Reviewed by Lianne on
The setting and premise of Thornewicke has a historical fiction/fantasy/Christian fiction/steampunk feel. It makes for an interesting read; it’s always delightful to read a fantasy where the setting is different from what you usually see in mainstream/popular fantasy right now.
Story-wise, I found the pacing to be rather slow for the first half. Granted, the first half does set the stage for the main character, her friends, her (potential) enemies, and the world she lives in. It picked up a wee bit when Evangeline moves stay with her aunt and learns more about her family and her heritage, but otherwise it took a while for the danger to present itself and for the story truly move forward.
Evangeline is a fascinating protagonist, and definitely unique for the time period: she has a perchance for science, she’s very smart, loves books, doesn’t think much about shopping, and can be quite feisty when interacting with other characters. I felt her frustration when it came down to whatever her magical abilities were all about and trying to pry answers from her aunt–I want answers too! Secondary characters like Lena, Evangeline’s aunt Henoria, the pastor Alistair, and Rafe, were great and add both to the story and to Evangeline’s personal character journey. The antagonism between her family and the Musgroves was also interesting to read, and adds to both the overarching good-vs-evil conflict as well as fleshing out her family’s heritage at Dragonspire and their place close to the northern wood.
Overall, Thornewicke is a fascinating first novel to a new fantasy series. While a bit slow for the first half, it lays the groundwork to who Evangeline is and the world that she finds herself entering. Readers of Christian fiction and of fantasy outside of the mainstream/gritty genre may want to check out this title.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 1 September, 2014: Finished reading
- 1 September, 2014: Reviewed