Skip to main content

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse

I enjoyed Brian Ferrey' The Vengekeep Prophecies trilogy, but missed that he had a new book out until I stumbled on The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse in the library. I checked it out and then received some encouragement to bump it up my pile from a friend, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Princess Jeniah will become Queen far sooner than anyone was expecting. Yes, the rulers of Monarchy tend to die younger than most, but everyone assumed there would be more time to prepare Jeniah than this. As Jeniah's training hastily begins, she is shown her entire kingdom from atop a tower and gets her first glimpse of Dreadwillow Carse. She is warned never to go there for if a ruler of Monarchy goes to the Carse, the monarchy will fall. In the village next to the Carse there lives a girl named Aon who has a deep secret. She can feel sadness, pain, and mourning where everyone else in the kingdom can only feel joy and happiness. The Carse is a refuge to Aon who goes there to shed her sadness even though it repulses her at the same time it welcomes her. When the girls meet by chance, they strike a deal. Aon will explore the Carse on Jeniah's behalf if Jeniah frees her father from the mysterious service he was conscripted into for the kingdom. Through exchanged letters, the girls become friends. When Aon ventures into the heart of the Carse and doesn't return, Jeniah must decide whether to risk Monarchy to save her friend.

One of the things I really appreciated about this book is it is a friendship tale documenting a wonderful bond between girls who appear vastly different but need each other. It is excellent fantasy too, but at its core it's the tale of two girls and their bonds to each other, their pasts, and the people of Monarchy. Jeniah has never had anyone her age to share her thoughts and sorrows with, because no one in Monarchy excepting the royal family is supposed to feel anything but joy. She is surprised to learn that Aon can too, but quickly embraces this and begins to open up to her. Aon has never been able to confess her secret to anyone for fear of what they will think. While she fears she overstepped herself confessing to Jeniah, she too soon finds comfort in having someone who understands. I loved how their relationship developed through letters too. The story moves back and forth between the girls alternating chapters. I enjoyed the way Farrey wove them together. Sometimes they overlapped and we were seeing the same scene again but from an entirely different perspective. I thoroughly loved both of the girls, their views on the world, how they dealt with their emotions, and their bravery which manifested in different ways.

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse is a stand alone MG fantasy and a quick read. Hallelujah. Please, give us more of these. The pacing of the story is pretty near to perfect moving the reader quickly along and conveying information at exactly the right points and in the right ways. It is part mystery. What is the Carse? Why is it there? Why is it so dangerous to the Monarchy? Why is Aon able to overcome the aversion everyone else has to going inside? The answers to these questions are given slow and the girls have to piece them all together. The revelation and final conflict that results is equal parts creepy and staggering moral dilemma. Through that Farrey was able to weave some interesting themes about the power of fear and the idea of joy without the despair. There is a lot of good food for thought or discussion here. Not many details of the world are given, and I do think the world building is the book's weakest point. The only places in Monarchy mentioned are the palace, the Carse (near Aon's village), and the village itself-all of these are so close together that traveling between them happens incredibly quickly. I did find myself wondering about the rest of the country, it's neighbors, and how exactly all that worked. But that is a minor complaint about a book that has many more strengths to recommend it.

For readers who enjoy friendship stories and fantasy adventures, The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse is a must have.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

TTT: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List From Most Recent to Least: What books have recently caught your eye?

This Side of Home

What attracted me to This Side of Home by Renee Watson was the cover. The story hooked my interest. The characters made me fall in love. Maya has lived her entire life in the same neighborhood in Portland hanging out with the same group of friends: her twin sister Nikki, their best friend Essence, and Ronnie, Malachi, and Devin-three boys her father mentors. They have plans for the future that involve each other: prom, college, life. But things in their neighborhood are changing. People are moving in and starting new businesses. Property values are going up as a result. In addition to change, this is also causing trouble. Essence has to move out of her  house when the owner decides he can make more money selling it than renting it. The racial demographics of the school, which has been mostly African American, is shifting. This presents new challenges and choices for Maya and her friends. It brings new people into their lives at the same time. Maya has to figure out how-and if-she wa

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t