Book Review: The Child Thief by Brom

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Pages: 481
Published: Aug 2009
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Fairytale Retelling

Synopsis...
The first time you see Peter, it is a strange sight to behold. Bright red hair, freckles, and pointy shoes. An ever present mischievous smile. And a laugh that is infectious, making you both wary and relaxed around him.

He will save you from your troubles, and take you to a magical place. Do you want to play a game? He will ask. Just be careful of your answer. Because the place he will take you to, is not like Neverland. And the game he wants you play could end in death.

In The Child Thief, Peter saves lost and scared children. Offering them a place in Avalon, a once beautiful and lush paradise. That is now gray and filled with war. Here is where Peter asks you to play, asks you to fight for him. 

So... Do you want to play a game?

Review... 
This is a masterpiece. I don't remember ever saying that about a book, but this one demands I do. I am at a huge risk to just gush about this book, so heres why you MUST read it!

Characters: Everyone in this book was diverse and interesting. They were all unique in their own ways, and constantly surprised me. Each character is multidimensional, they are all both good and bad. With complicated back stories, that made me understand them fully and empathize, even with the characters I hated. Peter is one of the most complex characters I have even come across. He is charming and childlike. Then he is cruel and cold, and then he is lovable and pitiful. His back story which we get to see through flash backs, made me incredibly sad. And showed how this intricate person came to be.

Setting: I felt like I was there with the children in Avalon. Surrounded by the gray landscape that hinted at a magic beneath. With faeries trying to steal my food, and danger lurking outside the big round door. The illustrations also added to my vision of Avalon and its occupants. They were very detailed, and gave me a picture of Peter, Nick and the rest of the characters, that was so much better than my own. The atmosphere of Avalon, and also Boston was also really good, and added to the horror and creepiness of this book.

Plot: The darkness and the cruelty of this story were kind of a shock to read. Not because they were outrageous, in fact it was the opposite. The things that happen are realistic, and happen in the world today. But the way in which they were told, no sugar coating, no holding back, just simply described for me. Made me have to stop reading more than once. Overall the plot was rich and unique, and I loved seeing things from Peter and Nicks perspective. And although the ending wasn't as epic as I was hoping. It was still as dark and twisted as the rest of this book, and in a way felt just right.

I feel like Ive barely brushed the surface of how amazing this book is. It is probably my new favourite book ever, and I couldnt recomend it enough!

5/5

Book Review: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

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Pages: 423
Published: Feb 2012
Genres: Fairytale Retelling, Fantasy, Magical Realism

Goodreads Synopsis... 
Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he struggling to maintain the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young girl running through the trees. 

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel come to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they begin to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent territory things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform them all.

Review...   
This book is magic. That's what I was thinking while reading it. I took a curious bite out of the poison apple, and I was in this land no longer. I was in Alaska, in the home of Jack and Mabel. I felt their quiet desperation, the wordless pain that laced every look.

The way that this couple was shown to me is by far my favourite thing about this book. Though the book often felt like a dream, their lives ruled by sadness was very clear. It was depicted in such a simple way. In the absence of things, of laughter, of noise, of children. The nothingness took up all the space and pressed against me. 

Then comes Faina, the snow child. Who fills this absence with a certain kind of magic. Whether it is a literal magic or just the magic of her presence, we are never quite sure. This is how she is portrayed throughout the book. As a mystery, something we can never quite grasp. Which adds immensely to the magical feeling of the snow child.

All of this is set in the diverse and often contrasting land of Alaska. Where it goes from shivering nights to sweat filled days. And where quiet mornings are interrupted by neighbours bursting with energy.

I woke somewhat abruptly from reading it. Wondering if I would ever know completely the mysteries of Faina. If her magic would ever be explained. Smiling at the sweet memory of Jack and Mabel. Wishing that I would fall asleep, so I could return back again.

The Snow Child made me an instant fan of Eowyn Ivey, and I look forward to what she has to offer next.

5/5