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City In The Lake (2013)

by Rachel Neumeier(Favorite Author)

3.62 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1299116566 (ISBN13: 9781299116566)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

review 1: The author said this book was a fairy tale, and I am willing to let the description lie. The main characters shine like bright lights against the misty backdrop of the world. Neumeier only reveals as much of the world as we need to understand in order to follow the story, and no more. Some things are never fully explained, adding to the overall fairy tale feel.The main characters tend to fall into archetypes as per usual, however, I would say that none of them fit perfectly. Each character is something more than expected, allowing for a compelling read. The book went fairly quickly, but I never felt that it was rushed. The story was as long as it needed to be, and while I would be interested in learning more about the world of The City in the Lake, my impression is t... morehat the book will stand alone, as revealing anything more could destroy the magic of the undefined.Overall, I enjoyed this book and will certainly read it again.
review 2: A beautiful, elegiac fantasy tale that is refreshingly small-scale and intimate, focusing on only a handful of main characters (with tiny entourages of supporting characters each). As all the reviews have mentioned, the writing is beautiful and lush but not so description-heavy (or high fantasy trope-heavy) as to put off readers not as familiar with the genre. In fact, the way the story is extremely grounded in our young heroine's POV should make it very accessible to all YA readers.Speaking of whom, our heroine Timou is a wonderfully calm, drama-free and self-assured girl (and powerful, to boot!), humanized by her quiet insecurities about whether her undemonstrative father really loves her, and how to balance her calling as a mage (which, in this world, are very detached and zen individuals) with her burgeoning feelings for a pensive young man in her village.I also loved our second protagonist, the Bastard Prince (aka Lord Neill) and his complicated relationship with his father, stepmother and half-brother, the missing crown prince. He's a bit out of the target age range for YA protags, but his struggles to find where/how he fits into his family (and kingdom, while we're at it) are very YA and emotionally resonant.Very good read overall. Rachel Neumeier is a powerful writer, just warming up in this first book. Can't wait to read more from her. :) less

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