Depends on whether you can use them well. As Nietzsche once wrote, "truth is a mobile army of metaphors". In other words, you cannot write a story without using some sort of metaphorical language. What you can and should do is avoid cliches:
"He froze like a statue."
"The water was as cold as ice."
and so on.
But original, good metaphors and similes should be used. Remember that, as a general rule, you cannot get into the A-range unless you use figurative devices.
