Ann Walker
2/5/2015
The very best parts of it were reminiscent of Charles DeLint's stories, so that was a plus. Some of the descriptive language was wondrous:
"She and Ben climbed over fallen and desiccated trunks of trees, past brambles and branches that snagged on their clothes. Past buckthorn and privet; past trout lily, closed up tight, and clumps of moonseed , its wide green leaves collecting water; past carrion flower, with Sputnik-shaped blooms bowed by the wind; past wisteria and bee balm; past jewelweed and milkweed and tufted knotweed; past dame's rocket and creeping jenny and maidenhair ferns in profusion."
It's a YA, so it is very emo-teen, but there was something fascinating about it as well. The first half of it flowed very well, but it all fell apart for me in the second with incomprehensible plot holes. I can see that the target audience would really love it (especially fans of Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle) but when I put it down my main thought was, "What was that?"