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A review by what_heather_loves
The Charmed Life of Alex Moore by Molly Flatt
5.0
"That dangerous little crack between the Alex she used to be and the Alex she was now? The secret hollow at the heart of her wonderful transformation? Had this total stranger somehow spotted the void?"
Boorishly successful, Alex Moore's life in Shoreditch, London as the head of Edudomonia (an inexplicable wellbeing website and forum start-up) is about to change. Struggling with fear of failure Alex felt she had to become someone else in order to succeed, but she doesn't even know what she is hiding. Her friends (loving fiancé Harry and supportive best friend Mae) and family (her practical mum and beloved Dad, famous one-hit-winder author) believe she's not the same person she used to be. New Alex thinks old Alex (pre-Eudomonia) was a loser, resulting in bouts of vertigo whenever she thinks about her old life. Out of the blue she is invited to a private island Iskeull, a research centre in the Orkneys, Scotland; spurred on by fear of burn-out and increasing bouts of vertigo, she accepts. Upon arrival it immediately becomes apparent that the people of Iskeull are weirdly focused on finding the truth about the day she woke up with a new outlook on life and started Eudomon. It soon becomes beyond weird as Alex makes major discoveries that might just explain what is going on.
A dazzling debut, this race-against-time, fantasy adventure is worth sticking with. I can imagine this may well be a Marmite book (you either love it or hate it) because it requires you to suspend disbelief at what Alex learns. However the plot is well-drawn because aside from the central concept (no spoilers) it is realistic and engaging. Alex is an excellent character, I felt invested in learning what is happening, for her sake as much as for the rest of the world. Pure escapism, I loved this.
Boorishly successful, Alex Moore's life in Shoreditch, London as the head of Edudomonia (an inexplicable wellbeing website and forum start-up) is about to change. Struggling with fear of failure Alex felt she had to become someone else in order to succeed, but she doesn't even know what she is hiding. Her friends (loving fiancé Harry and supportive best friend Mae) and family (her practical mum and beloved Dad, famous one-hit-winder author) believe she's not the same person she used to be. New Alex thinks old Alex (pre-Eudomonia) was a loser, resulting in bouts of vertigo whenever she thinks about her old life. Out of the blue she is invited to a private island Iskeull, a research centre in the Orkneys, Scotland; spurred on by fear of burn-out and increasing bouts of vertigo, she accepts. Upon arrival it immediately becomes apparent that the people of Iskeull are weirdly focused on finding the truth about the day she woke up with a new outlook on life and started Eudomon. It soon becomes beyond weird as Alex makes major discoveries that might just explain what is going on.
A dazzling debut, this race-against-time, fantasy adventure is worth sticking with. I can imagine this may well be a Marmite book (you either love it or hate it) because it requires you to suspend disbelief at what Alex learns. However the plot is well-drawn because aside from the central concept (no spoilers) it is realistic and engaging. Alex is an excellent character, I felt invested in learning what is happening, for her sake as much as for the rest of the world. Pure escapism, I loved this.