Mistress of the Storm

Verity Gallant lives in the remote harbour town of Wellow, and often feels like a misfit, especially when compared to her pretty and popular sister, Poppy. She catches herself gazing out to sea and wishing she could pick herself up in the air and fly away. But one day, whilst in the town library, her customary hideout, a mysterious 6-foot tall stranger in a patchwork velvet coat gives her a large red book. It recounts the legend of the Keeper of the Wind, a beautiful but terrifying heroine, and of stories that come true when told aloud. Slowly but inexorably, Verity is drawn into the book’s powerful magic, uncovering the murky history of her smuggling forebears. With the help of her friends, Henry and Martha, she is soon battling the forces of a dark power which threatens to engulf not only her own family, but the whole town too.

M L Welsh spent her formative years in the Isle of Wight sailing town of Cowes, a clear source of inspiration for the fictional community of Wellow. The maritime elements of her novel are its most successful aspect: the salty coastal town and the tightly-knit lives of inhabitants drawn always seaward are evocatively described, as are Verity’s own first attempts at sailing. Welsh’s story however is not always so successful: occasionally elements resonate familiarly from stories read before, and it therefore does not feel as wholly original as it would like to be. Some of her characters too, verge on the two-dimensional. Verity’s menacing grandmother feels a bit pantomime; and Verity’s parents’ timid acquiescence in the face of a hitherto unknown relative’s sudden appearance in their lives is a little unconvincing. However, as the first in a planned series of four stories about Verity Gallant, there is enough nautical appeal here to make you hope that future instalments will set full sail.