Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
Genre: Fantasy
Review: I don't know how to rate or review this book. I feel like I started at least three separate books between the same covers. One book was a fairly normal story of a family broken by tragedy. Another took place somewhere outside of reality. And the third took place in a very contained world populated by a single person. Although all of these stories came together well, I couldn't decide whether I was supposed to be reading "normal" fiction with a touch of fantasy, or the other way around.
The writing itself is lovely, at least in 2/3 of the stories I was reading. Gurley's descriptions are vivid, and the pace of the novel is very well done. I think my ultimate problem with this book was that I didn't get the story I wanted. The bulk of the book is taken up with the idea that Eleanor's ultimate mission is to unravel the tragedy that happened to her family, which she ultimately does. But I found myself not overwhelmingly compelled by the lead-up to the reversal (i.e. the entire book), because I wanted to know what happened next. Maybe Gurley will write that story, along with 2 or 3 others, in his next book.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.
