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Dense materials in the first 1/2 half of the book that led to a very slow read. Interesting information, but needs a better flow. Second half of the book markedly better than the first in terms of writing.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. *
There is a group of magical realism reads that tend to remind me of Sarah Addison Allen's work. Allen is a master of the original magical realism and anyone who can follow successfully in her footsteps can write a story I'll love to read. This book falls quite nicely into that camp. Built around a small town where magical things just seem to happen, The Kiminee Dream is a well-written novel with a lot packed into a nicely paced plot.
Holland's writing is beautiful and lyrical, flowing easily and smoothly. It didn't take long for me to get wrapped up in the story and start falling in love with the town and its inhabitants. The entire story only took me two days to read, as caught up as I was in everything that was happening.
Writing a magical realism novel well takes some real talent, melding the believable with the magical in a way that still feels natural. This is well done in this case. There is one small scene near the end of the book that I felt left the confines of what felt natural for the genre and the book, but beyond that everything just seemed to fall rightly into place. The progression of the plot makes sense while still remaining mysterious and intriguing.
While I am more often drawn to a plot-driven novel, I also need reads where I can find myself interested in the characters. There was no short supply of interest in this case. The characters are clearly written with great care, with even minor characters having very distinct personalities and being built quite dynamically. This wonderful cast, combined with the magical elements that are sprinkled here and there, bring the small town to life and create a home base for this narrative that begs you to return. The true magic to a magcial realism read is having a town that makes you want to visit. Kiminee is that place. Even as the plot meanders here and there, gathering bits of story, there is always the anchor of Kiminee holding it all together and drawing the reader even more closely in. The multiple story lines build on one another and give great depth to the overall picture.
The Kiminee Dream is incredibly imaginative, sometimes terribly heartbreaking, and full of magical whimsy. Highly recommend for those who love a magical realism tale built upon a charming town.
There is a group of magical realism reads that tend to remind me of Sarah Addison Allen's work. Allen is a master of the original magical realism and anyone who can follow successfully in her footsteps can write a story I'll love to read. This book falls quite nicely into that camp. Built around a small town where magical things just seem to happen, The Kiminee Dream is a well-written novel with a lot packed into a nicely paced plot.
Holland's writing is beautiful and lyrical, flowing easily and smoothly. It didn't take long for me to get wrapped up in the story and start falling in love with the town and its inhabitants. The entire story only took me two days to read, as caught up as I was in everything that was happening.
Writing a magical realism novel well takes some real talent, melding the believable with the magical in a way that still feels natural. This is well done in this case. There is one small scene near the end of the book that I felt left the confines of what felt natural for the genre and the book, but beyond that everything just seemed to fall rightly into place. The progression of the plot makes sense while still remaining mysterious and intriguing.
While I am more often drawn to a plot-driven novel, I also need reads where I can find myself interested in the characters. There was no short supply of interest in this case. The characters are clearly written with great care, with even minor characters having very distinct personalities and being built quite dynamically. This wonderful cast, combined with the magical elements that are sprinkled here and there, bring the small town to life and create a home base for this narrative that begs you to return. The true magic to a magcial realism read is having a town that makes you want to visit. Kiminee is that place. Even as the plot meanders here and there, gathering bits of story, there is always the anchor of Kiminee holding it all together and drawing the reader even more closely in. The multiple story lines build on one another and give great depth to the overall picture.
The Kiminee Dream is incredibly imaginative, sometimes terribly heartbreaking, and full of magical whimsy. Highly recommend for those who love a magical realism tale built upon a charming town.
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3.5 stars.
This read was a very mixed bag for me. It was fantastic in some ways and quite meh in others. The premise was interesting and the writing was decent, but the arrangement and construction of the novel weren't quite what I was looking for.
The story is told in multiple time lines with protagonists from several different points in history. It traces the lives of the previous Animas (animal women) with the power to speak with animals and the responsibility to help reunite balance between humans and the world. These stories are interwoven with a timeline for the current development towards the birth of the 12th and final Anima. While this makes sense conceptually, it was a bit difficult to follow and it felt like it was presenting only small snippets of the previous Animas. This left the story feeling a bit sparse and didn't give the characters as much depth as I would have liked. The current storyline was more complexly followed and did give a greater picture of the characters, which made these parts much more engaging. I did like the storylines and the characters. I found them interesting and I liked the world that was created. I just needed a bit more body.
The pacing is somewhat slow as the world begins to make sense and the pieces start to connect into a cohesive story. This is high fantasy, so it's not a swift read. You have to invest the time to get to know the inner workings of the political and magical systems.
Things were going really well and I was gaining a bit more interest in the overarching plot when the story ended at a high crux moment. Though this did undoubtedly create a fantastic cliffhanger, it was incredibly frustrating. There was some good characters development, but the plot had just begun to really gain speed. I am curious where the story goes, but now I'm nervous to go into the next book, as this ending did not give me any satisfaction for the amount of time I put into reading this first installment. Whether I will continue the series is currently up for debate.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
This read was a very mixed bag for me. It was fantastic in some ways and quite meh in others. The premise was interesting and the writing was decent, but the arrangement and construction of the novel weren't quite what I was looking for.
The story is told in multiple time lines with protagonists from several different points in history. It traces the lives of the previous Animas (animal women) with the power to speak with animals and the responsibility to help reunite balance between humans and the world. These stories are interwoven with a timeline for the current development towards the birth of the 12th and final Anima. While this makes sense conceptually, it was a bit difficult to follow and it felt like it was presenting only small snippets of the previous Animas. This left the story feeling a bit sparse and didn't give the characters as much depth as I would have liked. The current storyline was more complexly followed and did give a greater picture of the characters, which made these parts much more engaging. I did like the storylines and the characters. I found them interesting and I liked the world that was created. I just needed a bit more body.
The pacing is somewhat slow as the world begins to make sense and the pieces start to connect into a cohesive story. This is high fantasy, so it's not a swift read. You have to invest the time to get to know the inner workings of the political and magical systems.
Things were going really well and I was gaining a bit more interest in the overarching plot when the story ended at a high crux moment. Though this did undoubtedly create a fantastic cliffhanger, it was incredibly frustrating. There was some good characters development, but the plot had just begun to really gain speed. I am curious where the story goes, but now I'm nervous to go into the next book, as this ending did not give me any satisfaction for the amount of time I put into reading this first installment. Whether I will continue the series is currently up for debate.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
