Kristiana Sfirlea’s debut novel The Stormwatch Diaries: Legend of the Storm Sneezer is a middle grade fantasy adventure of angels and legends; epic wars and budding friendships; and umbrellas and tutus.
Rose Skylar is a young angel who will grow up to the prominent position of Dame Commander of Pandrum, a land in the world of Shaolandir. She’s also fascinated with legends of her world’s past as documented in the book “Blackout’s Tales.” As with all magical beings, she has an ability represented in her soul’s representation, a stormcloud, which is always nearby. She meets another angel, a tall, broad-shouldered lumberjack, named Marek Knoxwind and they travel around seeking the legends in Blackout’s tome. But one day, Marek disappears without notice, and Rose is left to face her future alone. This synopsis only describes the first two chapters of forty-one.
Summarizing this wonderful book is like describing a poem with prose—it loses a lot of its magic. This novel ranks up with one of my favorite middle grade stories I’ve read, past and present. Part fantasy, part adventure, part horror story, part mystery, nearly all genres are represented in a delightful gift to the reader. And those four genres will have to make room for all the humor in this story which is hands-down hilarious.
Why so high a rating? Because this book could’ve gone wrong in so, so many ways. An asylum figures prominently in the narrative. An asylum is both a downer and a touchy subject, but the author uses her readers’ expectations against them to construct a setting par excellence. Rose titles herself as a legend seeker, part-time ghost hunter, and time traveler. Time travel can be an author’s quicksand—it sounds fun until you’re gasping for air from a plot that’s pulling you under. But, like one traversing a bog on solid stones, Sfirlea navigates through that device’s pitfalls to energize a tired plot device. Lastly, the book’s meta approach to its narrative should’ve been at best unnecessary and at worst, annoying. Yet the author employs this device to her advantage too. Instead of distracting the reader, it pulls her further into the story and gives an endearing voice to the story. As I said, this offering could’ve gone wrong in many ways, but this debut novel successfully pulls it off.
Many characters inhabit this novel, so much so it could benefit from a cast of characters page at the beginning, yet no one gets lost in the maelstrom of a plot. Each stands out for a peculiar, but often lovable, trait. From caring nurses with purple hair to a dog with goggles, everyone has a role to play here. As with the best of novels, Sfirlea uses words sparingly to accentuate a trait or mannerism about each person to make him or her memorable but keeps each far away from a caricature. I could use two words to describe Aiden Waverley which don’t go together but sum up his personality almost perfectly. Unfortunately, I can’t do that here without spoiling a large twist in the narrative.
But the novel revolves around the two main characters: Rose and Marek. The friendship between the two is a treasure. And naturally that friendship comes across with its own personality. Apart, they’re interesting and funny. Together, they’re compelling and hilarious. This relationship is a framework that allows the author to build not only a successful first novel, but a future series.
A high point in this novel is the humor. I expected to write down two or three passages in my notes, but ended up with twelve. As I reread them, I’m hard-pressed to pick a favorite. I refuse to spoil them other than to say the best involve a squirrel reference, a goldfish impersonation, geometrical shapes, and modeling careers. But I don’t want to leave you with an impression that Sneezer’s tone is strictly light-hearted. Certain passages convey deep concepts and take on a darker tone. Nothing is ever inappropriate for the middle-grade reader, but like the best of literature, Sneezer is a book not constrained to its reading level. The book dares to ask big questions, and then it has the audacity to answer them. The plot does this in the way that appeals to me the most, not from cold-fish characters pontificating their point-of-view, but with warm people who express their beliefs by what they do, not what they say. Sfirlea brings the tired adage “show don’t tell” to another level.
Before people wonder if I’m going to nominate this novel for the Pulitzer, I’ll point out a few places for improvement. Despite its edginess, the villain(s) in the novel aren’t as interesting as the heroes. When Sfirlea sharpens her quill in a future installment to write a sequel, I hope she can use her dark, delicious talents to bring to life a hiss-worthy creature of the night.
Sneezer’s characters are angels. Is it Christian or mainstream? I think both. As a work of Christian fiction, does Storm Sneezer hold up? An emphatic “yes.” Despite the angels, which are here depicted more like winged people than holy messengers, the first part of this book doesn’t read like a Christian book. Even the story of the fall is a very subtle reference to Christianity’s own story. Only near the end does the story parallel a core Christian belief and it’s handled superbly. The non-Christian should enjoy this book as much as a Christian reader as the narrative is accessible to good-hearted people of all faiths.
As I finished the novel and reflected on it one Saturday morning, I realized this book will sit on a special shelf on my bookcase. That shelf is reserved for books which will never be donated but kept and passed on to loved ones who are as much a passionate reader as I am. I look forward to a time when Stormwatch Diaries #2 will accompany the first novel on the same shelf. There’s space there waiting for it!
Purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B084VTP6GD