Tag: recenzii

Escape from Witchwood Hollow

Jordan Elizabeth Mierek

Disponibil aici: Amazon 

Numar pagini: 178

*

Sinopsis:

Everyone in Arnn – a small farming town with more legends than residents – knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees.

After losing her parents in a horrific terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, fifteen-year-old Honoria and her older brother escape New York City to Arnn. In the lure of that perpetual darkness, Honoria finds hope, when she should be afraid.

Perhaps the witch can reunite her with her lost parents. Awakening the witch, however, brings more than salvation from mourning, for Honoria discovers a past of missing children and broken promises.

To save the citizens of Arnn from becoming the witch’s next victims, she must find the truth behind the woman’s madness.

How deep into Witchwood Hollow does Honoria dare venture?

Parerea mea:

Atunci cand am acceptat propunerea de a recenza romanul Escape from Witchwood Hollow imi imaginam ca voi da peste o lectura interesanta datorita amestecului neasteptat de teme abordate, dar in acelasi timp, usurica si cu un fir narativ usor de anticipat.

Am avut dreptate doar in legatura cu primul aspect, deoarece actiunea a fost oricum numai usor de preconizat nu. Parcursesem deja aproape jumatate din volum si inca nu intelegeam in ce mod vor ajunge sa se lege intre ele cele trei povesti separate pe care autoarea le creeaza. Cu atat mai mult cu cat fiecare dintre ele se desfasoara in alt secol. Intre doua dintre ele vedeam o legatura mai mult sau mai putin clara, insa cea de-a treia nu parea sa aiba aproape nimic in comun cu celelalte. Fiecare nou capitol aduce, alternativ, in atentia cititorului una dintre cele trei povesti, suspansul fiind astfel pastrat pe tot parcursul lecturii iar curiozitatea cititorului este mentinuta la cote ridicate de la inceput si pana la sfarsit.

Un aspect interesant este modul inventiv in care sunt creionate anumite personaje. Ti se spune de la inceput care sunt personajele negative, insa tot atunci primesti si explicatia pentru care au ajuns asa. Iar pe masura ce parcurgi capitol dupa capitol, iti este tot mai greu sa le privesti in nuante intunecate, in ciuda dovezilor indubitabile pe care le ai impotriva acestora.

Foarte placut m-a surprins partea de romance. Cum atatea si atatea carti fantasy YA promoveaza iubirile instante si relatiile absurd de accelerate, o poveste atat de realista precum cea imaginata de Jordan Elizabeth Mierek nu poate decat sa te impresioneze. Mi s-a parut ca toate actiunile personajelor sunt  pline de normalitate, de naturalete si este imposibil sa nu te regasesti in oricare dintre ele: fiecare gand rostogolit pe toate partile pana cand ajunge sa capete dimensiuni hiperbolizate in mintea protagonistei; fiecare gest ce pare in totalitate inocent si lipsit de sensuri ascunse, avand insa un substrat negat pana si fata de propria persoana; fiecare incercare de a interpreta replicile celuilalt, fiecare negare a propriilor sentimente.

Mi-a placut si modul in care evolueaza relatia celor doua personaje, fara egoismul tipic protagonistilor YA, fara placerea de a se arunca inainte cu capul fara a analiza ce ii asteapta, fara lipsa de respect fata de sentimentele celor din jur, fara schimbari bruste si absurde ale trairilor de pana atunci. Am fost de fapt atat de surprinsa de atitudinea protagonistilor, incat am tot asteptat ca acestia sa cedeze, sa ma dezamageasca, sa aleaga variantele cu care te-au obisnuit cele mai multe romane pentru adolescenti publicate in ultimii ani.

Trebuie sa mentionez si modul impecabil in care autoarea creioneaza perioadele de timp in care se desfasoara cele trei fire narative si, mai ales, felul in care personalitatile protagonistelor difera atat de mult tocmai datorita influentei vremurilor in care au trait. Imi imaginez ca varstele eroinelor sunt destul de apropiate, insa influenta mediului si timpului in care traiesc te face adesea sa uiti acest lucru si sa ai senzatia ca una dintre ele este mult mai matura decat celelalte. Daca stai putin sa reflectezi, iti poti da seama ca fiecare noua epoca a “lungit” putin copilaria, ca in trecut, adolescenta de astazi ar fi fost poate casatorita deja, ar fi luptat pentru supravietuire sau ar fi avut deja proprii sai copii. Romanul nu abunda in descrieri, insa autoarea reuseste sa iti imprime perfect in minte imaginea timpurilor respective, modul in care functiona societatea acum cateva sute de ani si felul in care mentalitatea oamenilor s-a modificat treptat.

Desi povestea se construieste practic pe un schelet fantasy, partea aceasa nu este deloc exagerata, ci in majoritatea timpului ramane mai degraba o trasatura secundara. Abia spre final incepe parca sa invaluie tot mai mult din poveste, insa nu intr-un mod deranjant sau care sa scada credibilitatea evenimentelor. Ba dimpotriva, te incita intr-un mod aproape hipnotizant, te lasa cu respiratia taiata pe masura ce descoperi ceea ce se intampla cu adevarat in Witchwood Hollow. Iar cel mai interesant aspect este ca autoarea reuseste sa te captiveze astfel in ciuda faptului ca nu ti-a ascuns niciodata nimic, ca ti-a oferit indicii si sugestii clare pe tot parcursul lecturii. Mi se pare uimitoare capacitatea unor autori de a te lasa fara cuvinte desi te avertizeaza inca de la inceput despre cursul povestii.

Nici finalul nu s-a potrivit deloc cu ceea ce imi imaginam ca voi gasi in aceasta poveste. Am citit si recitit ultimele pagini, nevenindu-mi sa cred ca am inteles corect ceea ce tocmai s-a intamplat si asteptandu-ma sa mai apara niste pagini in care sa ni se spuna ca de fapt, ultimul capitol a fost doar un vis. Totusi, asa dulce-amar cum este, nu imi pot inchipui un mod mai bun de atat pentru a incheia romanul. Se termina brusc si intr-un mod… nu, neasteptat este putin spus! Socant de-a dreptul! Insa iti lasa impresia foarte pregnanta ca povestea va continua si dupa ce ai inchis cartea, ca happy-end-urile pot fi si altele decat cele cu care suntem atat de obisnuiti, cele cu “au trait fericiti pana la adanci batraneti”.

Bile albe:

Amestecul surprinzator de povesti, elemente, epoci si teme abordate care se conecteaza intr-o maniera uimitor de lina.

Bile negre:

Din cand in cand, existau salturi de la o scena la alta (in cadrul aceleiasi povesti) destul de derutante. De exemplu, una dintre eroine este la scoala si deodata, in propozitia urmatoare, o gasim deja acasa, luand cina cu familia. Desigur, nu ma astept ca un autor sa descrie fiecare pas pe care il face personajul, insa au fost acele cateva momente in care am simtit ca era necesar un indiciu care sa faca legatura mai clar intre cele doua cadre.

ENGLISH:

When I accepted the offer to review Escape from Witchwood Hollow, I was imagining that I’ll discover an interesting story because of the unexpected mix of subjects but, in the same time, a light and easily to anticipate read.

I was right only regarding the first idea, because the plot was anyhow but easy to envision. I had already read almost a half of the novel and still didn’t have a clear understanding of how will the three separate stories created by the author finally connect. Especially because each of those stories develops in another century. Between two of them I could see a vague connection, but the third one seemed to have almost nothing in common with the others. Each new chapter brings, alternatively, to the reader’s attention one of the three stories, so that the suspense is kept all the way to the end, without giving you the chance to lose your curiosity.

An interesting aspect is the inventive way in which some of the characters are portrayed. You know from the beginning who the villains are, but in the same time, you also receive the reasons why they ended up like this. And the more you read, the more difficult it is for you to see them in dark shades, despite the undoubtedly proofs you have against them.

I was extremely surprised – in a very good way – by the romance part of the novel. Because so, so many YA fantasy books are promoting instant love and absurdly accelerated relations, such a realistic love like the one imagined by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek can only impress you. I thought that all characters’ actions are full of normality, of ease and it’s impossible not to connect to them: each thought rolled over and over again until it becomes exaggerated in the protagonist’s mind; each gesture that seems totally innocent and bare of any hidden bearings, but actually having a substrate that’s denied even to the heroine herself; each attempt to understand the true meaning of the other’s remark, each denial of her own feelings.

I also loved the way the relation between the two protagonists from the present develops: without the typical selfishness of the YA characters, without the obsession to throw themselves onwards without analyzing what’s there waiting for them, without the lack of respect for others’ feelings, without sudden and absurd emotion changes. I was actually so surprised by the characters attitude that I kept waiting for them to give up, to disappoint me, to choose the options we’re used to from most of the YA novels published in the last few years.

I have to mention the impeccable way the author draws the time periods where the three stories develop and especially the way the characters’ personalities are so different exactly because of the era they are living in. I imagine that the three heroines’ ages are quite similar, but the influence of the environment and the time they are living in makes you forget pretty often this thing and gives you the sensation that one of them is more mature than the others. If you give it a second though, you can realize that each new century “extended” the childhood because, in the past, the teenager from today might have been married already, might have fought for survival or might have already have her own children. The novel is not flow with descriptions, but the author manages to imprint in your mind the image of those times, the way the society was working hundreds of years ago and the way people’s mentality gradually changed.

Although the story is built on a fantasy frame, the fantasy element is not exaggerated but it actually remains a secondary feature for most of the time. Only later it starts to envelop more and more of the story but not in a distressing way that might decrease the events’ credibility. On the contrary, it incites you in an almost hallucinatory way; it leaves you breathless as you start discovering what’s actually happening in Witchwood Hollow. And the most interesting thing is that the author manages to engage you like this despite the fact that she never hid anything, she always gave you clear hints and clues throughout the story. I find amazing the ability of some authors to leave you speechless even though they warn you from the beginning about what’s going to happen later.

Not even the ending matched what I imagined I might find in this story. I read and read again the last pages, not believing that I understood correctly what just happened and still waiting for some new pages that would say that the last chapter was just a dream. Nevertheless, bittersweet as it is, I can’t actually imagine a better way to end the novel. It ends so sudden and in a… no, unexpected is not the right word! It’s downright mind-blowing! But it gives you a very clear feeling that the story will continue even after you’ll close the book, that the happy endings can actually be very different from the “happily ever after” we are all so used with.

PROs:

The amazing mix of stories, elements, years and subjects that are connected in such a surprising and perfectly smooth manner.

CONs:

From time to time, there were jumps from a scene to another (in the same story) that were a bit confusing. For example, a character is in class and all of the sudden, in the next sentence, she’s already home, having dinner with the family. Of course, I’m not expecting an author to describe every single step the character is making, but there were these few moments when I felt that a clue was necessary to link those two pictures.