A sumptuous read full of eerie otherwoldliness

5 stars

I did not know what to expect when I clapped eyes on The Children but it intrigued me. Simply put, Melissa Albert weaves a dark spell with her sumptuous prose. It was hard to break free from the power of this story leaving me tethered to The Children trying to figure out its mysteries. 

The story centers around the Sharpe children, Guinevere and Ennis, and their unorthodox upbringing at the hands of two artistic parents deep in the woods of New York. Feral children left without any adult supervision, they led a wild existence as their mother wrote the generation-defining Ninth City children's series, starring none other than her own children, making them household names. 

The Children carries a dark atmosphere so the reader can sense straight away there is something otherworldly afoot. We bounce back and forth from current day adult Guin and back to her ungoverned youth. Ennis and Guin parted ways soon after a life altering event occurred with Ennis going forth as an artist of note whilst Guin tries to track down her brother and reconnect. 

At times the pace feels glacial and the unveiling of the mysteries of their childhood is only ever made clear toward the end of the novel. It's a long book but so engrossing I didn't mind, though paring it back a bit might have been welcomed. Regardless, the world building is exquisite and the atmosphere of dark peculiarity holds firm throughout. I would guess this book will intrigue those who know the power of a multibook fantasy series in their childhood and should be well received for the talent that crafted this complex fairytale. I loved it and enjoyed my time in the world of The Children.