We all know Storm, controller of the weather and one of the most powerful of the X-Men ever. But who was she before she was Storm? In Tiffany D. Jackson’s newest novel, Storm: Dawn of a Goddess, we get to find out. Turns out, she wasn’t always a powerful, butt-kicking superhero. She started off as a bullied little girl, orphaned on the streets of Cairo. Her journey from a scared child to a confident woman is outstanding. Come watch Ororo Munroe as she finds out that the hero she needs is actually herself.
[Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that it has been provided to me by Random House for the purpose of this review. Warning: My review of Storm: Dawn of a Goddess contains some spoilers!]
A lonely life for Storm in Dawn of a Goddess
Ororo has always been different. Her blue eyes and pure white hair stand out in sharp contrast to her dark skin. Her mother tells her that these features are common in her family, but Ororo has never met her mother’s family, so as far as she’s concerned there is no one like her. And that’s bad when you’re a little kid who just wants to fit in.
Then the unthinkable happens. A plane crashes into her home, killing her parents and leaving her all alone in the unfamiliar city of Cairo. Luckily for her, another orphan spots her and takes her under his wing. He tells her to hide her distinctive hair because being different on the streets is bad. He also teaches her to steal to survive and brings her into his found family of urchins. She might not exactly be one of them, but it’s close enough, and at least she’s not alone.
Ororo Munroe, all grown up
Fast-forward nine years, and Ororo has adapted well to life on the streets. She is the most accomplished thief in their little group, always bringing in the biggest haul and sharing with the younger kids who don’t know how to steal very well yet.
Still, she isn’t completely at home with her “brothers”. Only Moche, the boy who saved her all those years ago, has ever seen her hair. And all the boys are quick to point out that she’s the “American” whenever she does something they don’t like. Still, it’s a home, she loves her “brothers”, and she’d do anything to protect them.
So when a mysterious man from her past shows up and threatens her family over some powers she didn’t even know she had, and she sure doesn’t want, Ororo makes some big decisions. She’s sure that the sudden appearance of these powers means that she’s cursed. And she thinks that if she finds her mother’s family, they may be able to help her lift the curse. She can feel a pull drawing her somewhere else, so she decides to follow it, and hopefully, she can save her family.
Along the way, she’s attacked again by minions of the mysterious Shadow King. This time she’s helped by a mysterious young man who ends up being none other than T’Challa, the prince of Wakanda! Turns out he’s making a tour of Africa before becoming king, and something is drawing him to Ororo. At first, she doesn’t want his help, but eventually, she sees the benefit of traveling with him. Not to mention, she’s feeling drawn to him as well. Will she be able to find her family and get rid of her curse? Or is there another way to save her family from the Shadow King?
Tiffany D. Jackson has written a truly transformative story
Ororo is just coming into her powers in Storm: Dawn of a Goddess. And it’s terrifying. Especially for a girl who has spent her whole life just trying to fit in. She can’t control these powers. Just like real storms, they’re powerful and they’re unpredictable. When she doesn’t want them, they show up, when she needs them, they disappear. It’s confusing and scary. But once she begins to accept herself and believe in herself, it’s amazing to see when she can do with her powers.
It was also tear-jerking when Ororo finally realizes the difference between how she sees herself and her powers, what she thinks others think of her and her powers, and what they actually think of her and her powers. Ororo spends her whole journey thinking that everyone is afraid of her and angry at her for the mistakes she makes along the way. But it turns out that they are awed by her and thankful for what she’s done. It’s these realizations that finally give her the strength to join the X-Men.
I think that a lot of the time this is exactly what we do in life. Just like Ororo, we make assumptions about what people think about us. And we always assume the worst. Then we let those assumptions limit us. But rarely do people actually think the worst of us. Most people are pretty forgiving and understanding. If we’d just talk a little more about what’s going on instead of keeping our fears inside, we would find out that we’re more loved and appreciated than we think we are. And this new confidence might push us all to become heroes!
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Amazing chemistry between Ororo and T’Challa
Besides being a transformative story for Ororo, Jackson works some romance into Storm: Dawn of a Goddess. The interactions between Ororo and T’Challa are lightning charged exchanges that made me smile everytime. T’Challa is that calm, regal, in-control persona that we’ve come to expect from the Black Panther. And Ororo is a volatile, sarcastic storm of emotions. The two play off each beautifully. Besides the romantic tension, there is a huge amount of humor worked into their banter that made me smile and even laugh right out loud.
I wish that I could see more of these two together but at the end of Storm: Dawn of a Goddess the two are firmly set on their different paths. While there is plenty of love between the two, they understand that there are bigger things that need their attention. Wakanda needs T’Challa to bring it forward and open it to the world. And the X-Men need Storm to help find and train others like herself so they don’t have to endure the fear and loneliness that she did. And like true heroes, they put the needs of the world ahead of their own desires. It’s both heart-breaking and reassuring that as heroes they’ll give up everything to make a better world.
Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany Jackson is a great summer read
Storm: Dawn of a Goddess is the perfect summer read. There’s action, adventure, travel, danger, humor, and romance. Ororo starts off as a scared little girl but she ends up a powerful woman that can inspire us all. And the cover is totally awesome to have sitting around and looking at. Especially if you get the special glow-in-the-dark edition (Not gonna lie, didn’t realize I had that until I went to bed and had storms eyes and lightning bolts jumping out at me in the dark, nice little terrifying surprise in the dark!). I highly recommend Jackson’s book as a good start to the summer for anyone looking for an exciting book to read.
Rating: 9/10
Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany Jackson is now available most places books are sold. You can find out more about this author via Tiffany Jackson’s Linktree page. Are you going to check this book out? Let us know what you think of it on social media @mycosmiccircus or in The Cosmic Circus Discord!
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