Review: Zoe Brown Begins?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 11, 2014
Goodbye Normal by Lily N. Anderson is a young adult fantasy novel listed as Book One of the Zoe Brown Series. We are introduced to Zoe as a resident of Doomsberg, a sister city of the obsolete Central American town of Desolia. The town has a history of being a hub for sorcerers in decades past, and Zoe begins to realize that the practice remains alive and well in its underground circles. Although she leads a normal life in the company of her friend Liz, her family’s past continues to haunt her until her search for identity leads her to discover that black magic is alive and thriving in Doomsberg.The theme of race resonates throughout the novel as a correlation to the conflict between light and darkness. Although ‘light’ is the desirable attribute, darkness becomes a necessary quality in surviving along the periphery of the netherworld. Zoe, who is half black, learns that the mystical Humeleons are able to change ethnicities in infiltrating dark magic groups. We are also introduced to Pablo, a Chinaman, and Lonard, a black, both of who are part of the battle surrounding the coven witches whose existence is being threatened by the ‘dark side’. Anderson’s tale appears as an allegory in narrating how fighting fire with fire becomes an inevitable solution when an implacable enemy seeks far more than non-resistance.There is a lot here for the YA audience that share common ground with other works of the genre, such as Zoe’s protective amulet which makes her a target for the bad guys, and the Doomsberg Association of Witchery where she must find acceptance in stepping up to the next level. She is also forced to realize her destiny as a Channeler, which undoubtedly provides a segue as we look forward to Book Two. Goodbye Normal by Lily N. Anderson is a worthy series opener that fantasy readers will want to add to their list.