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Review #4528 - Dated: 21st of May, 2011 Author: craftmadhermit |
"Wood Angel" is a slow, meandering tale of a young girl left alone in the world with a gift that makes her stand out dangerously in a time when witches are regularly burned to death. While still an enjoyable read, this story never really seems to pick up speed... it just continues on its own quiet little way - until right at the very end!
The characters are a little on the shallow side, yet still interesting enough to get caught up in their story. The strange and creepy Linay is definitely dangerous, but it's hard not to feel some pity for him once you learn WHY he's doing what he's doing. "Plain Kate" has a quiet, reserved kind of strength to her that does come across a bit on the wishy-washy side occasionally, but her desire to belong keeps her going, even through the times where it seems everyone is against her. There's also the superstitious, gypsy-like Roamers who show Plain Kate what it's like to belong... for a little while anyway.
And then there's Taggle, my favourite character of the whole book! Erin Bow certainly captured the feline arrogance and sense of superiority perfectly in this furry character's personality. You never knew whether he was going to help his friend or make the situation worse! Taggle was definitely the star of the show for me, and an essential part of what kept me reading as the descriptions in general were rather on the bland side, the dialogue was shallow and not particularly revealing, and the plot nowhere near as interesting as I was expecting from reading the blurb on the back cover.
A reasonably simple story, without any really unexpected twists and turns to the plot and barely any fast paced action, Wood Angel would suit children aged maybe 12 and up, and even a few young-at-heart adults who like a more sedate fantasy read. Not one I'd recommend grabbing though if you like a light-hearted story as it has quite a dark, gloomy feel to it right the way through. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but not one I'd want to reread and not an author I'll be keeping an eye out for in the future.
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