The Twistrose Key
Even since Lin moved to the city, she feels lonely and misses her Norwegian mountain home, her imaginary troll-hunting games, and, especially, her recently dead pet, Rufus. While exploring her new cellar, she suddenly tumbles into Sylveros, a Narnia-like world populated by human-sized, talking former pets, including Rufus. They’re excited to explore the snowy, mountainous land together, but that’s not all Lin has in store—Sylveros is on the brink of destruction, and Lin learns she is the Twistrose, a human child fated to save the mystical land by fulfilling an enigmatic prophesy. The promise of reunion with pet friends in a winter wonderland is lovely, but debut-author Almhjell’s world holds a lot of menace, too: the villains of Sylveros are occasionally terrifying, and Lin often finds herself in grim peril. Though the plot is sometimes overstuffed—which, at times, overshadows the tantalizingly rich world of Sylveros—children entranced by animal tales and in love with snowy fantasy lands will delight in Lin’s magical journey and triumphant determination. Final art unavailable for review. Grades 4-8. --Sarah Hunter