Black Spring

3.7

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Author(s)

Alison Croggon

Publisher

Candlewick Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

August 27, 2013

ISBN

0763660094

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Inspired by the gothic classic Wuthering Heights, this stunning new fantasy from the author of the Books of Pellinor is a fiercely romantic tale of betrayal and vengeance.

In a savage land sustained by wizardry and ruled by vendetta, Lina is the enchanting but willful daughter of a village lord. She and her childhood companion, Damek, have grown up privileged and spoiled, and they’re devoted to each other to the point of obsession. But Lina’s violet eyes betray her for a witch, and witches are not tolerated in a brutally patriarchal society. Her rank protects her from persecution, but it cannot protect her from tragedy and heartbreak. An innocent visitor stands witness to the devastation that ensues as destructive longing unleashes Lina’s wrath, and with it her forbidden power. Whether drawn by the romantic, the magical, or the gothic, readers will be irresistibly compelled by the passion of this tragic tale.

Inspired by the gothic classic Wuthering Heights, this stunning new fantasy from the author of the Books of Pellinor is a fiercely romantic tale of betrayal and vengeance.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Believably Magical

September 26, 2013

Overall rating

3.7

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BLACK SPRING is one of those books that is hard to define into a neat category. It has magic in it, with wizards and witches and the likes, but it doesn’t come across as that sort of book. It also has a certain amount of romance aspects, although I wouldn’t call it a romance either.

BLACK SPRING has a really good writing style, although it is a tad heavy handed with the adjectives, it almost feels like a classic, which is different for a YA book. It is written from multiple view points, which are, thank goodness, easy to tell apart and clearly labeled. Most of the story is told by Anna, who is actually telling the story to one of the other narrators, Hammel. Hammel also had a couple brief sections at the beginning and end; but he seemed superfluous. He wasn’t important to the story and just wasn’t very likeable and ended the book on a down note. Personally I would have been perfectly happy without the guy. Anna, on the other hand, sounded just like what a woman who had led her life and gone through what she had gone through should. Besides that, she was likeable and natural, she’s got some spunk and didn’t get too caught up in simply ‘telling a story’.

As to the actual plot of the story, it was a tragic romancey sort of job. The magical parts felt more like a ghost story than a fairly tale, which made it seem so much more possible. The magic in BLACK SPRING was done exceptionally well all round. It’s never actually stated how it works or anything, as though it’s just not worth explaining, which seems like how it would actually be dealt with in real life.

There was one bit towards the middle that gets on the nerves, which can’t be pointed out clearly without spoiling anything, but it does clear up and makes sense after a while. So just stick with it, all comes clear with time, grasshopper. The supporting characters, although there are few of them, were great, they worked and felt like they should feel.

Over all BLACK SPRING is just a good, somewhat dark book. There were sweet bits, disturbing bits, and bits that just made you sit and wonder.