Review: The Night Country
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
3.5 Stars
The Night Country is a better novel than The Hazel Wood in part because we are already familiar with the Hinterland and some of its characters. And we get a few more Hinterland character stories as we see the Hinterland, for want of a better word, collapsing. Alice, the story that escaped, set a precedent. Living in New York City, we see other stories who are now hiding in plain sight but still needing the occasional support group meeting. But when stories start dying, Alice (and Ella) are terrified that Alice could be next. Some of her fellow stories are worried it's actually Alice who is doing the killing. Because some of the victims are frost-damaged and... missing things. But are these murders or willing sacrifices? And what is this rumor circulating on the down-low about a place called the Night Country? If the Hinterland disappears, what will happen to Ellery Finch? And to the Spinner?
Melissa Albert continues to have a superb imagination. The pacing in this novel is improved over the first novel and the characters feel richer, in part because we know them better now, but also because I think they are more tightly written. The Night Country is a gritty, dark fairy tale place, and its origins are even darker than the Hinterland's. But I still want a bit depth more from these books. I want more about people being able to author their world. Because that's a message of hope in dark, Night Country-ish times.
I received a Digital Review Copy and a paper review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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