If you like Scottish folklore, you will want to read THE COMING STORM. Beatrice MacNeill (Beet) is a Scottish Canadian teenager who lives on Prince Edward Island. Just before they were notified of her cousin Gerry’s death, she had a vision of Gerry playing a movingly beautiful, but sad, tune on his fiddle. She knew then that Gerry had died and she was seeing his spirit. The tune has haunted her ever since and she can’t seem to reproduce it no matter how hard she tries. A year later when her Aunt Sarah (Gerry’s mother) dies she experiences another otherworldly event upon meeting Marina Shaw, a woman who claims to be Sarah’s niece. Sarah was a strange woman, but Marina is even more strange. Beet enlists the help of her friends to unravel the mystery behind these strange occurrences and the strange woman.

This is a very interesting (and even a little creepy) tale. I love the use of Scottish folklore in the story. I also love the role music plays in the story. I thought the author did a great job with character development. The descriptions of scenes and events were also very well done. The only negative I have to give about the book is that it is a bit slow at the beginning. I was very confused about where the story was going. However, once it picked up, it never slowed again and I found it very intriguing.

Though this book is intended for younger readers, it is plenty of interest and complex enough to satisfy the adult reader. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a bit of mystery, fantasy and Scottish folklore.