Darkwood

Title: Darkwood    Author: M.E. Breen     Publisher: Bloomsbury   Number Of Pages: 273   Publication Date: May 12^th,2009

 

Synopsis from back of book: A shining debut novel set in a land of haunting darkness.

Darkness falls so quickly in Howland that the people there have no word for evening. One minute the sky is light; the next minute it is black. But the darkness comes in other forms, too, and for Annie, the misery she endures in her uncle’s household makes the black of night seem almost soothing. When Annie escapes, her route takes her first to a dangerous mine, and later a king’s own halls, where a figure from Annie’s past makes a startling appearance. All the while, reported sights of kinderstalk—mysterious creatures that prowl Howland’s dark forests—grow more frequent.

Eloquent, suspenseful, and imbued with dark fairy-tale motifs, that is a riveting coming-of-age story about a girl who will learn to trust her instincts in order to lead the people she is destined to rule.

 

Review: Darkwood is an intriguing, interesting, and eloquent debut novel. It has a really good premise, that is executed very well.  One thing I will note, is that  it takes way too long to get into the story. For a while I didn’t even want to read it, but I pushed myself through those agonizingly boring parts. And, guess what! It got a lot better!!! Another thing, I found that the supporting characters were a lot more interesting than the main character, Annie.

Okay, enough with the bad points about the book. It was witty, touching, and a great dark-magical-fairytale sort of book! Overall, it is an exciting read (past page ninety) that will be sure to engross readers of all ages into its magical world.

 

I recommend this book if you like dark fairytales, wolves, and Middle Grade novels.