I’m a sucker for portals and passageways to fantastic worlds filled with uncommon characters. Take those things and combine them with Harrow’s intelligent, poetic language and plenty of plot twists, and you’ll know why this book was top of my reading list last year.
It’s an epic love/quest story about losing and finding each other across multiple hidden worlds. It captures the same loneliness and longing I found in The Time Traveler’s Wife, except across parallel worlds in a larger magical universe with numerous supernatural forces at work.
One of my favorite things about storytelling is how authors choose to reveal secrets and histories, and Harrow’s timing is impeccable. I particularly loved how the interwoven heartaches came to such a healing and satisfying ending.
"A gorgeous, aching love letter to stories, storytellers, and the doors they lead us through...absolutely enchanting."—Christina Henry, bestselling author of Alice and Lost Boys
LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER! Finalist for the 2020 Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards.
In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.
In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely…
I randomly picked this book up in a rush out of the library and was pleasantly surprised. I’m a big fan of YA literature, but it’s often a challenge to find one with a female protagonist that doesn’t involve romance. Instead, this story is about loyalty to our family and fighting for something greater than ourselves.
Biddy is a fantastic protagonist—resourceful, honest, and curious but also self-conscious, insecure, and stubborn. She’s grown up completely isolated on a hidden island raised by a reclusive magician named Rowan and his familiar, a rabbit named Hutchincroft. (sidenote: Hutchincroft was my favorite character in this story and one of my favorite animal characters of all time—he is unintentionally witty and naturally wise).
Biddy supposedly washed up on the island as a baby. She’s not a mage but is surrounded by magic that is mostly whimsical but can turn menacing. When called to save her adopted father, I appreciate that magic doesn’t simply appear for Biddy to use. She must teach herself so her magic is faulty, all trial and error. She’s a fish out of water when she ventures into the outside world for the first time and left on her own to deal with magical emergencies. A wonderful character and a charming read with some sinister twists.
"That most rare and precious thing: a brand-new classic, both wholly original and wonderfully nostalgic." —Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author
In the early 1900s, a young woman is caught between two worlds in H. G. Parry’s cozy tale of magic, miracles, and an adventure of a lifetime.
Off the coast of Ireland sits a legendary island hidden by magic. A place of ruins and ancient trees, sea salt air, and fairy lore, Hy-Brasil is the only home Biddy has ever known. Washed up on its shore as a baby, Biddy lives a quiet life with her guardian,…
Many years ago, I worked in the film industry as a studio teacher. I spent a week in an onset classroom with Jennette McCurdy and found her to be intelligent, creative, witty, and generous—an absolute treat to hang out with. I had no idea of the darkness infecting her life nor of the abuse she endured.
My default genre is literary fantasy, in particular featuring alternative worlds. But every year, I try to explore other genres, and lately, I’ve been reading memoirs. No matter how great the world-building, for me it’s always the characters that ultimately make a story, and McCurdy depicts the “characters” of her world with sharp observation.
Hers was my favorite memoir from the past few years, and not just because of the personal connection. Her writing reflects the intelligence, creativity, wit, and generosity I had witnessed. She tells it raw and real. It may be triggering for some as she pulls no punches, but it’s not for show nor shock value.
I empathized, it broke my heart, but I never felt manipulated for pity points. It was so matter-of-fact-this-is-how-it-was. She’s a great storyteller.
(NOTE: McCurdy reads it herself in the audiobook, and I think that added to my experience because she has a very dry wit.)
A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor-including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother-and how she retook control of her life.
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother's dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called "calorie restriction," eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while…
One of my earliest memories is of my father reading the "Oz" books to me. I’ve been mesmerized by fantastic worlds ever since and love creating that same magical awe in young readers.
Set in an imaginary world a thousand years after the “Great World Cry” sent it into elemental chaos (think post-apocalypse fairytale). Our protagonist, Brigitta, is a young Water Faerie living in the only elementally balanced place left on the planet: The White Forest. When a mysterious curse turns everyone in their forest to stone except for Brigitta and her sister, they must leave the protected realm in search of an exiled faerie they’ve only heard about in cautionary tales. If the curse isn’t reversed, their forest’s protective magic will run out.
