A review by mariebrunelm
The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
How do you fight off a reading slump ? I often pick a short, entertaining read and / or choose middle-grade or YA for intense readability.
I have loved both the middle-grade and adult books by Kiran Millwood Hargrave I’ve read in the past, so this was a safe bet and indeed I had an excellent time. This is a YA adventure following 13-year-old Isabella, living on an island with her dad, cat and hen. Their village is wrapped in mysteries since all birds but ravens flew and the forest has been declared forbidden to enter. The Governor responsible for this decision is a cruel man, but whoever defies him ends in prison or worse. Isabella is the only one who was willing to befriend his daughter Lupe, not guessing that this would lead her to betray the man’s orders. But terrible beasts lurk in the forest, and there are uncharted lands to explore.
This novel is very evocative and image-rich, which didn’t necessarily work for my aphantasia (I can’t picture images in my mind) but there was lots of adventure on the whole, with a fierce protagonist determined to do what’s right. It was a really lovely story that played on legends and stories, not without its darkness (if you’ve read Julia & the Shark you know) but well told. Not my favourite (Julia remains a huge favourite, and The Mercies after that), but well worth a try.
 
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