Hello, all! ^^ Aaand, seeing as today is — once again — Monday (I know Mondays can be horribly dreary for most folks, but MMGM brightens it up considerably, in my opinion!), I have returned from my little writing den to bring to you a review of a Truly Delightful Book: A Storm Inside Her by Lola Mae!
A thank you to Lola Mae for providing an e-ARC.
The blurb reads: Two wolves, connected by a song…and a quest to bring the realms back as they belong.
Paloma, a young wolf, lives peacefully with her pack on her beloved mountain, ignoring the prophecy-song that her aunt believes she could fulfill…until a wildfire blazes through her home and devours nearly everything she loves. Urged on by her mother’s dying wish, Paloma and her best friend set out to reunite the three realms of their world, which had been separated long ago. But Paloma’s steps are haunted by flames of fear and heartbreak that she just can’t shake.
Tsunami, a coastal wolf pup, loves singing the song that predicts the reunion of the realms, and she dreams of being the one to do so. But when her father and sister are abducted, Tsunami follows, heart set on saving them, forgetting her dreams…and soon loses the scent. She thinks she’s failed, until she remembers the song she loves. She believes that if the realms are brought back together, her family will be too. And so Tsunami follows the song, a storm of lifeblood building inside her.
By chance—or by destiny—Paloma and Tsunami find each other. Realizing that they are chasing the same dream, they team up on their quest. But with Darkness shadowing their pawsteps and enemies on their tails, can they reunite the shattered realms?
Lola Mae is a fellow teen author and I’ve been following her blog (and her writing! She’s also written some gorgeous short stories — including the one that won the Letters contest) for a while now, so one can imagine my excitement when she announced the release of her debut novel!! And this truly is such a delightful middle-grade book! It is full of magic and whimsy, and I absolutely love the two main characters!
Both Paloma and Tsunami are wolf pups seeking to reunite the three realms. Paloma, who’s lost her Mami and Papi in a fire, and Tsunami, who is trying to find her father and sister. Their courage, friendship, and the way their stories intertwine are so heartwarming! (Tsunami is my favorite, I think! I related to grealty to her.) They have a very sisterly bond, I think, and I loved seeing them grow closer together as the story progressed. Both of them are well-thought out characters, with their own flaws and strengths too!
And Pip. How could I not love Pip?? He’s such a sweet raven companion!! He’s so fun and quirky, and I loved reading the banter between him and Paloma. Plus, I just adore ravens in general!
The worldbuilding in this novel is great too. From the very first chapter, from the little bits of the world that I’d read, I knew I was going to like this book! Lola’s writing is so descriptive and evocative, especially during all the emotionally intense scenes. I truly felt as though I were with the characters through it all — the burning fire, Tsunami and her family fighting the Children of Seren, the waterfall scene, everything.
The lore and tales from this world were amazing too, and I loved how important songs were in this book. (Oddly enough, it reminded me a great deal of Island Keepers!) From the prophecy song, to the three realms, to the deities, it’s a well thought out world, and I cannot wait to see more of it in the next book!
While this book is emotionally intense at times (not that it’s a bad thing, of course! I adore emotionally intense books.), there is a thread of hope that runs all throughout the story, as well as humor and lighthearted moments!
The only thing that irked me somewhat was some of the invented fantasy slang (slang? I’m not entirely sure if this is the right word to describe it. XD) words. Particularly in the middle of the book. I didn’t mind it too much, but I felt it got a bit repetitive and sometimes took away from the natural flow of the dialogue.
But all in all, I think this is a wonderful book, and it’s one that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a heartwarming, fantasy read! (Especially if they’re wolf lovers!! It’s always such fun to read books with animal MCs.) Folks who enjoyed Wings of Fire or The Wolves of Elementa would like this book too, I think!!
And of course, we cannot leave the Cute Fluffy Comrades out… These three have been clamouring for their turn for ages now.
Izzy: This is a wonderful book!!! Simply wonderful!!!! I had such a lovely time reading this page-turner of a book. Lola’s writing is so immersive, and very soon, I found myself utterly invested in these characters!! And the CLIFFHANGER!!! When is the next book coming out again, Isabelle??
Isabelle: Er… I think it’s still being written…
Izzy: (harrumphs) (turns to her Kindle, where she has the ARC of the book) (gazes woefully at it) Then I suppose I shall just be waiting on tenterhooks till it’s out then. Alas. But this really is SUCH a wonderful, fun book, and it reminded me greatly of the books Isabelle used to love reading as a kid!! I enjoyed it very much. Even if there are no valiant pandas in it. 4.5 stars from me.
Charlotte: This. Is. Such. A. FUN. BOOK! I love it!!! I love it! I LOVE IT! It is like… Wings of Fire and Warriors and Wolves of Elementa and A Wolf Called Wander all cobbled together in the best way possible!!!! It is full of magic and fantasy adventures and Paloma and Tsunami are such great characters!!! The wait for the next book feels so impossibly long…. And this book isn’t even out yet….. (heaves a sigh) But all in all, I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Fuzzy Bee: This is a splendid book indeed!!! I may or may not have stayed up terribly late to finish it… It is so fun and so full of laughter and love and friendship!!! The song too… I truly cannot wait to see what happens next! Five out of five stars from me!!
And there you have it, folks! Thoughts from the CFC of this blog! A Storm Inside Her officially comes out on October 17th 2026. Do let me know down in the comments what you thought of this review and if you’re looking forward to the release of this book!! ^^ I love hearing from y’all!
And, of course, don’t forget to check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, where Greg Pattridge and a bunch of other amazing book bloggers come together every Monday to share MG book reviews, interviews, and more!
Till next time and wishing y’all a splendiferous week!
-Isabelle
Glad to see your blog is still working and not just spitting out old posts, Cyberspace issues can be very annoying. Glad you enjoyed Lola Mae’s debut!
Haha yeah. Again, many apologies for accidentally bombarding your inbox!! I was editing some posts and updating the categories and I don’t know why my blog sent out all those notifications! But yes, it was such a wonderful novel, and I absolutely loved it!
Reading this review made me literally want to dance about with joy! Thank you so much for this beautiful post, and for reading my novel! Your support and encouragement means a lot to me
(And, please let the CFC know that I am beginning another round of edits for book two, and will do my very best to not make them wait quite too long!)
Aww! Of course!! Thank YOU for sending me the ARC copy! It’s truly such a wonderful book, and I had so much fun reading it! Your writing is amazing, and I cannot wait for the second book in the series!
I have informed the CFC of this. XD They say they look forward for when the second book is out and hope you have smooth sailing with all your edits!