Published January 22nd 2019 by The Parliament House
I am incredibly lucky enough to know such great authors and be able to connect with them via social media. I mean, social media is great in this aspect…you know, if you ignore the comments on news articles. (Sometimes I don’t, and it’s a problem). This is how I won an advance copy of STOLEN by Marlena Frank. Well, not through a news article, but on FB during a launch party for publishing house sister. I’m rambling, so I’ll get to it.
Sixteen-year-old Shaleigh is the heroine of this story. She loves photographing old buildings and landscapes and spends most of her time with her best friend and taking care of a mentally ill father. When she discovers a strange mark on her back, things begin to unravel. She is suddenly kidnapped and taken to a world unlike her own-to a place called the Garden. In this strange land, she comes to know it’s inhabitants. From a stone lion named Mawr to a High Faerie named Teagan, she realizes that keeping allies close is just as important as keeping your enemies in the same proximity.
Pros:
This book is led by a PoC protagonist, but the amazing diversity doesn’t stop there. What I loved is that each character is not identified by their race or sexual orientation, but by their strengths and heart. We also have mental illness play into the story. There are also other things that surprised me, but I won’t ruin it. Let’s just say I identify with a stone lion that has bad eyesight more than any fictional character ever.
The writing was smooth, and the plot flowed perfectly.
Cons:
I needed more Mawr, and the ending (this is the first in a series btw) had me screaming for more. Marlena, we talked about this, and I’m still not happy :p
I recommend this book for fans for books such as The Narnia Chronicles, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland and more recently, The Hazel Wood and upcoming Waking Forest. For movies, it’s akin to Spirited Away and Pan’s Labyrinth.
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