Oh, these books are a pleasure. Nothing gives me more joy than my niece, who has grown up watching me lend all my books to her mother, saying back to me “Wen, I think you’ll really like this book.”
Sophie is an exceptional young lady, who turns out to be this universe’s version of a changeling. She’s quickly extricated from the human world, which is well done for a book aimed at this age group – can’t drag it out too long.
Turns out, there is a lot going on with Sophie. She’s a telepath, and it seems like she’s also got some subliminally planted knowledge that may help her save the world.
YA fiction needs to strike a tricky balance between too much and too little by way of stakes and serious consequences, and Messenger does it well in the opener to the series. There’s enough set up of Sophie’s skills to believe that she’d have an edge on evil doers, and they add her friend to the peril with her, so there’s enough to keep hearts racing until all are safe.
Exile continues developing the series arc of the Black Swan rebels against the Elf Council, trickling out information so slowly that it would be frustrating if the action didn’t keep up a rapid pace.
There’s a lot of focus on Sophie being “malfunctioning” in this second book, and I struggled with it as a plot device – while it allowed her some time on her own to advance the plot and learn independently, it caused a lot of anguish for a kid who is already othered in the world of the story.
More importantly, however – there’s a unicorn! Sophie’s new family and friends are such a pleasure to be around. As an adult, I saw the betrayal twist coming from a mile off – I was interested to note that my niece did, too.
Everblaze went a little darker again, with the evil king of the ogres and the ruthlessness of the Council getting some airtime, with Sophie’s best friend caught in the middle. My niece is 100% along for the ride, and I’m impressed by how well balanced these books are. They’re pushing some pretty complex themes onto young readers, but doing it in a tone that’s neither condescending nor overly harsh.
Bit of an early introduction to hubris, in particular, in book three. I loved it. I found the burning down of the prison and jewelled city legitmately scary, and the council using a device to restrict Sophie’s powers because she won’t respect the status quo… haunting.
These books are exceptional, and I’m delighted to know that there are at least 6 more in my future!
