The Girl of Dorcha Wood by Kristin Ward
Book Info
Genre: YA Fantasy
Length: 232 Pages
Publishing: 13th April 2021
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZLFL8ZB
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57478429-the-girl-of-dorcha-wood
Blurb
Treacherous. Evil. Dark. Dorcha Wood is all of these. And none of them.
The people of Felmore talk of Dorcha Wood in whispers, if they speak of it at all, fearing the wrath of the Cù-Sìth should their words be carried on the wind. Those murdering beasts still roam the darkness of the forest, the last remnants of the cursed Aos Sí—a race of elves long since vanished from the world.
But to seventeen-year-old Fiadh, it is home. A haven. A forest whose secrets become known only when it chooses to reveal them. Her life is one of balance until the outside world shatters it.
From the moment Fiadh set eyes on Gideon, the peaceful rhythm of her life was lost. As a new path unfolds, Fiadh confronts the reality of old hatreds, the consequences of things hidden, and the truth of who she really is.
A young woman who has spent her whole life in the woods and a young man who has recently lost his memory cross paths on one of the worst days of that young woman’s life. Before the night is over, she loses the one person she has ever truly trusted in her life. Fiadh has always known that she is never allowed to leave the woods, but now the woods can’t even protect her. She’s always had a connection with the wolves that kept her safe, but even they will not be able to protect her from everything. Fiadh has to make a choice, either she will stay in the woods and try to protect herself from those who seek to kill her, or she will venture out into the unknown world with the man Gideon whom she just met.
I’ve read Kristin Ward’s writing before and I enjoyed it very much! When I found out that she was writing a new series, I knew I had to be on the blog tour for the book.
Fiadh was a very unique character. She was sheltered but not completely oblivious to the dangers of the outside world. She had seen plenty of death and disease as her mother was the village healer, and she knew she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Gideon is another story. I never really knew where I stood with him through most of the book. I thought he was definitely going to take advantage of this young girl who didn’t know at all what she was doing, but I also wanted to trust him. There were definitely quite a few red flags about his character, but I didn’t know which side of Gideon that I wanted to be the “right side.”
The one thing that I struggled with a bit in this book and why I knocked a star and a half off was that it read very much like a prequel. I came into it expecting the first book in a true series, but it is more a set-up for the actual first book that is to come. The story is over 200 pages, but most of those pages are descriptions of the woods or discussions between the characters. The whole plot of the book takes place over the course of about a week, maybe a little more than that. I felt like I should have been reading the first book in the series and then come back to this one later to find out the “origins” of the various characters. It dragged in some places, but I felt satisfied enough at the end to want to continue with the next book in the series. Hopefully, things will pick up in pace a bit now that the true action can begin!
My favorite part of this book that I hope to see more of in the next installment of the series was the action with Fiadh’s wolves. She has this connection to nature and these creatures, a connection she never truly understood. These creatures will protect her with her life and I cannot wait to see how things will be now that she is starting to lean into that connection a bit more.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an upper YA/NA fantasy novel to read.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 books.
About the Author
Kristin Ward is an award-winning young adult author living in Connecticut. A science and math teacher for over twenty years, she infuses her geeky passions into stories that meld realism and fantasy. Kristin embraces her inner nerd regularly, often quoting 80s movies while expecting those around her to chime in with appropriate rejoinders. As a nature freak, she can be found wandering the woods – she may be lost, so please stop and ask if you see her – or chilling in her yard with all manner of furry and feathered friends. Often referred to as a unicorn by colleagues who remain in awe of her ability to create or find various and sundry things in mere moments. In reality, the horn was removed years ago, leaving only a mild imprint that can be seen if she tilts her head just right. A lifelong lover of books and writing, she dreamed of becoming an author for thirty years before publishing her award-winning debut in 2018. Her first novel, After the Green Withered, is one of many things you should probably read.
https://www.kristinwardauthor.com/
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