STARRED Book Review: The Source of Storms

Reviewed by Alexandria Ducksworth

Welcome to a thrilling world with ancient magical creatures and age-old rivalries bound to fight once more.

Being part fae is not all it’s cracked up to be. In Halja’s tiny seaside village, if you have anything to do with the fae, it’s considered more of a sin than anything.

Once young Halja discovers a devastating family secret, she moves out of town and meets the Sourcerer Eilith and the mysterious tattooed Byrgir. Eventually, though, the High Priestess who worships the new god Enos imprisons Eilith for conjuring shadow creatures. 

Halja knows for sure her beloved mentor wouldn’t have committed such a crime. She vows to save Eilith along with Byrgir and the friends she makes along the way. While Halja’s relationship with Byrgir grows beyond mere companionship, she builds a deeper relationship with herself as her fae family history slowly unravels.

Angelina Kelly knows how to grab readers’ attention. One of the most appealing elements of this book is the magical people in Halja’s world. Any mention of a Selkie will get me excited, so it’s an understatement to say I was intrigued by how this whole ancestry journey starts—with the discovery of her mother being one of those part-seal creatures from Celtic and Scandinavian mythology.

The book’s pacing is another of its highlights. Family secrets, the dismantling of a village crush—we’ve always got a good excuse to keep moving from points A to Z. Every chapter is set in new domain, whether physical or emotional, and it’s quick about it!

The feud between the magical Fae and the holy Paragons of Light presents an interesting note on the world’s politics. Humans and Fae have a long history of conflict. In the very beginning, the two races share magic and one world, but power, greed, and paranoia has split them apart. 

Nowadays, the fae endure little tolerance from humans, as humans believe the fae are tricksters bound to harm. The Paragons of Light’s mission is to bring everyone into the light of their god, Enos, and away from the darkness of the fae. The rivalry is similar to the ancient religious battle between Christianity and Paganism. The fae would be part of the old Pagan ways along with its magic while the Paragons of Light, similar to Christianity, is everywhere, stamping out the old Pagan religions.

Halja goes through tremendous growth in this story, but she wouldn’t have become the strong woman she is by the end of the book without the support of her secondary characters. Her friends, Elenwen and Eilith, help her grow her magic, while Byrgir trains her to be a warrior in the heat of battle. In the beginning, Halja could only run away from her enemies. With a little training, magic, and confidence, Halja faces her monsters without a second thought.

Fans who love anything from Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses to Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince must give The Source of Storms a read. The book is filled with adventure, lore, and just enough romance to keep readers on their toes. Good news is: this is just the first book in what I hope to be a long series.

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