The Quiet Dark (EA Cunningham)

When fiction writer EA Cunningham graciously gave me a copy of her book The Quiet Dark, I was immediately intrigued with the premise.  I had to put it to the side for a few weeks until I could give it my undivided attention, but it was well worth the wait.  Fantasy is not my favorite genre, and written with the wrong hands, it can sometimes be disastrous.  I’m happy to say that Cunningham’s novel is a multi-layered, well-thought-out book that will appeal to both young adults and their parents alike.

Fia Crombie is an ordinary teenager living a humdrum life with her mom, dad, and younger brother.  Her best friend, Jason, is constantly getting her into trouble (unwittingly) and letting her down with his unreliable ways.  At this point, the only way the reader knows that anything may be a little out of sorts is that Fia keeps having the same recurring nightmare. 

When Jason tells Fia that he’s discovered a temple in the woods, they go to investigate further.  Fia suddenly awakens in a completely different world, one where she has a strong sense of déjà vu and magical powers that are new to her. Fia wonders if Jason crossed over with her, and after she is kidnapped by a group trying to overthrow her new city, she needs him more than ever.  Will Fia ever get back to her old life, and more importantly, will she even want to?

With characters you grow to care about and an ending that wisely leaves the door open for a sequel, Cunningham has crafted a wonderful novel that I would recommend to anyone.

MY RATING - 4

Touch (Alexi Zentner)

How do you know what is real and what is not? That is the question posed to readers of Alexi Zentner's Touch. One never knows who (or what) is going to pop up in the woods of Sawgamet. Your deceased grandmother? A golden caribou?

The setting is the best thing (to me) about Touch. Zentner vividly describes the Sawgamet woods through the seasons, including the utterly dangerous winters. This is the story of Stephen, a pastor, coming home to care for his dying mother, his father, Pierre, and his grandfather, Jeannot. Death is very prevalent in Touch. The tragedies that end Stephen's father's and sister's lives and that which ends his grandmother's, seem to interconnect in ways that the reader can only imagine.

As the chapters connect and intertwine, the reader meets fantastical creatures and sometimes goes through shocking events. The atmosphere is strange but sinister. Whom to trust? When will actions that you regret come back to haunt you? They do to Jeannot in a way he cannot even begin to imagine.

Touch was a fine book until the end. The ending was too dull for such a mythical novel. Then again, can a book filled with surprises and fantasy at every turn ever really end in a traditional way?

MY RATING - 3