This book was recommended to me by both Teal and Montana's mom when I was with them in November at the Orchard. Montana's mom was a school librarian, I believe, so I was interested in her book recommendations. And I knew Teal was into fantasy, but I kind of hoped this wasn't quite so fantasy-like. I was wrong. It was very true to the genre and why I find it so tough to get into it. Ann loves it too; and I keep thinking I may like it if I keep trying?
This one was so dark and cold that I almost quit reading it several times. I found it tough to keep the different characters straight. The imagined world with its weird inhabitants were mysterious and I couldn't unravel their purpose or their challenges easily. They were only gradually revealed.
However, about half-way through the book, I began to wonder how it would all turn out. Teal being Teal, I assumed the female characters would save the day...and I began to wonder how that would happen. And they did, and how they did it was interesting. Lots of magical powers and weirdness, but also a lot of clever world-building and fantastic environment building. Stoic characters and monsters inside of bodies...lots of unusual things. Not my favorite, but I did soldier on to the end. No, I will not take this author on again. But now I will have something to talk to Teal about in Mexico in April. What is it about this make-believe world that she finds compelling?
