ARC Review: “The Wrythe and the Reckoning” by Yvonthia Meredith Leland

“The Wrythe and the Reckoning” by Yvonthia Meredith Leland

Publishing Date: April 5, 2019

Genre: YA, Historical, Fiction

Page Length: N/A (Electronic Review Copy)

Synopsis:

In the mid-1800s, Lina and her family move from their small New Hampshire village to an industrial city in Massachusetts. During this time, it is said that a bizarre, malevolent human-like monster is lurking about in the forests of the New England territory. In addition, Lina is an independent thinker. She’s determined to make something of herself and to live her life the way that she wants to. Lina must face and overcome the difficult challenges surrounding her society in order to live her ideal life, all while avoiding being murdered by the so-called human-monster. ‘The Wrythe and the Reckoning’ is an epic urban fantasy tale of love, courage, bravery, freedom, and friendship.

If you’re looking for a story that’s simply about romance or a horrific event, this isn’t the story for you. The Wrythe and the Reckoning is an intricately woven tale of a teenage girl’s life experience as she grows into a woman and continuing afterwards. Not only is this story about her life, it’s also about the lives of those close to her and the society in which she lives.

Intriguingly complex and yet relatable, The Wrythe and the Reckoning is a thought-provoking and intellectual story of fantasy, mystery, adventure, and romance. (description from Netgalley)

Review:

The Wrythe and the Reckoning starts out a bit vague in the beginning of the book. I had to pick up the story details based on clues within the story. It starts out in a rural setting and readers are introduced to Lina on her family’s farm. Set in the mid-1800s, the story is centered around her family, but focuses on Lina. She is very different in the sense that she is focused on being independent, while other girls her age are obsessed with fancy dresses and boys. She loves to educate herself about the world that surrounds her.

The description of the setting alone gives me Anne of Green Gables vibes in the first half of the novel. All of the descriptions of her quaint little village sounded so beautiful. The novel is written in the first person perspective and we see the world through Lina’s eyes. She has big dreams for her self and we see her hard work and perseverance that goes into wanting to be a dressmaker. Sometimes she kind of rubbed me the wrong way because she came off as a little self-righteous at times, but it was her sister Abigail that irked me the most because she was so spoiled and materialistic.

It’s interesting to see how her family adapts to moving from the village to the city. Her family has very strong opinions on topics that differ from the general public such as women’s rights and slavery. I felt the plot was more about Lina’s life and I wanted to see more of the monster concept that mentioned in the synopsis. Mentions of monster don’t show well until the latter part of the novel, and even then the concept is pretty vague.

The book is very slow-moving and sometimes I felt it drag at certain points of the story. The dialogue and narrative are a bit stagnant which was disappointing. Overall, I felt that this was more of a coming of age story than story with elements (per the book’s description). The monster aspect was hyped up, but barely scraped the surface within the book. I didn’t feel a resolution at all, however, the book will be released in its entirety in April. Perhaps the book will come to a solid ending.

Final Verdict: