Wildwood

I really wanted to love this book, because I love the Decemberists and Colin's beautiful lyrics. And while I completely appreciate the overall message of the book (stewardship of the Earth, not being able to escape the consequences of your own actions, how those actions can have ripple effects on the world around you, the heartbreak in imposing our own moral order on an indifferent universe), I just couldn't quite attach to the characters and the story fell flat for me. I also had a hard time suspending my disbelief throughout most of the tale, which is not usually a problem at all for me!

Originally this was going to be another read-aloud-to-my-daughter book, but she quickly became uninterested in it. Nonetheless, I continued on my own. But the slow pace was reason enough for me to put it aside for about six months before picking it up again. And I almost put it aside for another spell, but then I got that completist urge and I finished it. Not at any great rush either. So, the story was okay... not a page-turner, obviously... but good enough to finish it off. It also helped that it was handsomely illustrated by the author's wife.

The story concerns a girl Prue, whose baby brother Mac gets kidnapped by a murder of crows and taken into the Impassable Wilderness (outside of St. Johns, Portland, Oregon). Prue and her friend Curtis manage to get into the Impassable Wilderness and there they meet talking animals, humans, bandits, and a certain power-mad evil-doer. This is the first of a trilogy (but can be read as a stand-alone book). I spoke to one of my nieces who loves this trilogy. But I didn't love it.

A really great story, but the pacing left something to be desired. The climax starts about 200 pages out from the end and just... keeps going for 200 pages. And then there is a coup that lasts 3 paragraphs. IDK I still really enjoyed it, though.