Shadows by Robin McKinley

Shadows

by Robin McKinley

Shadows is a compelling and inventive novel set in a world where science and magic are at odds, by Robin McKinley, the Newbery-winning author of The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword, as well as the classic titles Beauty, Chalice, Spindle's End, Pegasus and Sunshine

Maggie knows something's off about Val, her mom's new husband. Val is from Oldworld, where they still use magic, and he won't have any tech in his office-shed behind the house. But-more importantly-what are the huge, horrible, jagged, jumpy shadows following him around? Magic is illegal in Newworld, which is all about science. The magic-carrying gene was disabled two generations ago, back when Maggie's great-grandmother was a notable magician. But that was a long time ago.

Then Maggie meets Casimir, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen. He's from Oldworld too-and he's heard of Maggie's stepfather, and has a guess about Val's shadows. Maggie doesn't want to know . . . until earth-shattering events force her to depend on Val and his shadows. And perhaps on her own heritage.

In this dangerously unstable world, neither science nor magic has the necessary answers, but a truce between them is impossible. And although the two are supposed to be incompatible, Maggie's discovering the world will need both to survive.

About the author:
Robin McKinley has won many awards, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown, a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword, and the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature for Sunshine.

She lives in Hampshire, England with her husband, author Peter Dickinson

Check out her blog at robinmckinleysblog.com.

Reviewed by nannah on

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Oh, boy. DNF @ 13%.
I hate not finishing books, especially when I’ve barely scratched the surface, but this one was just … so, so bad.

So far, in what I read, Maggie is an incredibly judgmental person who takes a huge disliking to her new stepfather, Val, and the strange, moving and wiggling shadows he carries around with him. She and her family live in Newworld, a world built on science that seems to have … done away with all magic from the Oldworld. I’m sure the book would expand on that (so far it involves a ton of eugenics that made me squirm), but I didn’t get that far.

Doesn’t sound that bad, right? But here’s what made me stop: the entire prose is littered with Japanese words. Maggie’s not Japanese … and the author, Robin McKinley is white. It’s not every once in a while, either, it’s “getting a D on your algebra homework for the second time and seeing the akuma of summer school looming at you. / Bugsuck. Iya. Iya na creepo.”

Supposedly the reason why there’s Japanese words throughout the entire book (I flipped through it; it’s there. It’s there till the end) is because Maggie and her best friend decided to make fun of their half-Japanese friend by appropriating words in Japanese. And now they just use Japanese words and phrases in their speech and thoughts. All the time. Someone please explain to me why he’s still friends with them?

I just … could not bear reading a whole novel about a (white? probably?) girl saying ”Baka” every couple pages. I just couldn’t.

Plus this girl keeps judging her stepdad for being an immigrant, and multiple times wishes he would just be “deported back to Orzi-whatsit” (a fictional country in the “Slavic Commonwealth”). She makes fun of his accent too, which is also a plus (/s).

I just couldn’t stand the voice, which is pretty much the heart of a novel. So I had to pass.

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  • Started reading
  • 7 November, 2019: Finished reading
  • 7 November, 2019: Reviewed