On Storm's island boys are named after things and she has been teased her whole life because has a boy's name. On her Choosing Day she is chosen by 3 of the Elementals, the 4th tries to kill her. As she learns to control her new magics she must challenge and overcome her peoples traditions in time to defend them from their age-old enemy. Beautiful story dealing with themes of bullying, grief and revenge.

'Storm Witch' by Ellen Renner is an absolute triumph and a hugely exciting beginning to a new fantasy quartet. Beautifully written with a vivid and fantastic setting, this is one not to miss. ​I really loved this book. With shades of 'Earthsea' by Ursula Le Guin and an imagination to rival Dianne Wynne Jones, Ellen Renner has created a fantasy that at once feels fresh and enlivening with the hallmarks of a classic too. The world-building is magnificent; Storm's island is brought to life incredibly vividly while offering glimpses of a bigger world. Storm is a wonderful character who makes mistakes and has to learn to grow up. Nothing is straight-forward for her and by the end of this first installment I was shocked and saddened in a way that means I will have to read the sequel, 'Under Earth', as soon as possible. Renner's writing tantalises and excites with a deftness of touch that is masterly - she grounds you with characters that are whole but flawed, whisks you through events like riding on choppy waters, mesmerizes you with airy ideals of magic, and lights up your imagination with fire. There are very few books that can open up the imagination in quite this way and promise something much deeper and profound too, and this is one of them. I really can't wait to see where this series goes and Renner needs all the praise she can get. Grab a copy and demand that the Elementals ensure this new series becomes a massive success because it deserves to be! Simply brilliant!

The inlay for Ellen Renner’s Storm Witch claims that this novel is “Perfect for 9+ fantasy fans with a taste for magic, adversity and thrilling adventure”. The story does indeed contain lots of adversity and adventure, and the role magic plays increases throughout the tale. However, the inlay also announces “Epic world-building from the natural successor to Ursula Le Guin and Diana Wynne Jones”. Although this novel was a valiant effort at non-Western based fantasy, its lack of success therein does not deserve the invocation of the two mothers of Anglophone fantasy. Although there was a lot of successful tension built throughout the book and it is a nice and easy read, the pacing of the story is haphazard, the naming interminable, and the magic unclear. As this is the first in a quartet there is time for the world of Storm Witch to hopefully become clearer, whether or not it is worth slogging through the following books to find out is up to personal taste however. Thank you to Nosy Crow for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.