Kristin K. (escapeartistk) - reviewed on 2/15/2014 + 207 more book reviews

I liked this story a lot in the beginning for the Gothic feel, the characterization of the protagonist, and the suspense. However, the suspense is based on unanswered questions that constitute about 2/3 of the story--as in, the same questions remain unanswered throughout much of the book. I consider simply withholding information something of a lazy way to create suspense, and it seems a little unfair to the reader, who, I think, deserves at least some sense of direction. Instead, we are teased with some vague and ultimately tenuous connections to various mythologies that, in the end, I found unconvincing. I really disliked the final several pages, which felt almost like a different book entirely, and another 20% of the novel consisted of unnecessary details that should've been cut.

If you took the "Wizard of Oz" and combined it with Nancy Drew and "The Shining," you might end up with something like this. It's a difficult book to describe and a difficult book to rate. I can see where some readers will really like the book and others will find my rating overly generous. I myself will never be sure how many stars to give (or not) this novel.

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