Picture the scene: a young girl finds out her scientist parents (people who have shabbily kept their manor filled with dangerous specimens) have been “killed” and must now be spirited away to France for her safety no questions asked. On the way, little Emmeline Widget meets equally little stowaway extraordinaire Thing. Yes. The young boy is named Thing. And has a distinct accent. A contrast to Emmeline’s polished one (I’m assuming she has a polished accent). Hijinks ensue on the high seas as our heroine crashes straight into the very forces that have taken her parents from her.
The Eye of the North fits right in my wheelhouse of things I would go out of my way for to read. My favorite elements are all here! Childhood adventure? Check. Super high stakes? Check. Budding close friendship forged in life-threatening situations? Check. Lovable characters? Check, check, check!
It’s an easy middlegrade read and a well-written story. The lore and world building are simple and not very intricate at a macro level (like maybe I’ll see a clearer through line of what ties all the lore in this story together when I re-read this book) but the mythos that matters specifically to the plot is simple and compelling enough.
As an adult reading middle grade, it’s easy to tell where stories of this type go because we’ve seen it happen many times. But as a kid who may stumble upon this or any other story of its type for the second, third or maybe even the first time, this is the kind of story that teaches tropes well. The twist at the end of the story is not new in concept, but is well-executed in its uniqueness and really allows our characters to show their true colors.
Also, I am shipper trash. So, though I DID NOT appreciate some parts of the ending because of being shipper trash… I basically LOVE everything else about this book. The Eye of the North comes out August 2017 and I cannot wait to get my finished copy!
The Eye of the North by Sinéad O'Hart
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books | Publication Date: August 22, 2017
Source: ARC received from the publisher (Thanks!)
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