ISBN: 978-0316010429
Author: Patricia Elliotto
Estimated words: 87,500
So much of the young adult fiction I’ve seen these days - i.e. Twilight or Eragon, to name two popular examples - is entertaining but so badly written that finding a YA book with good writing is in itself cause for excitement. And that’s a significant part of why I like Murkmere so much.
The story opens with the heroine, Agnes Cotter, traveling to a new job in the gloriously gothic Murkmere Hall. There are no shortages of evil schemes and devious villians to be thwarted at Murkmere, as Agnes soon learns, and she’s far from certain of who to trust.
The organized religion in the book’s alternate-history setting is enormiously prevalent, and, while not done on quite a Pullman-esque scale, Murkmere gets extra points for portrying it in a negative light.
Pacing seemed fast even for a YA novel, and at 344 pages, I wished there was more; if we forgive it that, I can’t think of much else that could have been improved on.
Of note:
- The sequel, Ambergate, was published last year.
- The author’s official website can be found here.
One Comment
I just read Murkmere, and while I enjoyed it, and generally enjoyed the writing, there were certain sequences (especially action scenes) that were handled a little clumsily, in my opinion. Also, I found I liked the sequel better, for the most part. Still, it is a giant step up from Stephenie Meyer, and that is huge in this day and age.
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