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lapislazulia 's review for:
The Lost Girl
by Sangu Mandanna
Full Review at Fiction Description Reviews
Premise, setting, characters. These are the three things I loved about The Lost Girl, a book that is refreshingly unique in all three ways. Mandanna's writing is very tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at the cliches of the genre (the phrase 'make like a tortured vampire' is used), while spinning a thoughtful, intriguing world. Mandanna's Weavers, Loom, and echoes strongly reminded me of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, and like that series, The Lost Girl is a fascinating exploration of what makes someone human and the meaning of identity.
The Lost Girl is split between two settings: small-town England and big-city India. Both of the settings are filled with a novelty and colour that most American-set novels of the genre lack. I've never been to India (or England, for that matter), so I can't say how accurate The Lost Girl is in its depictions, but the same adventure was stirred in me as was stirred in Eva. Tastes, sights, smells... the description in The Lost Girl is glorious, creating a world that seems almost fantastical.
A good novel needs good antagonists, and The Lost Girl has the Weavers. Again, their presence sets the novel a cut above most stories you see in this genre. Their evilness is ambiguous; the Loom seems dark and twisted, particular as we follow the story from Eva's perspective. A sinister underground organization... corrupt people with the power over life and death. But the Loom is more than your typical Evil Inc., and that depth kept me interested, what with the juxtaposition of Ophelia's loving viewpoint, Elsa's gentleness, the flashes of the green nursery... In particular, Matthew very much reminded me of the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes. Throughout the novel, I was constantly struck by the thought that the Weavers could be the antihero of another story (a la Dollhouse), and given that authors tend to force the reader into the myopic perspective of their hero or heroine, I found this presentation to be quite enjoyable. Frankenstein is a constant motif, and its pertinence is relayed through the antagonists as well: what makes a monster, and what makes a monster maker?
And finally, Eva. Our protagonist. In terms of characters, I would actually dub her the weak link. She's your typical "doesn't-play-by-the-rules" protagonist, the one with the temper, the sharp tongue, and the tendency to start whining. She's not exactly the brightest tool in the shed, making some really jarring blunders in service to the plot. She's the type that sends her friends away at the climax to face the Big Bad alone so that she doesn't hurt the ones she loves, but ends up doing so anyway... in a book that bucks cliches, she is a surprisingly textbook archetype. I didn't exactly hate her, but I can't say I was particularly fond of the girl.
Premise, setting, characters. These are the three things I loved about The Lost Girl, a book that is refreshingly unique in all three ways. Mandanna's writing is very tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at the cliches of the genre (the phrase 'make like a tortured vampire' is used), while spinning a thoughtful, intriguing world. Mandanna's Weavers, Loom, and echoes strongly reminded me of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, and like that series, The Lost Girl is a fascinating exploration of what makes someone human and the meaning of identity.
The Lost Girl is split between two settings: small-town England and big-city India. Both of the settings are filled with a novelty and colour that most American-set novels of the genre lack. I've never been to India (or England, for that matter), so I can't say how accurate The Lost Girl is in its depictions, but the same adventure was stirred in me as was stirred in Eva. Tastes, sights, smells... the description in The Lost Girl is glorious, creating a world that seems almost fantastical.
A good novel needs good antagonists, and The Lost Girl has the Weavers. Again, their presence sets the novel a cut above most stories you see in this genre. Their evilness is ambiguous; the Loom seems dark and twisted, particular as we follow the story from Eva's perspective. A sinister underground organization... corrupt people with the power over life and death. But the Loom is more than your typical Evil Inc., and that depth kept me interested, what with the juxtaposition of Ophelia's loving viewpoint, Elsa's gentleness, the flashes of the green nursery... In particular, Matthew very much reminded me of the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes. Throughout the novel, I was constantly struck by the thought that the Weavers could be the antihero of another story (a la Dollhouse), and given that authors tend to force the reader into the myopic perspective of their hero or heroine, I found this presentation to be quite enjoyable. Frankenstein is a constant motif, and its pertinence is relayed through the antagonists as well: what makes a monster, and what makes a monster maker?
And finally, Eva. Our protagonist. In terms of characters, I would actually dub her the weak link. She's your typical "doesn't-play-by-the-rules" protagonist, the one with the temper, the sharp tongue, and the tendency to start whining. She's not exactly the brightest tool in the shed, making some really jarring blunders in service to the plot. She's the type that sends her friends away at the climax to face the Big Bad alone so that she doesn't hurt the ones she loves, but ends up doing so anyway... in a book that bucks cliches, she is a surprisingly textbook archetype. I didn't exactly hate her, but I can't say I was particularly fond of the girl.