Thursday, November 23, 2017

Book Shelf: The November Girl by Lydia Kang

I am Anda, and the lake is my mother. I am the November storms that terrify sailors and sink ships. With their deaths, I keep my little island on Lake Superior alive.

Hector has come here to hide from his family until he turns eighteen. Isle Royale is shut down for the winter, and there's no one here but me. And now him.

Hector is running from the violence in his life, but violence runs through my veins. I should send him away, to keep him safe. But I'm half human, too, and Hector makes me want to listen to my foolish, half-human heart. And if I do, I can't protect him from the storms coming for us.


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Review: 

The November Girl by Lydia Kang is a compelling and haunting supernatural tale that is beautifully told and envisioned. Featuring a unique and compelling heroine and a powerful story, The November Girl is like nothing I have read before. 

Anda is a daughter of the Lake, torn between her human side and the powerful, controllable urges she has to be the November storms; sinking ships and revelling in the death that empowers her. Every November Anda embraces more of her nature, slowly loosing comprehension of what it is to be human and to feel, until one day a sad and lonesome boy comes to the island where she lives and awakens thoughts and feelings in her she thought long gone. Seventeen year old Hector is on the run from his abusive uncle, hoping to hide out on Isle Royale for the winter until he turns eighteen and can legally live by himself. All he has to do is survive a few months alone; only he soon realises that he is not as alone on the island as he expected to be. Hector is no stranger to violence, something that runs through Ana’s veins, but as the strange but beguiling girl and the sad boy with secrets spend time together, is the connection they share enough to keep Anda on dry land? Or will the call of the Lake be too strong?


The November Girl is a truly unique and unexpected novel. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this before, largely in part because Anda is such a different and incomparable character. Beautifully told, The November Girl unfolds through Hector and Anda’s varying POV’s with Anda’s voice extremely eerie and compelling—a highlight of the book in my eyes. 


Anda is an odd mix of ferociousness and childlike wonder and innocence. Her haunted voice portrays a strange kind of hopelessness and incomprehension as she wars with her brutal and often uncontrollable nature. Though half human as well, her inability to care for her human side or even understand what is was she needed came across as oddly endearing and the sweet. It was adorable watching her try to offer small gestures to Hector while not fully comprehending or understanding the why of things. And yet she was also vastly intelligent and capable. It was a strange mix but deeply intriguing.  


Author Lydia Kang has created a bewitching and dangerous island home for Anda. The harsh and vast nature of the storms that raged and Anda's connection to them was highly alluring. The icy, winter wilderness Anda and Hector fought to survive in was ferocious and I was entranced by the danger and wonder I found in equal measure in Kang's words. 


Anda was magic and power brought to life while Hector was escaping from true, brutal pain that should be incomprehensible, but seems to be more common in today's society than I wish it was. The blend of the magic and realism was perfect and the harmony of the story flowed wonderfully. It was just a truly captivating story from beginning to end.


Lydia Kang has created something different but strangely beautiful within The November Girl. Haunting, powerful and moving, this story will draw from it's reader every emotion and leave them with a deeply satisfying feeling of hopefulness.


Rating:  
Source: Sent for review by Chapter by Chapter and the publisher (Thank you guys!)
Publisher:
Entangled Publishing 
Format: Kindle ebook
Release Date:
November 7th 2017  
Purchase: Bookworld | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon US  Amazon AU | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
Final Thoughts: Beautiful in it's haunting prose and stunning tale. I HIGHLY recommend!




 

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