Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has been so gracious as to allow me to review an ARC of this novel, through Netgalley, prior to the novel hitting bookstores March 21st! The synopsis is as follows: “In a gray and gloomy village, all of the animals—from dogs and cats to fish and snails—disappeared years before. No one talks about it and no one knows why, though everyone agrees that the village has been cursed. But when two children see a fish—a tiny one and just for a second—they become determined to unravel the mystery of where the animals have gone. And so they travel into the depths of the forest with that mission in mind, terrified and hopeful about what they may encounter.”
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I am sorry to say that I am not a fan on this novel, however, I believe it is perfect for middle grade readers. This novel is geared toward 10-14 year olds, and the writing is very clear and concise. When I first picked up the novel, I thought it would be similar to The Messenger and The Giver by Lois Lowry. In a way, it was similar, but it was also unique unto itself.
My main issue with this novel deals with the repetition and writing style utilized, but keep in mind that I am an adult reviewing a middle grade novel, so of course I am going to see it differently than the audience it is intended for. To me, the constant repetition of events is overbearing. I do not like repetition unless it is absolutely necessary, and the vast amount of repetition within this novel is monotonous. In terms of the writing, quotation marks were not utilized, and that is one of my pet peeves. However, as the novel is written in a sing-song style, and is meant to be read aloud, I do understand the lack of quotes.
In terms of repetition and the writing style, I don’t think middle grade readers are going to have any qualms. I highly doubt they will be zoning in on these aspects, but rather only the story itself. On that note, I think the novel ended very abruptly, and I wanted more—there was a lack of closure, and I believe that middle grade students will agree with me in terms of the ending. I hate to be left hanging, filling in the story on my own. Two stars.
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