Wildwood

[cornerofmadness]

Wildwood by Colin Meloy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I had very mixed feelings about this. At nearly 550 pages it felt way too long (not that kids can't or won't read long books) especially as it dragged like a snail in molasses on a cold day. For something that really was action-oriented it still felt like nothing was happening. I was not a huge fan of Carson's art but I think she was trying to evoke the early American folk art feel which is cool in a way.

Prue has heard all her life not to go into the Impassable Woods but when her baby brother is taken by a murder of crows into the woods she has no choice (well she does but like the 12 year old that she is her reasoning skills aren't all there yet) and her sort of friend from high school, Curtis, follows her in even though she doesn't really want her help.

Immediately they're set upon by coyotes in uniform and honestly they're a lot less freaked out by anthropomorphic animals that can talk than you'd expect. The kids have stumbled into a war in the woods. The Dowager-Governess who has been exiled wants to reclaim her rule. The rule has been shattered by her incompetent nephew and there's an every providence, every animal for themselves attitude.

How Prue and Curtis got through the magic that keeps people away is a bigger point of concern that her baby brother being stolen. Prue and Curtis are separated and the story is told mostly from either of their points of view. There is a definitely fairy tale quality to the story especially as we learn how they did get through that magic.

I wasn't a real fan of either Prue or Curtis though. Even with the high stakes problem Prue faces I didn't feel the sense of urgency I should have due to this thing feeling like it was five hundred pages long. The ending was at least believable and I did like the North Woods mystics. I'm not sure I'd read the next book in the series though.



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