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Book Review of The Shadow Year

The Shadow Year
SteveTheDM avatar reviewed on + 204 more book reviews


This was a slightly spooky suspense novel set in some small town someplace, where the main protagonists are a trio of young teens, and in that sense it reminded me a lot of Stephen King. But this novel was different than anything Ive ever read before.

There was a plot there, but it was hard to notice most of the time. Instead, Ford made each chapter its own little vignette, full of well-crafted description, and yet not all description. There is magic here, a magic in the commonplace and mystery of the world, and Ford brings that out each time, even if it doesnt advance his narrative much at all.

Its hard for novels with little plot to grab my attention. This one managed to keep it quite well, even if it did read utterly different than any novel Ive ever read.

4 of 5 stars.