The Quick Cut: A teen girl attempts to overcome opposing forces when she is chosen as the village's sacrifice and ends up in the Underworld.
A Real Review:
Thank you to Inkshares for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
At one point or another, everyone has had at least a passing thought about the afterlife. It's always been fascinating to me how pretty much every ancient culture had some version or mythology around the concept. In a dark and brooding story, the author Liz Kerin provides her own spin on the concept.
Seycia has spent her life hearing the tales on the Underworld, specifically about the Forest of Laida. It's here that each soul is a tree that holds it's essence and rests before going to the next life. This area is considered the most holy place within the Underworld and is well known by all in her village. Unfortunately, there is another well-known story of the Savage who requires a human sacrifice each year. When Seycia gets involved in the sacrifice process, she finds herself transported to the Underworld and not quite like the others there.
If you're looking for a dark and brooding tale, you can find that anywhere. The story of Seycia's family and the Underworld does a phenomenal job of separating from the herd by not only telling a disturbing story, but by effortlessly weaving in deeper conversations about life after death. It's books like these that remind me why fantasy can be such a powerful genre; although the core is an unusual world with over the top characters, complex and difficult topics can be discussed under the surface. Add to that the fact that the word usage had a very nursery rhyme feel at certain points and you get a story-telling experience that can lull you into a more thought-provoking headspace.
One of the drawbacks to this book though: there are multiple characters who provide narration each chapter and unless you are keenly aware of what each person is like, you can potentially miss a transition. I ended up having to flip back a few pages and re-read to see what I missed. However, I think it's easier to catch when you have awareness of that going in.
Seycia and her little brother Miko are easy to sympathize with in the loss they've experienced in their lives. Their parents are gone and depend on one another. Seycia being sent to the Underworld leaves Miko to find his own strength to overcome their family's enemy. Seycia struggles to adapt to a new environment while finding others she can trust to assist in her cause.
With complex storytelling and a difficult to detect narrative change, this book tells a dark story that is worth the struggle.
My rating: 4 out of 5