These first chapters do an incredible job of building suspense and plunging the reader into a terrifying atmosphere. A young girl starts running in a suddenly darkened hallway. The author inserts short, choppy sentences to create the girl’s mounting fear and the reader is thrust into the stuff of high-school film nightmare.
It’s a fantastic beginning as we are pitched headlong into a world this girl has sought to avoid all her life. As in “The House of Marionne”, we have a mother-and-daughter team that has been fiercely bonded throughout MJ’s life. It provides a solid springboard for the action as they flee from the human world into the world of the encantos. We only get to read about their bond in a few short chapters but the author makes it clear the two are very close, to the point where MJ’s mother is willing to charge into battle to protect her.
A master storyteller presents us with a riveting tale of kings and succession, betrayal, fierce battles and the potential for a massive screwup. Good stuff!
It’s a fantastic beginning as we are pitched headlong into a world this girl has sought to avoid all her life. As in “The House of Marionne”, we have a mother-and-daughter team that has been fiercely bonded throughout MJ’s life. It provides a solid springboard for the action as they flee from the human world into the world of the encantos. We only get to read about their bond in a few short chapters but the author makes it clear the two are very close, to the point where MJ’s mother is willing to charge into battle to protect her.
A master storyteller presents us with a riveting tale of kings and succession, betrayal, fierce battles and the potential for a massive screwup. Good stuff!