book about a girl in the 1950s. I wasn’t expecting a style that was extremely different from your standard YA novel. I wasn’t expecting to read about a girl who didn’t try to fix everything by herself (practically unheard of). I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did.

On a different note, I normally hate it when books are in present-tense. They often end up feeling stilted, awkward, and unnatural, and I have quit books multiple times simply for that reason. I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book if I had realized beforehand that it was present tense, but Regina Hansen managed to get the advantages out of it -- a sense of immediacy and urgency -- without making it feel forced. The tone wasn’t angsty or rebellious, which was refreshing. Beet, the main character, is far from perfect, but is still mostly respectful of her family and likeable.

The main thing I didn’t like was that the story jumped around a lot. Most of the time it’s in Beet’s point of view in the 1950’s, but in order to explain all of the backstory Hansen went through the point of view of multiple characters, and as far back in time as 1820 -- and just Long Ago. While I guess it was necessary for the way the story was told, I didn’t like how much jumping around there was. It was hard to keep up with all of the different characters, and I didn’t care about them as much as I cared about our regular main characters.

And finally, The Coming Storm is Canadian. Set in Prince Edward Island and written by an author born there, The Coming Storm is an excellent contribution to quality Canadian literature -- which there isn’t enough of in my humble opinion. Regina Hansen is definitely worth keeping an eye on in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mature content: a bird is referred to as “that d*mned creature” once. Some light kissing, and a young child born out of wedlock and his mother are secondary characters. Plenty of violence and death of multiple characters, some of it described. A definite supernatural aspect with ghosts etc., but handled relatively well.

Recommended age: 13+