Edgewood

November 15, 2021
What does it mean to forget your past? Having left her small-town life behind, 19-year-old Emeline (who is coded as White) is on the verge of success in the contemporary folk-rock scene. But every time she sings, she sees the woods of her hometown coming for her: moss coming out of her microphone, bugs emerging from the floor. Emeline fears she's losing her mind, much as her beloved grandfather has lost his memory to dementia. When Pa disappears from the care center and his friends say he's been tithed, Emeline leaves bright, normal Montreal to return to Edgewood, where everyone believes in the Wood King and quarterly sacrifices. She finds herself in the heart of the woods, where her fight for her grandfather draws her into a mysterious curse--and a romance with the strangely familiar gray-eyed, brown-skinned Hawthorne. While the Wood King's world lacks nuance, the themes of memory and forgetting and how they play into love and happiness provide some depth. Of particular note is the recurring question of how memory loss changes a person and their relationships, something that is poignantly addressed in the author's note. The tone of this work will appeal to fans of Holly Black and Melissa Albert, although it doesn't quite live up to their standards. An intriguing theme let down by weak worldbuilding. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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December 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-Emeline Lark has run as far as she could from the forest of Edgewood to follow her dream of becoming a singer, but the woods still find ways to creep up on her: turning the ale into creek water or causing flowers to bloom under her stool on stage. No one can see what's happening except her, and Emmie would think she was hallucinating if not for the way she grew up. The superstitions of her hometown are deeply ingrained, even if they seem ridiculous on the streets of Montreal. When Emmie gets a call that her grandfather has gone missing, and may be tithed to the Wood King, she races home to search the one place no one will go: the forest. Characters are the highlight of Ciccarelli's novel as she explores communities-the kind you're born into and the ones you build for yourself-by building families, friendships, and romances that will sweep readers away. Between the worldbuilding, an angsty romance, and the high-stakes subplots, readers will easily forgive slight pacing issues as they explore the Wood King's court to save Emmie's Pa and the dangers that have poisoned the woods. Ciccarelli's setting is both whimsical and threatening, and while the book is not strictly speaking a fairy tale, it will appeal to anyone who enjoys them. Most characters are without racial identifiers. VERDICT This lush fantasy romance is perfect for fans of Brigid Kemmerer's "Cursebreakers" trilogy or Marissa Meyer's Gilded. Recommended for most YA collections.-Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Lib., IL

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 10, 2022
Two years ago, at age 17, aspiring folk-pop artist Emeline Lark left Edgewood to pursue her dreams in Montreal. Edgewood’s forest still approaches whenever she sings, creeping into every club she plays as if drawn to her voice, but only Emeline seems to notice the insects swarming her legs and the moss sprouting from her microphone. She wonders if “her mind wasn’t perhaps going the way of” Pa, the grandfather who raised her, who lives with dementia—but she’s about to travel the world as her favorite band’s opening act, so she endeavors to ignore the phenomenon, real or not. When Pa goes missing, Emeline returns home to help search. Though locals say Pa was taken by the Wood King, an ancient being who demands quarterly tithes, Emeline believes he simply wandered off. After finding the Wood King’s marker on Pa’s pillow, however, she realizes the truth behind Edgewood’s legends and mounts a rescue. Though anemic worldbuilding occasionally disappoints, atmospheric prose and tender queer and straight romances lift this standalone fantasy from Ciccarelli (the Iskari series), who weaves a spellbinding tale of magic, music, and sacrifice. Emmeline cues as white; several supporting characters have brown skin. Ages 13–up. Agent: Danielle Burby, Nelson Literary.