Swimming Against the Storm product reviews

Young Eliza has just turned twelve years old, something that finally creates a little tension between herself as she sets off on the family boat. It is here that Eliza realizes that her dreams for the future will need to change, but it is also the start of the adventure that she, her sister Avery and their two friends Grace and Huy. They set out to find a mythical creature, the Loup-Garou and instead get caught in a storm. The book takes place in Louisiana, where the seas are reclaiming the land, you can tell that the author actually spoke to people in the field, which makes it feel far more authentic.

The imagery of the swamps created in this book are gorgeous, it's easy to picture how it all looks, at the same time she does a great job at noticing the small things which add an element of danger to the swamps, so even when all is calm it still doesn't feel quite safe. The book is really well placed, it all takes place over just one day but at no point did it feel rushed or pushed to get to the ending quicker than necessary. Eliza is a typical kid, she isn't over the top and has just the right amount of spunk and bravery one might expect from a child trying to fix things while danger is all around.

There are really only three adults in the book that get any page time but the kids are the center and they do shine, they're just typical kids and the feel real and are just trying to mend what has gone wrong. I went into this book expecting one kind of story, one that brought a mythical creature into the world, whilst this expectation wasn't met I still enjoyed the book and finished it in one sitting and I find myself thinking that I could happily read it again (after I've passed this on to my mother to read). Settle down with a hot cup of tea, snuggle up and go on an adventure into the swaps of Louisiana.