Customer Reviews

Darkwood

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Darkwood / 978-1-59990-259-3

With its lovely cover featuring a heroine with dark hair and bright eyes, framed by two clever cats and trailed by the ominous shapes of black wolves melting into the shadows of the forest behind her, "Darkwood" cannot help but catch and hold the eye of the observer. The premise is even more intriguing: in the world of Howland, there is no dusk, no moon, and no stars - only sudden, complete blackness when night comes. The inky darkness hides frightening dangers - the black wolves, or 'kinderstalk', that take livestock from the farms and steal children under the cover of darkness. When Annie learns, at the start of this fast-paced novel, that her foster uncle and aunt plan to sell her as a slave to the nearby mine, she braves the darkness for the first time, and a world of adventure opens up before her.

Reviewing books meant for younger readers is always difficult because one has to weigh the quality of the writing against the expectations of the intended audience. I was pleased to note that "Darkwood" starts the action quickly, filling in necessary details as the heroine goes along, rather than spending the first few chapters filled with nothing but exposition. Author Breen treats the reader with respect, providing little details along the way that will become significant in retrospect, always with a light touch, never rubbing the reader's nose in. On the other hand, however, sometimes too much credit is given to the imagination, as Breen has a habit early in the novel of moving the characters around too quickly, often to places the reader is unaware of or unprepared for. This sort of 'exposition via teleportation' is a touch disorienting and can be a little confusing. However, the style settles down a bit after the first third of the book or so and 'teleportation' is kept to a minimum afterward. As is not uncommon with fantasy books, some rather wild coincidences abound in order to further the plot line, which might potentially strain the credulity of an adult reader, but not so many as to try the patience of a younger reader, I think.

Although many of the common motifs of fairy tales and children's stories are present here - a quiet orphan, a bewildering prophecy, a dark wood brimming with shadowy monsters - "Darkwood" manages to remain immensely original as it weaves a tale of wars: humans against animals, king against subjects, and children against adults. Annie, our dark-haired heroine, is full of the hopes and fears of youth, and is clever, courageous, and kind without ever being too 'perfect' or unrealistic. She is often quiet, but is not afraid to speak her mind when the situation requires it, and she is not fazed or impressed by the trappings of wealth and royalty. Though she is bemused by her cats' almost magical ability to guide and protect her, she learns to trust them as her unlikely guardians. Breen also provides wonderful supporting characters, including two comical, yet wise, adult sisters who provide Annie with much needed maternal love and support on her hard journey.

Though the target audience of "Darkwood" is 10-14 years of age, I have no doubt that children and adults of all ages will find the original story, the commendable heroine, and the dark world of Howland to be a compelling and interesting read. For myself, I will definitely be watching for any sequels that may come, and I hope that Annie will enjoy many future adventures.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.

~ Ana Mardoll

For a 30-something male, I read a lot of YA books. I know what I like, what can I say? This particular story never really grabbed me and as a result I felt like I was trudging through it. Maybe it's because I like my fantasy a little more magical. This is a somewhat "low fantasy" setting.

Some say this is a dark fairy tale but for the most part it never feels to have a sense of wonder to it that would pull me into the world. There are fairy tale like elements to be sure: two sisters, one large and one small, an evil witch and the mysterious kinderstalk that keep the people locked in their homes at night.
I never really attached to the main character, Annie and was actually more interested in finding out about her cats, who appear to be more than they seem.

As I read this engaging and vivid novel, I was reminded of two of my favorites, which interestingly are not much like each other: The Wizard of Oz and The Golden Compass. Both, like Darkwood, offer a richly imagined alternate world against which a young female protagonist embarks on a quest. Darker in tone than Wizard, but not as fearsome as Pullman's Dark Materials, this novel reads like the first in a potential series. I, for one, look forward to the next from M.E. Breen!

Darkwood is a page-turner -- the best story you'll read this year. Like The Hobbit, without the violence. Simply written and straight-ahead, like The Old Man and The Sea. Lots to ponder about an only slightly magical world that is peopled with characters whose deeds seem mostly achievable and whose faults are all-too-recognizable in our "real" world. Darkwood's protagonist is EveryMan (in this case EveryGirl), but neither her gender nor her age matters -- each reader will be with her all the way. In this rich first novel, A Journey Begins. Don't miss the boat!

"Poor Logic Dims Darkwood"
A review of M.E. Breen's "Darkwood"
By Michael DeMeritt

Darkwood starts with all the elements required for the successful Juvenile Fiction of the modern day; child endangerment, strong coming-of-age female lead, important quests, animal companions, mysterious backgrounds, and a puzzle of an environment. The lands are called Howland, there are fearsome wolves in the Darkwoods of the land whose taste for human children is so renowned they are commonly called Kinderstalk. We have Annie, the smarter-than-she appears orphan, who also lost the last of her relations when her sister died a few years back, being raised by a mean "uncle" who intends to sell her into slavery, in a town so desperately poor there is little hope of aid or comfort when she elects to flee this fate and take her chances dodging Kinderstalk. We have a unique world history, vague and dark, where we know there was once a great civilization that made wonderful books of knowledge, which somehow fell. The sky has been constantly overcast for 700 years, and though they know the moon is out there, no one has seen it in that same stretch of time.

Good start. Then, bit by bit, the book begins to fall into a trap of illogic. Many fictional tomes have their own rules, requiring one to immerse in the setting as given, and Darkwood could have been the same. It is not the mythical logic that sinks the effort, it is the common sense kind of logic that the book lacks. For me, the measure of such failure is when you actually stop reading the book to ponder the flawed thinking, taking you out of the narrative. There are the forgivable (Annie's cats are more mindful of their human than any cat in history has ever been, let's face it, part of the coolness of cats is that aloofness they all seem to have) and oddities (the book seems to imply a setting of a far future where man had to start over, but the organized militia use pikes and muskets - MUSKETS - black powder, silk wads, 14 steps to fire MUSKETS - yet there are books about weaponry next to the books about the moon not being seen for 700 years - Hmmmmm) but they don't ruin the narrative. It is the ones where you stop and ponder, where the hell did that come from, that do.

As an example, early from the book, Annie finds herself enslaved with other children to work a mine known as "The Drop". The name is appropriate, for the mining operation is on the side of a cliff. Burly men lower skinny men with picks and baskets along the side of the cliffs, they chip and dig away, pulling out precious Ringstone, and when they hit quota they are pulled back up. This is a rope over the edge operation, no blocks and pulleys here. Now the nefarious part, the mine's owner has children placed over The Drop at night. Is this because it is an illegal operation where he is keeping the slave mined stones for himself? No, that would make sense. The man appears to be keeping all the stone for himself, and the dayshift is very aware of the nightshift. The logic provided is that the children have smaller hands and can reach the really valuable white Ringstone that lies in deeper cracks easier. But the men in the daytime use picks and tools. They have been doing this for years, piles of chipped away stone along the riverbed below them, so - of course, the men would get to the white stone anyway. That's the point of tools. To complicate the matter, these kids are mining something that is white at night. White take on the color of the light source used to see it. A torch? That would be red. And if you are hanging off the side of a cliff with a torch in one hand and a basket teetering on your lap, you are not getting much mining done. This was the first of many story shattering moments.

Annie is supposed to be bright, but when she is befriended by someone who has meeting with the king, whom she desperately needs to meet, she runs away from her. About midway through the book the story deflects into a new direction, about family, kings and the history of the realms, with such a different tone than the moody textured early chapters the reader feels aggravation at the sudden shift. Time and again characters are introduced, mostly evil bad guys and a few good friends, who are written as if a major thread to the tale then simply disappear into the background. The result is a wholly unfulfilling story. About two thirds into a novel about Annie's struggle against miners, evil plotters, in a world of greed, kings and kingdoms, muskets and drug wielding evil doers the story inexplicable becomes about witches and spell casting. These jarring shifts make Darkwood feel like five ideas that were forced to live together to be called a novel.

There's no sex in the book, a lot of violence describe with restraint, and a strange look into the life of the King of Annie's land, but those compelling early chapters are lost to a "wrap this up now" ending that many readers will never reach. This was a book not hard to put down, but hard to pick up the more you delved into it.

I loved this book. I work at a library and I'm always looking for new material. This book was very detailed and descriptive, but was written from the perspective of a child. I loved the scenery, the fighting, the adventures, and the main characters.

Such a unique, beautiful, original story. I could read this over and over again!

Amazing especially for being the author's first novel. Keep your eyes open for the sequel! :)

Darkwood, by M.E. Breen, is a story about a young girl named Annie, who lives with a couple she calls her "aunt and uncle." She had an older sister, but she was told she was killed by the kinderstalk, a mysterious creature. The people in the town use a stone called ringstone, as money. In this story, parents tell everyone that the kinderstalk is killing their children, when in reality, the parents are selling their children to mine ringstone. When Annie found out that her aunt and uncle had already sold her, she stole the ringstone and ran away. This story follows Annie on her journey, who eventually gets caught by the mine workers and discovers all the children who were supposedly killed by the kinderstalk. In the end, Annie finds out a big secret about herself and her family, and saves the town.

Children young and old will enjoy reading this book -- it was hard to put down because at any moment in the book, Annie was in danger. You won't want to miss what happens next. Even though the book is recommended for young teens, adults would be interested in it as well.

We highly recommend this book -- it is very well-written and is sure to keep you interested. Adults will also find it enjoyable.

M. E. Breen creates a dark, unique world in which her characters and story develop as light creeps into the many mysteries of Darkwood. The writing is un-insulting to bright readers and challenges them with rich details, complex sentences, and the occasional SAT word. Our heroine is a young girl with special gifts who braves the dangers of Darkwood to survive, but in the process rescues more than just herself through courage, intellignece, and good friends.

A unique read that is both fun and challenging for the target reader.

I just finished Darkwood. Got it yesterday morning, and frankly had trouble staying away from it, even to work, even to sleep. It is a wonderful book. As close in quality as I've found to my favorites, Charles de Lint and Orson Scott Card. No gimmicks, credible, nuanced characters, and the first layer of an onion of a world. I can't wait for more. Congratulations. Well done.

Darkwood is one of those novels that leaves you thinking WOW! There is so much going on in this intriguing debut novel that I am still trying to get my head wrapped around it. The story has an interesting premise featuring a land that suddenly gets dark for no explanation, an orphan trying to survive, and 2 adorable cats. I really enjoyed Annie as a character; however, I felt like the cats were the actual stars of the book.

In addition, I have to give kudos to Breen for the major twist of the novel which includes Annie and her relationship to the kinderstalk. Did not see that coming. While this novel was a joy to read, there are so many questions that Breen left unanswered. At this point, it is unclear if there will be a sequel, but I would be interested to learn much more about the world of Darkwood.

Breen has a unique writing style that is witty, engaging, and filled with twists and turns. Despite some minor flaws, this was a very engaging book to read on a rainy afternoon.