Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli - Sheaf & Ink

“Fans of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince and Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses will be drawn in by the lore Ciccarelli pens into her narrative, like musical notes to an enchanting song.”
Sheaf & Ink

The Story

From the Publisher:

Can love survive the dark?

No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.

When she learns her grandfather disappeared from his nursing home, leaving only a milky orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. After searching for him almost everywhere, Emeline finally succumbs to the call of Edgewood. Entering the forest she has spent years trying to escape.

Emeline finds herself in the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal―her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself. One that threatens the existence of a life she has worked so hard to forget.

With the help of a handsome and brooding tithe collector, a surly blacksmith, and a lost childhood friend, Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.

My Review: Edgewood

Who doesn’t enjoy a good story about folklore, the Fae, and a magical realm deep within the forest. Stories like these always bring up fond memories of childhood. How one day I will step into a ring of mushrooms and be swept away to a magical kingdom. Or creep into a wardrobe and find a door to a place I thought only possible in dreams.

I liked Edgewood, though, the way in which the story played out felt off. As though we have the beautiful fabric for a intricate quilt in colors of lavender, juniper, and gold, but the stitching, those threads that hold it all together aren’t tightly woven or precise.

Further, there are aspects of the novel that are a bit predictable. As well as some of the surprises. There is this fine line of what the reader needs to know and what the characters need to find out. And authors have this fine line they draw for themselves on what we as readers need to know or if the author wants you to be as surprised as the characters. Honestly, had Ciccarellli perhaps started her story when Emeline was sixteen, some aspects towards the end would have been less awkward. Where I was thinking, wait… what?

A Few More Thoughts

Don’t get me wrong, I did like this story, my frustration was mainly in the structure of the story itself. The skeleton of it, if you will. The bone structure. It’s the flesh and blood of the story that is something I enjoyed, Ciccarelli’s enchanting story of a girl going into the wood to save her family. Willing to exchange her happiness for her grandfathers. The slow-burn, enemies-ish to lovers aspect. I understood what Ciccarelli was trying to do with her story it was the how that made me pause. How she structured her novel that didn’t feel like her other novels.

A lush imagining of a fairytale, step into Edgewood’s dark wood and see if you’ll be able to escape.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

RATING: – Satisfyingly Inked