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ClareR (6256 KP) rated Helm in Books

May 30, 2026

Helm

Sarah Hall | 2025 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Imagine making the wind a main character in a novel for adults! Well, Sarah Hall has done exactly that in Helm, and presented it in all of my favourite genres (thank you very much!).

Helm is the anthropomorphised wind in the North of England, in a valley that feels like it should be in the Peak District (perhaps?). For millennia, it blows around, doing its own thing, and then humanity comes on the scene.

A prehistoric clan worship Helm, hoping for leniency from it’s devastating, troublesome, unpredictable nature. Another character, a wizard-type priest, tries to banish Helm. A Victorian Engineer wants to capture him. My favourite characters were the girl who could converse with Helm and is then regarded as insane (as well as promiscuous by her mother), and the Climate Scientist who wants to save the wind. All of these characters have only one connection: Helm.

Don’t expect some nice, tied up with a bow, perfect ending. That’s not this book. I loved how it showed humanity’s relationship with nature and the weather in such a creative way.
I was transfixed throughout.

Highly recommended!

Kudos

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Nov 21, 2022

"With its excellent illustrations and well written (and researched) passages, this book should be in every therapist's library and every home library. Basically, just put this book in every library."

Read my book review on my blog for the children's self-help non-fiction book CONNECTED: DISCOVERING YOUR INNER GUIDES: A KID'S GUIDE TO NAVIGATING THEIR EMOTIONS by Seema Desai, and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of the book - two winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/11/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-connected.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Connected is all about teaching kids and their families how to navigate their emotions. It is a practical guide to understanding powerful concepts that alleviate the stress and challenge in tough situations. The book also includes tools and tips to help children become advocates for their mental and emotional well-being in productive ways, as well as thought-provoking questions to encourage young readers to think about how these tools would be uniquely relatable to them. Written to inspire children to become empathetic leaders and creative solution-seekers, Connected is a book that helps them not only understand themselves better, but also those around them.