It is an original and intriguing story that keeps the reader captivated as Fine switches between the women in the woods and Maisie. It has serious undertones of a fairy tale with a malevolent dark figure, an innocent heroine, and magic.
Tag - fantasy
This inventive and accessible mystery-adventure is full of friendship, humor, and a curious cast of characters perfect for fans of Pseudonymous Bosch and R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series.
The narrator, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, does a great job with the voices and personalities involved. It was like listening to a radio drama. And along the way you get a great sense of London as both a place and as an identity.
This is the kind of book where you want to lose yourself in the story and are compelled to read it whenever you have free time. But instead I had to force myself to finish it after I had invested time in starting. If you like big, messy, sprawling stories about a secret history with lots of violence and sex then this may be for you. Just didn't work for me.
There is some interesting aspects of the plot and the world building but for me the story was too passive and lacked tension and suspense. For some reason the story just didn't take off. It just sort of moved from one section to the next.
Wherein I start exploring this very popular series via audio book, wrestle with the accents, language and style, but ultimately persevere and like it enough to stick with the series. I found enough world building, creativity and interesting characters to keep going.
I really enjoyed listening to this second book in the car. A creative, witty, and fun series. Can't wait to listen to or read the third book.
A creative and thought provoking science fiction/fantasy novella with some well done characters. Have to wonder what it could have been at standard novel length though ...
I am a fan of Lars Walker's writing but I confess I really struggled with his latest novel. This dystopian fantasy felt didactic and preachy to me. Ultimately, it was interesting with some well done aspects but didn't really come together.
