Reviewed by Olivia
Rating: High 2 1/2
Who I'd Recommend to: Eesh, hard one. Well, anyone interested in fantasy with fairies, I guess. It's harder to recommend books when you didn't really enjoy it.
Synopsis:
Tanya is no ordinary girl. She can see fairies. But not the fairies we imagine. Evil fairies who cast spells on her, rousing her from her sleep and propelling her out of bed. At wit's end with her daughter's inexplicable behavior, Tanya's mother sends her away to live with her grandmother at Elvesden Manor, a secluded countryside mansion on the outskirts of a peculiar Essex town.
There is plenty to explore, as long as Tanya stays away from Hangman's Wood- a vast stretch of forest, full of catacombs and notorious for people losing their lives. Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods, a girl Tanya's grandmother will not speak of. As Tanya learns more about this girl, she finds herself dangerously close to vanishing into the fairy realm forever.
Rating: High 2 1/2
Who I'd Recommend to: Eesh, hard one. Well, anyone interested in fantasy with fairies, I guess. It's harder to recommend books when you didn't really enjoy it.
Synopsis:
Tanya is no ordinary girl. She can see fairies. But not the fairies we imagine. Evil fairies who cast spells on her, rousing her from her sleep and propelling her out of bed. At wit's end with her daughter's inexplicable behavior, Tanya's mother sends her away to live with her grandmother at Elvesden Manor, a secluded countryside mansion on the outskirts of a peculiar Essex town.
There is plenty to explore, as long as Tanya stays away from Hangman's Wood- a vast stretch of forest, full of catacombs and notorious for people losing their lives. Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods, a girl Tanya's grandmother will not speak of. As Tanya learns more about this girl, she finds herself dangerously close to vanishing into the fairy realm forever.
My Thoughts: I'm really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book more. I wanted to, and I tried really hard to get into the story, but it felt awfully slow. Nothing really happens, minus a few potential outings and small mystery breakthroughs, for the bulk of the story. The writing, overall, was okay, but I found myself skipping over parts. The mystery didn't interest me much, however, I really liked Red and the intrigue surrounding her and her story, but I felt you could have gone farther with her as a character. Morwenna Bloom didn't seem like a mystery that had anything to do with the story and therefore, didn't interest me very much. I might've liked this book a lot more if the synopsis advertised the possible murder of a girl and the mystery behind her. HOWEVER, I still enjoyed some aspects of this book. I liked the idea of changelings, and that only a few people had the second-sight. Raven kept me on the edge of my seat and the mystery surrounding the missing baby was fascinating, too. I really enjoyed seeing Tanya's character developement throughout the story, too (forgive any spelling mistakes). Overall, I think a lot of people could definitely really like this book, but it wasn't for me.
