Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.
Read November 2020
This was a hard book to rate, I hovered between 3 and 4 stars but eventually settled on 4 simply for how compelling it was.
We follow Ele who is held captive by someone known only as Him. She lives with some she calls the Others. I never figured out myself what they were initially, they were described so oddly. She used to have a brother, Zeb, but now he's a stain on the floor. She is obsessed with trees, fairytales and going Outside.
Eventually through a twist of luck Ele makes it Outside where she meets Willow and his dad, both struggling with the recent bereavement of Willow's mum. This section was the hardest to believe. How many people find a naked teenage-ish girl with a limited grasp of English e.g. lights are sun bars, and decide to keep her? Rural area or not most people would call the authorities.
The last quarter of the book was exceptionally emotional and I wish it hadn't have been so compressed, I wanted more of the aftermath. Overall a uniquely written, compelling novel.
4/5 stars
Stef Out x
