Natalie Holdren

This is a page-turner. There are lovely nods to all the classic fantasy YA novels - Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter - without feeling like the story is copying anything. I felt myself lost in the story, often excited to get back to reading whenever I had to live in this world. The characters of the children are easy to know; the antagonist has mystery and curiosity about her; the “timeline” made me pay attention without getting lost…all-in-all, a captivating and delightful read. For all the times reviews say, “If you liked ________, then you like this…” for HP, Narnia and LOtR fans - it’s true!