Publishers Weekly
04/18/2022
The proprietor of the Witch’s Eye Emporium offers best friends Adelle and Connie, both 16 and white, the opportunity to physically enter the world of their favorite gothic romance novel, Moira, in Roux’s (Tomb of Ancients) atmospheric portal fantasy. For occult- and romance-obsessed Adelle, it’s a chance to meet her “book boyfriend,” debonair Severin Sylvain, and live out her favorite scenes. Athletic, practical, and closeted Connie hopes to meet the book’s titular character, her first crush, and “kiss a pretty girl under a full moon with nobody there to whisper or judge.” Transported individually via spell, Connie and Adelle arrive at different parts of the story, but the novel’s realistic Victorian-era Boston setting has transformed into a terrifying nightmare in which beloved characters act in unpredictable ways and an abomination lurks in the harbor. Roux’s sense of place is vivid, and Moira’s escapist romance, Lovecraftian horror elements, and the fangirl-tinged levity of the protagonists’ third-person voices create a meta tale that’s successfully imbued with an air of dread and paranoia. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
"Expert worldbuilding and fully realized, likable characters make this a refreshingly different adventure. A gentle touch of romance adds to the drama. Fans of The Hazel Wood, Inkheart, and other books about books will find much to love here." — School Library Journal
"Exquisitely rendered and splendidly bizarre. Imaginative and enthralling." — Kirkus Reviews
"This literary tale twists into an adventure filled with fantasy and horror that leads readers to a satisfying and very interesting end." — Booklist
"Roux’s sense of place is vivid, and Moira’s escapist romance, Lovecraftian horror elements, and the fangirl-tinged levity of the protagonists’ third-person voices create a meta tale that’s successfully imbued with an air of dread and paranoia." — Publishers Weekly
Booklist
"This literary tale twists into an adventure filled with fantasy and horror that leads readers to a satisfying and very interesting end."
Booklist
"This literary tale twists into an adventure filled with fantasy and horror that leads readers to a satisfying and very interesting end."
School Library Journal
02/01/2022
Gr 8 Up—Best friends Connie and Adelle share a love of classic literature, but their all-time favorite novel is Moira, a sweeping romance and period piece set in 1885 Boston. Adelle longs to find love like that of Moira and Severin. She dreams of what he would be like in real life. Connie hasn't told anyone, but she likes girls and Moira is her book crush. When creepy Mr. Straven, proprietor of oddities shop The Witch's Eye Emporium, tells her he can do a spell and place her inside her favorite book, Adelle jumps at the chance. Connie, skeptical, agrees to go with her, and both are propelled into the book, but at different points in the plot. Alone and scared, Connie falls in with some of the book's minor characters who were the villains, while Adelle gets to meet the wealthy Moira. Both girls encounter danger, though, because something is very wrong. The story that Connie and Adelle know is changing, and the more they struggle to find each other to escape, the worse things get. Expert worldbuilding and fully realized, likable characters make this a refreshingly different adventure. A gentle touch of romance adds to the drama as both girls fall for characters from the book world. A cryptic ending may leave some readers scratching their heads, but it leaves room for a sequel. All but one of the main characters are white. VERDICT Fans of The Hazel Wood, Inkheart, and other books about books will find much to love here. Recommended for general purchase.—Mandy Laferriere
Kirkus Reviews
2021-12-24
Best friends magically transported into their favorite book find themselves in a nightmarish landscape.
Adelle is a romantic dreamer and fan of the mystical, while closeted Connie prefers sports. But both love Moira, a little-known romance novel set in Victorian-era Boston. When a shopkeeper offers to send them into the world of the book, they accept—but the friends are separated, landing in different parts of the storyline. They realize that while some things are familiar, there are supernatural horrors here that weren’t present in the novel they love. In this version, dreams and voices are driving people to walk into the sea. The characters’ personalities aren’t what they expected either. Adelle finds herself among the rich main characters, while Connie winds up with the Penny-Farthings, poor thieves who only played a minor role in the original tale. As the teens try to find their way back to each other and home, they develop new friendships and romantic interests even as the horrors around them grow worse. The story starts off at a leisurely stroll; the pacing amps up as the story progresses, culminating in an intense, action-packed finale. The setting and atmosphere are exquisitely rendered, and the horrors veer into the splendidly bizarre. The leads are captivating, and the secondary characters round out the story. Main characters are White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast, and racism doesn’t seem to exist in this alternate world.
Imaginative, weird, and enthralling. (Dark fantasy. 13-18)
