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A review by avalinahsbooks
The Girl Who Lost Her Shadow by Emily Ilett
4.0
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
I enjoyed this book. It has a very strong vibe to it and artfully uses magical realism in a middle grade story setting. It's wistful, sometimes sad, but also full of meaning, and it doesn't dawdle in its pace.
Gail is going through a tough patch in her life. Her sister Kay has always been her pillar, but now that Kay's holed up in her room and wouldn't leave, wouldn't even eat much, Gail doesn't know what to do. Torn between being angry at Kay and simply wanting her back - back to normal, she is in despair. To top it off, both Kay and Gail's shadows suddenly go missing.
When angrily roving the nearby beach caves while trying to find Kay's shadow, Gail meets a girl who tells her that only people who have lost themselves can lose their shadow. There is also a lot Gail feels this little girl isn't telling her - particularly about her brother's strange machines that he seems to be hiding in the mysterious, notorious and allegedly enchanted caves. So Gail and her new friend Mhirran set off on a quest to get the shadows back.
The book isn't just about that - there are actually a few plots coming along all together. I'm pretty surprised that this could be achieved in a relatively short book. It's not happening too fast, it's not too little info - everything is just right. I am usually not a fan of magical realism, unless it's done just right - so I have to say that's exactly how it is in this book. I really liked it. It wasn't too much, it was tasteful and it made sense.
The book delves into depression in kids, loss and trying to work tough situations out without being able to tell adults what's going on in your heart. It also uses magical realism nicely to illustrate all this - it's interchangeably a metaphor and the reality for what's going on in the book. It also subtly draws attention to some environmental problems and how we destabilize the climate, as well as disrespecting endangered species.
I really enjoyed this story.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
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I enjoyed this book. It has a very strong vibe to it and artfully uses magical realism in a middle grade story setting. It's wistful, sometimes sad, but also full of meaning, and it doesn't dawdle in its pace.
Gail is going through a tough patch in her life. Her sister Kay has always been her pillar, but now that Kay's holed up in her room and wouldn't leave, wouldn't even eat much, Gail doesn't know what to do. Torn between being angry at Kay and simply wanting her back - back to normal, she is in despair. To top it off, both Kay and Gail's shadows suddenly go missing.
When angrily roving the nearby beach caves while trying to find Kay's shadow, Gail meets a girl who tells her that only people who have lost themselves can lose their shadow. There is also a lot Gail feels this little girl isn't telling her - particularly about her brother's strange machines that he seems to be hiding in the mysterious, notorious and allegedly enchanted caves. So Gail and her new friend Mhirran set off on a quest to get the shadows back.
The book isn't just about that - there are actually a few plots coming along all together. I'm pretty surprised that this could be achieved in a relatively short book. It's not happening too fast, it's not too little info - everything is just right. I am usually not a fan of magical realism, unless it's done just right - so I have to say that's exactly how it is in this book. I really liked it. It wasn't too much, it was tasteful and it made sense.
The book delves into depression in kids, loss and trying to work tough situations out without being able to tell adults what's going on in your heart. It also uses magical realism nicely to illustrate all this - it's interchangeably a metaphor and the reality for what's going on in the book. It also subtly draws attention to some environmental problems and how we destabilize the climate, as well as disrespecting endangered species.
I really enjoyed this story.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter