The Girl of Ink & Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Waterstones Children's Book of the Month and The Times Children's Book of the Week.

Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella Riosse dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped.

When her closest friend disappears into the island’s Forgotten Territories, she volunteers to guide the search. As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart.

But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.



Image from mrripleysenchantedbooks

I am really not sure how to start this review, mostly because I don't know how I feel about this book. Isn't that always an odd one? You finish and you enjoyed it but not sure what to make of it afterwards. Very odd - but I'll give this my best shot.

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I'm not sure what I was expecting but a floating island, kids adventure death mystery was not one of them. This is not a bad thing by any means, in fact it was refreshingly original. I'm not sure this book is for my audience - I tend to tell through the protagonist who was very young, far younger than myself and it was odd to read from a child's point of view. First of all the length, it was only 200 pages and the narrative arc was not as complex as I would expect so it is difficult for me to love it.

I can appreciate a well-written book with diverse and smart characters. The story is predictable but still cute and it was perfectly enjoyable. I think if I had a child who was just getting into the world of YA this is the perfect transition book. It has all the pieces and expectations only in a smaller package. It's like a gateway drug to young adult fiction, only without the downward spiral afterwards.

I think my issue is that the book is lovely and the characters are lovely but I didn't feel emotionally connected to them. Maybe in only 200 pages that can be difficult for a wisen-old reader like myself - maybe my own expectations let me down, but mostly I was just a little bored. I enjoyed it but with a none active reading boredom. It was very linear, very we are here and I know where we're going - there wasn't space for that time in between, the time when they are just walking and you learn them. It was very fast paced and the ending was rushed.

I also had an issue with the maturity of these characters, 11 year olds are lining up to sacrifice there lives nobly for the island but are also stupid enough to walk into dangerous territories because someone called them a bad name. In some cases they acted older, like teenagers, then like 5 year olds and then like adults - there is a lot of inconsistency there for me. It is understandable, I could never write the inner monologue of an 11 year old, I don't remember what it was like to be 11 - to me it always felt like now.

In the grand scheme of the story these things are minor and mostly just annoyances. For me it stopped me really connecting with this book, but that doesn't mean other won't. There was excitement, drama, mythology, a strange setting. It would be a great read for someone less picky I imagine - after all if I don't think a book has merits I stop reading and I finished this one. So that really says all you need to know.

Let me know what you think.
Happy Reading!