La Belle Savage

This is probably a five-star book, though I can't help but compare it to The Golden Compass / Northern Lights (the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy), which is hard to beat. I also probably expected too much—I have been anticipating this book for about twelve years.

I was also a little surprised by the use of so many horror tropes, especially the way the main villain, increasingly injured and insane, kept popping back up to terrorize the protagonists.

Still, I found Malcolm endearing (albeit perhaps a little too much like Will), and I am looking forward to the next two volumes.