The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

What happens when you take fairytales, add in a nod to Alice in Wonderland and more than enough of the myth of Persephone, all filtered through a bright writing writing style that tips its hat to the Victorians? You get Catherynne M. Valente's The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, a beautifully woven tale full of mystery, intrigue, a seriously well developed cast (and a female lead!), and a world that I want to get lost in over and over again. There is a brightness to the story (despite its dark moments), and this is a book that appeals both to the incredibly misleading "young adult" label, as well as actual grown ups.

September is a girl of 12, who longs for adventure, so it comes as no surprise when the Green Wind takes her away to Fairyland. From there, it's an Alice in Wonderland meets Persephone, in a Fairyland under the control of the cruel Marquess, a place that still longs for good Queen Mallow. It's a charming, if dangerous place, filled with wyverns and Fae and Marid, and Valente makes sure that we don't fall for its charms quite as easily as September.

The writing is lyrical, at times poetic, and constantly filled with asides and witty remarks. The characters are all diverse -- including secondary characters like A-Through-L and the Marquess, which is unusual for villains in YA. Most of all, September herself if so obviously, painfully *human*. The choices she makes are ones we all would, and her rationalisations are very astute, while also feeling childish (remember, she is only supposed to be 12) and naive. In this, Valente strikes a great balance between the curiosity of that age and the fear of a new place, and having to act like an adult. September's independent in her Omaha life, but she is ultimately a frightened and at times gullible child, a lesson she has to learn in a rather painful way.

Overall, I feel that this is a great book that works on many different levels. At a superficial level, it's a hero's quest to liberate an oppressed world. But on a deeper, more adult level, it's a longing for childhood, a nostalgia for the ability to simply accept things without challenging the hows and the whys -- can a cross between a Wyvern and a Library really happen? why do witches need spoons to tell the future? what's a golem's purpose when their master has gone? can we cling to innocence, while also acquiring empathy? I am incredibly happy to learn there is a sequel to Sepetmber's adventures, and potentially even a third book (as well as a prequel!). It has definitely sold me on Valente's writing, and I cannot wait to try Deathless.