The quick cut: A teen girl poses as a scriptomancy apprentice after receiving a letter that says her father was framed for a crime.
A real review:
Thank you to Penguin Group for providing the arc for an honest review.
Sometimes, our family's decisions, especially criminal ones, can mark our own lives forever. Being associated with them by name or blood alone is enough to change your life forever. So if an opportunity came to clear their name, how far would you go to make it happen? This is the case for Maeve.
Seven years ago, Maeve lost everything when her father was accused of causing a poisonous vine to invade their world and destroy the door used to travel between parallel worlds. It's a crime that has forced her to live under another name and hide who she really is. So when she receives a letter saying that her father was framed, she goes to great lengths to put herself in a position to discover the truth. Will she find out who really caused all those deaths and pain? Or will she instead bring about her own end?
I loved the concept of this book from the get go, but struggled with it's formatting. Some elements were done well like the portaling, but the characters were hard to really root for the entire way through. Pacing at first felt like this was going to be the first in the series, but then around the end changed to be faster and rapidly tie up loose ends. It made the whole story feel rushed.
I can't imagine what it must be like to live in Maeve's shoes. If my parents were accused of a crime against the planet, I would've jumped on the chance to prove them innocent too. In some cases though, she made her own problems worse and ended up making getting to her goal more difficult.
I loved chapter 43 though specifically. The way the story is progresses forward during that chapter is different than the others and I wish would've been used more. It definitely made for a different and appreciated change of pace.
A unique fantasy story with a central puzzle being solved.
My rating: 3.5 out of 5
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