Kat's Reviews > In Other Lands

This book broke my heart a little bit. In typical Sarah Rees Brennan fashion, it is by turns hilarious, absurd, breathtakingly romantic, and bitterly, bitterly sad. Our young hero, Elliott, has the worst parents since a Diana Wynne Jones novel, and basically no people skills whatsoever. He's not the sort of kid you'd expect to wind up in magic land, or to be the main character of a fantasy novel, and his struggles to figure out himself and his relationships and his place in the world are so real: sometimes you facepalm at his lack of clue, and sometimes you want to give the poor kid a big hug, even if he would probably hate that.

I'm starting to babble, because it's hard to describe how this book affected me. I loved it, and I devoured it in no time flat, but it's a raw and often painful read. The best way that I can put it, is that it's a very strong book, or potent, like strong coffee or liquor. I am grown now (and unlike Elliot I have awesome parents), with wonderful, beloved friends and a family of my own, but I still remember being that friendless, lonely kid, desperate for even a drop of love or approval, and in places this novel cuts to the bone.

Which is to say, Brennan has written a masterpiece. A hilarious, strange, and brutally real masterpiece. With, you know, elves and mermaids and stuff. 😁

ETA: The most common complaint in the negative reviews I have read seems to be that this book is a coming-of-age tale dressed up in fantasy clothing, and that's absolutely true. If you are looking for your typical action-fantasy yarn, where the brave hero learns to kick ass and beat up demons/evil wizards/dragons/ogres/whatever, well, this is not that book. There are, however, plenty of instances of that book out there already, and the world probably doesn't need another one. That the "exciting" action-y bits happen off-stage, as it were, is part of the actual point of the novel; it is not a bug, but a feature. If that fails to appeal to you, I would gently suggest that this book isn't for you. I don't think it's for everyone. I do know it's for me.

Also, the illustrations are great.