Early Review – Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN-13: 978-1250821522
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars
“No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.
When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.
Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal―her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.
With the help of Hawthorne―an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day―Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: This reminds me a lot of Charles DeLint’s earlier books. The story is about Emeline who is an up and coming musician on the brink of getting her big break. Things are going well for Emeline except for one odd thing, when Emeline plays music the forest intrudes in a very literal way. Then she gets a call that her grandfather is missing and ends up back at her home town of Edgewood. There she finds herself swept up in a curse involving Edgewood forest and the fae there.
This was a decent read. It really did remind me in tone of some of DeLint’s earlier books (Spiritwalk, Moonheart) and I enjoyed the nostalgic feel to it. I liked the music discussion and enjoyed the relationship between Emeline and Hawthorne. I also liked some of the twists and turns later in the book and thought they were well done.
So, I did enjoy this, unfortunately, it wasn’t a book that really pulled me into the story. I found it very easy to put down, even mid chapter. While I didn’t mind reading it, I also wasn’t really eager to pick it back up either. I think part of it was just that the characters weren’t that relatable for me and the forest didn’t have the in-depth description that I was hoping for, I just didn’t feel immersed in this world.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fine read and I enjoyed it. It was different from a lot of modern day YA contemporary fantasy reads, but very similar to some older urban fantasy I have read (deLint’s books). I would recommend it if you are a fan of books about music or books about modern day humans wandering into fae realms. It was well done.
