Edgewood

by Kristen Ciccarelli

"Darkly gorgeous and moving, Edgewood is full of curses and fae magic that will capture your heart and wrap it in thorns before setting you free again, forever changed. I devoured Edgewood whole and couldn't put it down." - Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown's Game

No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.

When she learns her grandfather disappeared from his nursing home, leaving only a milky orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. After searching for him almost everywhere, Emeline finally succumbs to the call of Edgewood, entering the forest she has spent years trying to escape.

Emeline finds herself in the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal―her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of a life she has worked so hard to forget.

With the help of a handsome and brooding tithe collector, a surly blacksmith, and a lost childhood friend, Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.

Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli's Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.

• ISBN10: 1250821525
• ISBN13: 9781250821522
• Publish Date: 1 March 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Wednesday Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Edgewood is the latest novel to come from the mind of Kristen Ciccarelli. I'll admit that I haven't read anything else by her but after this? You better believe her books are going on my 'auto-read' list!

Emeline Lark has one dream – to turn her passion for music into a career she can be proud of. However, the woods of her home keep calling her. Edgewood keeps calling her. Every time she sings, the woods creep into her world, and she doesn't understand why.

When her father goes missing, Emeline knows it is time to head home. She hopes against all odds that the townspeople are wrong – that the Wood King hasn't tithed her father. But it doesn't take long for her hopes to crumble, throwing her into an adventure full of magic, curses, and retribution.

"The Wood King was an ancient creature who resided deep in the woods-or so Pa and all his neighbors believed. This king demanded quarterly sacrifices from those living on the border of his eldritch forest: tithes that kept them safe from him and his bloodthirsty monsters."

Edgewood was precisely the right book for the mood I've been in this week. It's magical and ethereal, and while it does have curses and magical beings, it didn't get as dark as most other fae novels I've been reading lately.

That isn't to say that Edgewood doesn't hate teeth – it most certainly does. There are heavy and somber tones in this novel. One would expect the sort of tones alongside a plot revolving around curses, memory loss, and lost loved ones.

Emeline's story is fascinating. Both the music and the woods call to her. Yet she has felt the need to choose one over the other her whole life, for she cannot have a great music career in the woods, and vice versa. While her choice is more extreme than most of us will ever have to deal with, there is still something very human in her need to decide.

Speaking of humans, the magical beings in this book surprised me. I won't discuss them too much, so there is no need to worry about spoilers. But I will say that while some evil creatures were in the mix, most of them were surprisingly open and welcoming. It allowed for a beacon of light in this tale. Little details such as this made the story overall much brighter than it otherwise could have been.

Part of me is very sad that Edgewood appears to be a standalone novel, as I did find myself enchanted (pun not intended) by this world. I would give anything to see more from it and hope that we'll find a way to visit it again.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks