Review: YA Fantasy with a Fresh, Exciting Plot
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 5, 2014
“Wraithsong” is a first-rate fantasy that can be enjoyed by both YA readers and adults—its appealing, brave heroine and fast-paced plot make it both entertaining and compulsively readable (in other words, you may burn the midnight oil finishing it).Sonia knows she has powers that set her apart from other humans, and she doesn’t dwell too much on them—since she was a child, her mother has told Sonia that her saliva has the power to make others obey her. That means no sharing food, no sharing drinks—and no kissing. Sonia doesn’t think much about kissing until she gets in trouble at school and meets the handsome, enigmatic Anthony—and she finds herself increasingly drawn to him even as her life falls into turmoil and she learns more about her ancestry as a mythical Huldra.After Sonia experiences a frightening visitation by a sinister man named Olaf, her mother is captured—and it’s up to Sonia to travel to Wraithsong Island, accept her destiny as a Huldra, and save her mother.“Wraithsong” fits nicely into the popular genre of superhuman teens based on its subject, but it stands out because it’s so well-written and because Sonia herself is very powerful—she’s not a clinging vine who depends on Anthony for protection. She can solve her own problems and make her own way in life. At the same time, she’s also vulnerable and relatable because in many respects she’s like your average teen—insecure at times, awkward at times, preoccupied with receiving her first kiss and falling in love. Anthony, attractive and brooding and making a hard but romantic choice, is a love interest who should appeal to YA readers, while Maureen and Olaf are also convincingly menacing villains—they’re smart and powerful enough to keep you worried that Sonia might not succeed in her quest.The world the author has created is also engaging—the Norwegian legend of the Huldra is not something I knew anything about, which resulted in a fresh, surprising plot (and a nice change from yet another book about vampires or werewolves). My favorite parts were set on Wraithsong Island, where Sonia must keep her head and stay brave as the stakes grow increasingly high.I would recommend “Wraithsong” to readers who enjoy fantasy (especially YA fantasy) with an inventive storyline that also has elements of realism mixed in with the magic.