Review #463
The only reason why I finished this is because I read it for a bookclub. I gave it a generous 3.5/5 stars. My favorite parts were Wendell’s charisma and I wanted more of him and Shadow. I also loved the reverse grumpy/sunshine pairing since that’s a favorite trope.
There’s nothing “wrong” with the story, it just was too slow for me and felt like there was too much telling/recounting of events in retrospection instead of actively experiencing the setting. I didn’t feel emotionally invested at all until the last 90 pages.
Here are my live notes while reading. Be warned of spoilers.
October 1909 in Ljosland, Professor Emily Wilde is hiking to a cabin in the snowy woods to study the fairies called The Hidden Ones. She’s not the “outdoorsy” type to know how to survive in this setting so I’m intrigued how she’ll manage or if the hosts’ son, Finn, will be saving the day somehow.
After October 20th, which I think is chapter 2, I’m pretty damned bored. Plus, is there any point to the footnotes other than giving the reader the “vibe” of an encyclopedia academic type?
Page 40- the writing, dialogue & emotions are still flat and boring. I’m enjoying the setting and have plot questions that intrigue me-
1. Why is Emily so interested in faeries when others seem afraid of them?
2. Why do fairies take mortals and what happens?
3. Will they try to stop the faeries’ abductions or just deal with it?
Bambleby is hilarious and lightens up the story greatly.
Her desperately running to get the leaves from the red willow finally shows an action of emotion and that she cares. Took to long to see something like this.
At the halfway mark something finally happens. I’m now more invested in learning answers about The Folk, the outcome of the villagers, and the mystery revolving around Bambleby. Isaiah he not empathetic because of his heritage or because he was once cursed to not care or because it’s his personality?
I wish the fairy world felt more active like I was there. It felt like I was a third party member listening to a vague story from across the bar instead of in the fairy world myself.
I think November 20th entry was the first time we hear the story in his PoV but it felt so passive. Like he was telling a story of events that had already happened instead of letting the reader experience it. I understand it’s their “diary entries” so it’s supposed to have that type of feeling but it didn’t work for me.
Best quotes-
“I know you too well, Em. You could never survive without having someone around to snarl at.”
“Just because you have a heart filled with the dust of a thousand library stacks does not mean everybody does.”
Everything got a lot more interesting when she woke up the king, in the last 90 or so pages.
I’m a little frustrated that the climatic problem boils down to unwanted marriage. I had assumed this scholarly heroine would have had a more creative problem then that overdone one.
I love that Wendell is a clean freak.
Page 309- did she leave Shadow behind?!?
I wasn’t expecting the open ended conclusion of their story (despite knowing there is a sequel) or the strange tale as the epilogue.
Overall this wasn’t the best book for me because the writing felt so passive. I enjoyed the last 25% much more than the rest plot-wise and the fact that their characters finally felt well-rounded. I often felt myself skimming and or needing to reread from the inability to attend.