Author: Janette Rallison
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: Behind the Canvas by Alexander Vance
Lost in Lexicon by Pendred Noyce
Rating:
 |
| far exceeded expectations |
Summary(provided by publisher): Eleven-year-old Hudson stopped believing in magic long ago. Until the day he is whisked away to the magical land of Logos—a land ruled by words, thoughts, and memories. A fairy might ferry you across the river for the price of one memory, or it's possible freshly baked homonyms will be on sale two for the price of one, and look out for snarky unicorns, as they are sure to judge the pure of heart. Upon arrival, Hudson is quickly saddled with a troll curse, and only his friend Charlotte can help rid him of the curse. But lo and behold she has an agenda of her own—find and rescue the missing Princess of Logos.
My opinion: I didn't think I would like this one very much. A regular kid being thrown into a magical world is nothing new. And a world based on words? I just couldn't see how it would work without focusing entirely on the gimmick to the detriment of plot and character development. It works surprisingly well, in part because it doesn't take itself too seriously. It is apparent from the moment when we first beet the stuck-up unicorns with British accents that this isn't your typical fantasy novel. It really explores our relationship with language in depth as well, not to mention admirable character traits and a person's ability to change. I wouldn't say that you could use it as part of a unit on grammar - the exploration is not that detailed. While the standard fantasy elements of the plot resolve in a rather predictable manner, it's charming and funny enough to keep the reader engaged.
More information: The Wrong Side of Magic releases August 23.
Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
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