River of Spirits

What worked:
Many books have been written based on Greek mythology, but it’s nice to see novels that feature minor gods or immortals. Charon is charged with transporting the newly deceased across a river from the living world to the Under-After. Senka lives with him and hopes to become the Ferryer’s assistant. However, whenever she asks to begin training, Charon replies simply with the word, “Soon”. This makes Senka anxious to do something, anything, creating a situation where she’ll make a bad decision. It leads to her falling in the river with Poppy, a human girl, and they’re swept away. They’ll end up in the Underwild, where they’ll encounter many dangerous mythical creatures and characters.
Readers will soon develop an inkling that there are untold truths about Senka’s character. She wears a bracelet with one charm, and Charon tells her it’s for protection. Then, fearsome monsters, a chimera, lurk in the river, but Charon and Sendek know this has never happened before. It’s even stranger when Sendek reveals the chimera are the same ones she’s been seeing in her nightmares. As the plot progresses, it’s clear Senka is unaware of the mystery surrounding her character, and readers will notice clues before her. The real question is, why doesn’t she know about her past?
Charon tells Sendek she must avoid specific areas of the Underworld, so of course, she ends up going to all of them. She also breaks most of the Rules Charon has given her. The giant chimera from early in the book seems to follow Sendek everywhere, and she doesn’t know how to escape it. However, the mormoes terrify Sendek and Poppy the most, and they encounter them almost everywhere they go. These creatures morph from living humans who spend too much time on the death side of the river. They’ve lost all of their memories, but they “feed” off the memories of others. Poppy is searching for her younger brother, but what good is that if she can’t remember him?
What didn’t work as well:
It’s strange when Poppy often takes the lead, even though she should be overwhelmed and uncertain about her situation. Senka has lived in the Underworld for as long as she can remember, so she should be the character in charge. The real drama surrounds Senka’s past, and it’s surprisingly more interesting than trying to survive the dangers in the Underwild.
The final verdict:
This book is a blend of emotions and confusing thoughts. Poppy is grieving for her dead brother, and Senka is trying to understand how she fits into the world. Predicting the sequel’s plot is unclear based on how this book ends. This book is a curious start to a new series, and you should try it for yourself.

Cute, magical, and heartfelt. Think Percy Jackson, but about two girls escaping from the underworld's biggest and baddest (demons, Prometheus, carnival games…). The adventure also features a sentient cloak and boat, a raven tutor, and Charon as beleaguered father figure and ferryer of souls. High likelihood of tears at the end.

Senka is such a fun character. As soon-to-be assistant to Charon, she's full of knowledge about the underworld, yet fascinated by tales of mortal things, like classrooms and sunshine and CD players. She's known to play a prank or two, but she earnestly wants to become a helpful assistant, and when Poppy comes across her path, clearly in distress, Senka can't help but want to help her out.

The underworld itself blends classic myth and new invention, from the spooky depths of Tartarus (with a visitor center) to the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice (maybe Hades didn't want mortals to know the true story...). The few breaks in non-stop action allow Senka and Poppy to discuss grief, the power of memories, and the sometimes blurry line between doing something for someone and doing it for yourself.

This book reads as a standalone, and the promise of a series to come makes it even more a must-read for fans of mythology and spunky heroines.