2 Books Like The Windward King

This book involves an amnesiac main character which can be a very frustrating trope if done wrong, but the way information is dripped out to help the reader solve their past along with the hero kept me reading.

In the end, the payoff both fit my expectations and the clues I'd managed to piece together but still managed to surprise me. The main character is sympathetic and you really feel his frustration with those around him keeping secrets.

Trigger: There's more child death in this than I expected. Like death in fantasy books, not really unexpected, but there are two plot points where specifically young children die (including an infant death) that anyone who has had trauma regarding that should probably be forewarned, and other scenes of destruction that more indirectly reference the death of children.

As a mom, I'm constantly on the lookout for stories that don't hold kids hands and give them real thrills while still being age appropriate. This has the right mix of creative cartoonish scares, real dark and grizzly moments, and fun characters to keep kids reading. If your kids love the "vibes" of Five Nights at Freddy's and Bendy and the Ink Machine but you want something a little more age appropriate, give them this.

It's also fun for adults with tongue in cheek humor, real danger, and a fun mini-mystery as a character uncovers her family's secrets in an abandoned amusement park.