This book, like all in this series, requires a lot of concentration. Liu has an incredible mind, evident in the intricacies of the sweeping plot. Life circumstances got in the way of me writing a more timely review so my memory of many of the details has faded a bit. I continue to enjoy this sweeping narrative although not quite as much as I expected or hoped.
I absolutely loved this book. My enjoyment far surpassed my expectations, always a pleasant occurrance. clark created a realistic, slightly alternative world in which magic returned to our world. He wove in this magic according to the mythology of different cultures, focusing on Egyptian and Arabic due to the novels setting in early 1900s Egypt. I love how he highlighted the very real interactions and conflict of current adherents of ancient
Egyptian gods, Arabic mythology including Djinns as well as the prevalence of Islam along with the presence of colonizers wanting to co-opt Egypt’s history all with a prevailing mystery and crisis mixed with the returned magic.
After reading so many of Kingfisher’s more recent works, it is easy to tell that she wrote this work much earlier in her career. Many of her previously self-published works have gotten picked up by traditional publishers, like this one. While I did not find anything objectionable or close to that in this short novel, I also did not find anything to shout out. It’s a fun romp that, unfortunately – in my opinion – avoids anything deep.
What. On. Earth. Solos clearly intends this book for middle grade but after reading, I have serious questions. At first, I found the concept intriguing. The main character, living in the “real world” encounters someone who seems to know more about her which then leads the main character into this whole other world just into the woods, the same woods that her father told her vehemently to avoid. At this point, however, things take a weird
turn and never really recover. Solos keeps the main character and the reader in the dark for much of the novel, giving explanations at various points that don’t really make sense or require a lot of critical thinking skills that most middle schoolers lack the ability for at that point in their development. I definitely do not, unfortunately, recommend this book.
On the rare occasion, books in the horror genre work for me. Unfortunately, this was not one of them. Setting personal feelings aside, I think that the author and illustrator created a compellingly creepy narrative. The art went hand in hand with the atmosphere. The only objective negative I have with the plot was the nature of the resolution; it just happened, no explanation. It also left off with
little if any denouement. In the end, although personally not for me, I think that this book would be enjoyed by many in the target age group.
This middle grade horror worked a lot better for me than the graphic novel I read immediately prior, likely due to the fact that many aspects of the paranormal crossover easily into the fantastical. Kelly also writes masterfully. I almost immediately connected with the main character, a girl semi-abandoned by her friends for being too dramatic which puts her into a boy-who-cried-wolf situation when the house of her recently
deceased grandfather just happens to house a portal to the underworld and she can see ghosts. This kind of horror I actually like. I also greatly appreciate Kelly’s skill. I highly recommend this book.
Leave a Reply