A review by lory_enterenchanted
Cinders and Sparrows by Stefan Bachmann

Did not finish book.

I picked this up because of the gorgeous cover art by the Balbusso sisters. Dark whimsy is a difficult tone to manage, and I was not finding it worked here. Comparisons to my beloved Diana Wynne Jones were derailed by the overly elaborate and flowery language, something she is not at all prone to. The world and castle felt resolutely like an invention, not a discovery, which is fatal in a fantasy.