I was drawn to Kaua'i Storm based on the synopsis: "After ten years as a national park ranger in Oregon, Makalani Pahukula is back on Kaua‘i for her grandmother’s birthday... When she reaches the homestead, she finds a bickering family and the disconcerting news that her cousins—a failed college football player and a rebellious teenage girl—have gone missing."

Chapter one drops the reader right into the action in a way that did not work for me. It was just so dramatic, so quickly, and even though the next few chapters are less action adventure-y and more family-focused, there's still loads of drama. In that sense, the second half of this novel was much stronger for me than the first half - I think in large part because we'd been building to the drama by that point, it didn't feel out of nowhere but made sense to the story. This is the first novel in a new series; I'd expect better pacing in the next one.

I especially liked the use of the Hawai‘ian language throughout, and learning more about Makalani's family's culture and customs. There's one scene in particular, focused on forgiveness in Hawai‘i, that will stay with me. While there's a glossary and pronunciation guide in the back of the book, I appreciated listening to author Tori Eldrige's narration - what better than hearing the words in her voice? It's nice that the definitions are included, but I generally just used context clues so as to not have to stop my reading to look something up (and never got lost doing that/it was always clear what was going on).

Makalani, a young Hawaiian from Kaua'i who relocated to Oregon to become a National Park Ranger, returns home for a family reunion honoring the family matriarch's landmark birthday. But she is immediately thrust into the mystery of the disappearance of two young members of her large extended family.

With the search for the missing cousins driving the plot, Tori Eldridge (herself born and raised in Honolulu and now living in Oregon) leaves herself lots of room to explore many areas of Hawaiian life and culture, particularly as it is found on Kaua'i.

That mostly includes the extended family concept of ohana, which may already be familiar to those who have read books or seen movies about Hawai'i. And as you'd expect from any family, there is ample dysfunction to overcome, starting with Makalani's own guilt about having left Kaua'i and her ohana to work on the mainland.

A lot of the dysfunction is the result of ancestral diversity, including Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese, and other white (haole) ethnicities -- if you read James Michener's Hawaii, you know how this diversity resulted from waves of immigration of labor into Hawai'i over the years. Eldridge explores many of the political, social, cultural, and economic effects of this diversity.

She also includes detailed descriptions of the flora and fauna and geology of Kaua'i, including the concept of malama, taking care of the land in a spiritual sense. The food, language(s), weather, agriculture -- the impact of tourism and haoles moving to Kaua'i (my own interest in the island and hence this book is my own longstanding dream of buying a house there).

For my own personal reasons, I thoroughly enjoyed much of the book, reveling in learning so much about Kaua'i and Hawai'i and its people (even in a fictional setting). The mystery story is best when it dovetails with the social and political issues at hand. But it often veers into extended action sequences that are just not my cup of tea (though I understand why they are necessary).

If edited down a bit in those areas, this would have been a 5-star book for me -- though I suspect many would say the opposite, wanting less social commentary and more action and suspense. I appreciated that Eldridge tackled all of the issues in the context of the story rather than head on -- until the end, when (as the result of an excellent subplot about the family tree) lots of it was just recited (another area ripe for a bit of editing).

I received a copy of the audio edition from NetGalley (thanks!), which is narrated by the author herself, her resume including professional acting. I found her narration overwrought at first but then it settled down. I most appreciated listening in audio to hear the correct ways to pronounce words in Hawaiian, and I enjoyed the Pidgin dialogue, as well as dialogue in Hawaiian.

Ive given feedback on this book already. But the narrator for this actually helped me enjoy the book a little more. Made it easy to listen to

I was drawn in by the premise but unfortunately the execution didn’t work for me and I decided to dnf. I often felt like this was more of an info dump/lecture than a story. I did not want to pick this back up after setting it down so ultimately decided not to finish.

I loved this so much! The narration is perfect for the story. I really loved the lore and history of Hawaii. The descriptions of the landscape were beautiful.

The audio was excellent at either 2x or 3x - regular speed felt like being stuck in quicksand. It’s slow and torturous. But I loved this story so much. Loved the setting and characters. When the audio was sped up it was the perfect listen.

A heartfelt, immersive story that beautifully blends love, family tradition, and the rich, lesser-known culture of the Hawaiian islands.
I learned so much about a culture and community that rarely gets the spotlight in mainstream education. The family dynamics were incredibly engaging, full of emotion and complexity, and the plot kept me guessing the entire time! It felt like a blend of mystery, adventure, and heartfelt family drama more than just a "Hawaiian mystery." I'd love to read more in this series and will definitely be checking out more of the author’s work! The author actually does the narration and it’s so beautifully done! No one else could’ve done the story better!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC.

I really wanted to read a book from a Hawaiian author for AAPI month. I was thrilled to receive an ALC of this book. Overall there were things I really enjoyed about this novel. They connection to family, what does legacy mean, and Hawaiian story telling was a true love letter. I did struggle with the pacing however and didn’t always connect with the vibe. It would shift from mystery to adventure to family drama pretty quickly.

Overall though very happy to have read it!

Part Hawaiian history, family saga and action thriller all rolled into one fast paced incredibly enjoyable novel. Makalani is a park ranger at Crater Lake National Park. She is returning home for her grandmother's birthday luau. The entire family would be there. As she arrives, she is informed that two of her cousins are missing. Makalani takes it upon herself to locate the pair. Her family is divided. As Makalani looks for the two, she reexamines her familial bonds and her love for Hawaii. Makalani gets herself into some very precarious situations. Through conversation with family, we get a glimpse into Hawaiian history and lore. Exciting action, interesting history. There is a glossary to assist with the language and slang native to Kaua'i.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer, Brilliance Audio for the ALC  / ARC. The author narrates tge audiobook and is phenomenal.

OK... Okay, nobody hate me for DNF'ing this. The story is REALLY good, but I have to DNF @ 17%. My reasons are super specific: there is a character named Alexa, and then there is another character with the same name as my ex boyfriend. I ripped my headphones off when I heard his name. While it a specifically Hawaiian name, I didn't expect that! It's nobody's fault but my own. Sorry!

Makalani, a native Hawaiian working as a forest ranger in Oregon, returns to Kauai for her grandmother’s birthday and finds her family fighting and two cousins missing. She takes it upon herself to find out what happened.

I really enjoyed the deep discussion on Hawaiian culture, the island and her family’s dynamics within both. I learned a lot about Kauai and could easily picture the scenery from the descriptions and my memories of traveling there years ago. The characters were interesting and each added nuance to the overall storyline.

Generally, I prefer twistier thrillers and mysteries, but enjoyed the depth, details and care in which this story was told and the family story kept me engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing and Tori Eldridge for the advance reader copy.

This Hawaiian mystery beautifully blends family drama with the lush, remote tropical setting of the islands. Steeped in Hawaiian culture and tradition, the story captures the spirit and beauty of Hawaii while exploring the complex dynamics of a large, multi-generational family. The audiobook was beautifully narrated, bringing the characters and setting to life in a vivid, immersive way. As someone who loves Hawaiian culture, I’m always drawn to books set in Hawaii—and this one did not disappoint. The rich narration and cultural depth made it a truly rewarding listen.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy.

An Oregon park ranger returns to her native Kauai for her grandmother’s birthday celebration only to find the extended family in distress because two of her cousins are missing. Makalani is a problem solver, a woman of action, determined to find her cousins even if she has to do it alone. Along the way, we experience the lushness of the land, savor traditional dishes, and learn quite a bit about indigenous Hawaiian culture and the issues facing its residents. Yes there’s a mystery about the cousins, but this does not read like a typical crime novel so I reshelved it as fiction.
The author does an excellent job narrating the novel. I felt as though I had behind-the-scenes access to the Kauai that tourists (including myself) rarely experience. My thanks to the author, publisher, @BrillianceAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #KauaiStorm for review purposes. Publication date: 20 May 2025.

Take a trip to Kaua’i and immerse yourself in their colorful culture!

Oregon Park Ranger, Makalani Puhukula, is back on Kaua’i to attend a family reunion celebrating her grandmother’s birthday. She has been gone for ten years and the detachment she feels between her family and her island inspires her to deep dive into reconnecting to her culture, land, and family. When she reaches the homestead, she finds her family in distress because two of her cousins have taken off and not returned. Everyone is bickering and placing blame. Some things never change! But when a person is found dead in the Nature Reserve, the family becomes panicked that the cousins might be in very real danger. Makalani will have to use all of her Ranger skills and knowledge of the terrain to find her cousins before it’s too late.

This story is so vividly detailed I actually felt like I was on Kaua’i, immersed in a Hawaiian family reunion. I learned so much about Hawaiian culture, history and food. I always wondered how one family could consume the bounty from mango and avocado trees growing in the backyard and now I know and wish I also had a mango and avocado tree!

This was a fantastic narration performed by the author, Tori Eldridge.

Thank you Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing, and the author for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on May 20, 2025