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A review by alexalovesbooks
The Riverman by Aaron Starmer
2.0
The Riverman has many appealing elements, especially for those of us who like fantasies -- a girl who travels to another world, a boy who gets drawn into this girl's alternate reality, and a very creepy villain who is stealing souls. Sadly, these three things converged into a story that, though I finished it, failed to really leave an impression.
The one thing I did enjoy about this book is the imagination that went into it. In particular, the world of Aquavania, a world where stories are born from the mind of each new visitor, is supremely creative. The idea that one can control what their world is like, complete with inhabitants and activities, is attractive (especially if you're an aspiring author).
It also comes with a nasty villain in the form of the Riverman, who sounds positively evil. Would it be strange to say that the Riverman is my favorite character? Because he is, even though he barely appears for most of the novel. The fact that he represents the imminent death of anything imagined in Aquavania is creepy, which is just the way I like bad guys to be.
Apart from the inventive content, The Riverman just kind of... existed. There's a story, one that combines events in the real world with events in Aquavania (as retold by Fiona). I didn't particularly connect with our narrator Alistair or the fanciful Fiona, as there were parts where I was simply uninterested in what was going on. So, the story went on, and I kept reading, but there was really no emotional attachment.
If there's one thing that surprises me about The Riverman, it's the darkness of its content for a novel for children. There are mature topics - drinking, drugs, kidnapping, murder among them - included. All these things, even if they were uncomfortable to read about, emphasized the stakes in this story - for Alistair, for Fiona and for other people too, so I don't think they were included unnecessarily.
While The Riverman didn't work for me, there's sure to be readers who will like it more than I did. Whimsy mingles with darkness and real life on nearly every page. If the reader is able to truly find a connection with Alistair, or even with Fiona, that will certainly be key for them to enjoy the story a little bit more.
{If you liked this review, check out Alexa Loves Books for more!}
The one thing I did enjoy about this book is the imagination that went into it. In particular, the world of Aquavania, a world where stories are born from the mind of each new visitor, is supremely creative. The idea that one can control what their world is like, complete with inhabitants and activities, is attractive (especially if you're an aspiring author).
It also comes with a nasty villain in the form of the Riverman, who sounds positively evil. Would it be strange to say that the Riverman is my favorite character? Because he is, even though he barely appears for most of the novel. The fact that he represents the imminent death of anything imagined in Aquavania is creepy, which is just the way I like bad guys to be.
Apart from the inventive content, The Riverman just kind of... existed. There's a story, one that combines events in the real world with events in Aquavania (as retold by Fiona). I didn't particularly connect with our narrator Alistair or the fanciful Fiona, as there were parts where I was simply uninterested in what was going on. So, the story went on, and I kept reading, but there was really no emotional attachment.
If there's one thing that surprises me about The Riverman, it's the darkness of its content for a novel for children. There are mature topics - drinking, drugs, kidnapping, murder among them - included. All these things, even if they were uncomfortable to read about, emphasized the stakes in this story - for Alistair, for Fiona and for other people too, so I don't think they were included unnecessarily.
While The Riverman didn't work for me, there's sure to be readers who will like it more than I did. Whimsy mingles with darkness and real life on nearly every page. If the reader is able to truly find a connection with Alistair, or even with Fiona, that will certainly be key for them to enjoy the story a little bit more.
{If you liked this review, check out Alexa Loves Books for more!}