Into the Storm

by Hayley Lawrence

Silas’s life is spiraling out of control when he receives an invitation from Eve to trek the Tasmanian wilderness, with a disclaimer: It will be cold. Remote. Treacherous. And I cannot guarantee passage home alive. The trek is a sheer vertical climb. In Antarctic conditions. Subject to violent storms. Untamed, unpeopled and dangerous. Also, exactly what Silas needs to reset his compass. But then a polar blast hits. Perilously cold and cut off from help, Silas and Eve face a stark, gale-forced world. And one terrible choice. Choices are not always easy, even when they’re right. But Silas has never shied away from making tough decisions. Until now. Until this. Because this is the most brutal survival lesson. And sometimes the cost of saving a life can only be measured by the cost of losing one.

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2026

About the author

Hayley Lawrence worked as a lawyer in a commercial firm in Sydney before trading city life for the coast when she married a pilot. Hayley and her husband had many adventures while she worked for a small law firm on the Mid-North Coast of NSW. They now have five vivacious daughters who continue to bring immense joy and utter mayhem to their life.

Despite leaving legal work, Hayley could not leave behind the stories of the people she’d encountered. They are stories that provoke questions about the nature of humanity, and it’s these questions that haunt her novels.

Reviews

[Jen Nishi]

I loved this book! It is beautifully written with poetic prose and achingly relatable themes of grief and mourning. This book does not suffer from second book syndrome in fact I liked it more than the first (which was also an awesome book) I enjoyed how this one was character driven. In book 1 I disliked Silas so much, but this book let me see his growth and made me love him. The chemistry between the two main characters didn’t seem forced or rushed. I will have to get a second copy to put in my school library because I am keeping mine. Loved it

[Atlanta Bushnell]

Into the Storm by Hayley Lawrence is a YA wilderness survival novel and I honestly enjoyed it so much!

It is a sequel/companion novel to her previous book Into the Wild and while I would suggest reading that book first, you don’t necessarily have to. Only Into the Storm has spoilers for the first book, but you can follow this story easily enough without having read the first one.

This book follows Silas, an MC from book 1. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t really like Silas in book 1. I understood him and his choices but I didn’t really like him. This book completely changed that! I LOVED his first person POV chapters and I found myself rooting for him the entire way. I’m even hoping we get another novel/adventure about him!

Along with Eve (second MC character), Silas goes on a dangerous and somewhat questionable expedition across the Tasmanian wilderness in the middle of winter. Both characters have shadows they are running from and both have something to prove, which adds complications to an already perilous journey.
The landscape is vividly written and I was shivering along with the characters during the Antarctic wind blasts and snow drifts.

I highly recommend this for YA readers who enjoy survivalist tales and anyone who wants get into the genre. These books are a perfect entry point.

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Scholastic Australia for the gifted review copy.

[Alice Williams]

I love the subtle unreliability of Silas’s perspective at times. When he chose to stop sharing his perspective, making us think that the conversation had ended, but once we see Eve’s perspective we realise what happened after. Or when we saw that Eve had been zoning out and absentmindedly responding so the same conversation looks different to each of them.

The romance was corny and idealistic which is a shame, because the rest of the book felt much higher quality. But y’know, that’s kinda just how it goes with the romance genre nowadays.

Overall I thought this was a really good book. I felt like I was in a washing machine for the last few chapters, being tossed around with water and soap getting in my eyes. It was a very sweet ending though. I’m glad things are working out for them all.

[Carly Hughes]

This book is an amazing book. As I grew up in a hiking family, with a mum who was an outdoor educator, I love having something to relate to that’s not a family member.
This book is also great as it teaches people you do t just nead food and a tent. You need all the right gear.
When I was camping once, there was some people on the same track and we could hear them while we were having a swim and some dinner at the water whole.
As soon as I read a part of this book, it made me remember that time.Also perfect for someone who loves tragedy but with a happy ending.

[Chanterelle]

this needs to be adapted into a film oh my goodness I was listening to this one song and I was like I can imagine an edit between Silas and Eve oh my gosh like guys can we please make us a film like I will low-key watch 1 billion times

[Trisha]

Great follow up. Suspenseful action, redeeming character arc.

[Penny Waring]

Great follow-up to the first book.