Welcome, lovely readers, to my blog stop for
Unwritten by Alicia L. Novo
hosted by Xpresso Tours!
Books whisper to Beatrix Alba. But they aren’t the reason she has never fit in. Bullied at home and school, she keeps a secret—a power of violence and darkness.
When the spell that keeps her hidden fails, she’s catapulted into the Zweeshen, a realm where all tales live, and her dream of meeting her favorite characters comes true. But wishes are tricky, and behind its wonder and whimsy, the Zweeshen is under attack. A character is burning book worlds in pursuit of a weapon to rule both stories and storytellers. To succeed, he needs a riddle in Beatrix’s possession.
Now he’s hunting her down.
Joining forces with William, a cursed conjurer, Beatrix must face an enemy who knows her every weakness in a realm where witches play with time, Egyptian gods roam, and Regency heroines lead covert operations. And with her darkness as the only weapon, she may have to sacrifice everything to save a world that rejects her.
Release date: May 8th, 2021
Genre: Fantasy, YA
My Review
First thing I noticed about this book was the writing. World-building is key in every book, fantasy especially, but this book does not suffer from "blank world" syndrome. Novo has a way with words that has me grasping for her deep dark secrets. Did she sell her soul for writing skills? How can I do the same?
Honestly, I did not know what to expect when I opened this book. The cover promises a fascinating story, but covers can be deceiving. I'm looking at you-cover-that-was-deceiving. But this cover matches the story inside. Full of magic, hope, and sadness, this book encompasses everything I love about fantasy. Books are an escape. We want to flee into worlds unlike our own. That is just what Beatrix does, except she has a mission: contain her dangerous powers, and figure out who is destroying books in the world of Zweeshen.
Beatrix is your typical stubborn teen, but I still liked her character. I rooted for her. I wanted her to succeed, and that is the best thing an author can do for a reader: make them feel. Her love interest is a broody cinnamon roll named William who softens like butter as the story progresses. He starts off kindofajerkdon'thateme, but there are reasons for his jerkiness that are revealed later on. There is an instant-love aspect to their relationship though, which is OK for me. Love is love.
My only vex was for the ending, which seemed a bit rushed? I don't mind long books at all so it would have been nice to have more space to breathe at the conclusion if that makes sense. In fact, a lot of it seemed rushed, but I know it can be when you're on a deadline, have word count maximums etc, and writing is HARD. And pacing...PACING IS THE DEVIL.
Ok well, overall thoughts are that I liked this book a lot and my minor qualms did not affect my rating all that much. I'm incredibly lucky to have read it, and I cannot wait to see what the author does in the future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alicia has a weak spot for happy endings and transformative journeys. She spent her teenage years in Argentina and Europe, speaks several languages, and loves to travel. An eclectic reader, she grew up on a diet ranging from Lucy M. Montgomery and Jane Austen to Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Raymond Chandler, Hermann Hesse, Jorge Luis Borges, and many classics. She's never been cured of reading a bit of everything and is as likely to geek out about Mr. Darcy as Dr. Who. She is a history and astronomy aficionado, who walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, completed her Masters in the Netherlands, and worked for Google in Ireland. She decided to become a writer at six but took a full, winding road here. Along the way, she learned if there’s one thing that cuts across cultures, one unifying thread that pulls everyone together, it's a good story. A big-city girl, she now lives in the Midwest, where she occasionally picks apples and pretends witches exist. WEBSITE* INSTAGRAM* TWITTER * FACEBOOK * GOODREADS
Want to win a copy of Unwritten?
The Prizes are...
A physical copy and a box of branded goodies (bookmarks, keychain, enamel pin, character art, candle, tote) (US only)
Ebook with digital goodies (character art, background, map) (INT)
Thanks for hosting today! This sounds like a well written and compelling read! :)