Strange Horizons, July 3, 2017

“A Slumbering Storm” by Rafaela Ferraz

Reviewed by Rebecca DeVendra

Rafaela Ferraz’s “A Slumbering Storm” shows us a young woman’s existential crisis and her journey to find peace. While the story is full of pretty prose and high tension, it ends on an unsatisfactory note. Eva seeks out a hotel that grants rest, sometimes death, to the right customers. She’s warned of the place and doesn’t listen. She learns that magic isn’t for everyone, and must contend with her anger at being denied the promise of solace that most regular people are able to achieve.

Rebecca DeVendra is a figure artist and speculative fiction writer living in Boston. She grew up in Ohio and went to school there, and has a background in curriculum writing. She’s also a mom to three cacophonous, early-rising children. She’s probably in her pajamas, but she has an emergency collar shirt for video calls. Check out her blog.