A.M. Dellamonica

This unique contemporary fantasy is probably going to be one of my top reads for the year.

When Astrid inherited her father's run-down old house, she expects a life of small-town drudgery. With her step-brother and her old friend Sahara as housemates, she's simply eager to have everyone she loves together in the same house. Then she finds her father had a secret: the house hides a well of pure, blue magic. Her father had a knack for enchanting everyday objects with this magic, and used them show more to brighten the lives of strangers even as he was regarded as the town drunk and eccentric. However, Astrid's friend Sahara has no intention of doing the same old-same old. Sahara wants to find out where the magic comes from. She wants to know what it can do. And she doesn't mind using her enemies--and-friends--to get what she wants.

This book hooked me right away. It follows a narrative structure like one of my very favorite books, The Sparrow, and alternates between the past and the present. From the events in the present, it's immediately clear that everything has gone horribly wrong. It's disturbing, fascinating, and beautiful all at once. I had to read on as fast as possible because I needed to find out what happened. Really, the events of the past were even more important than what would happen in the future. And when everything converged... wow. There's not a single stock character in this book. Astrid is a complicated and conflicted heroine, and Sahara is a force of nature who reminds me of a few people I've known in my own life. Not only is this book a keeper, but I intend to buy the sequel as soon as it comes out next year. show less

(solid 3.5)

This is a hard book to review, mostly because I'm so conflicted. Do I like the book? I like parts of it. Very much! And then there are aspects of the book I'm just very . . . confused on, so much so that it brings my rating (and enjoyment of the novel) from 5 to 3.5.

Book content warnings:
transphobia (??)

When it comes to fantasy apocalyptic novels, Indigo Springs is the most original book I've ever read, by far. It begins with our protag, Astrid, already in police custody and being show more questioned by our 1st-person PoV character. Through him--and Astrid--we learn how the world fell into (magical) chaos.

Besides that, the book has bi representation! Astrid is bisexual and actually says the word. :O I know, right? Thought it's upsetting that both her women love interests turn out to be villains (:////) and only her male love interest turns out to be the 100% amazingly pure good character (make that really upsetting, because the main villain is the evil, manipulative, sex-crazy bisexual stereotype).

And then we come to why I'm very, very confused about this book: Astrid's mom and whether this book is transphobic or contains trans rep. Honestly? It's probably neither, and that's what makes me so frustrated. I wish this whole issue was left out entirely.

Astrid's mom is introduced as a very unstable character who lives within a delusion, which is the actual book the word uses. This delusion includes calling Astrid a boy, thinking of themself as the character of a book they love (a detective), and . . . thinking they're male. They also peculiarly grow bristly hair that keeps on growing despite how they pluck them every night (I'm using "they" pronouns for this character because nothing was ever, ever clear about this character or their actual preferred pronouns until the very end, and even then, I was left confused).

It became clear that this delusion was the cause of magical contamination. Contamination that is generally understood to be bad, and harmful, and could turn people insane.

After learning this . . . it's hard not to go back to Astrid's mom and think--especially after learning Astrid's mom discovered the concept of gender dysphoria and wanted to start taking testosterone--trans people = insanity according to this book ?? ESPECIALLY after Astrid siphoned the magical contamination out of her mother and all this dysphoria was gone! Her mother was even wearing a bra again, and how happy Astrid was at that!!

But then at the very end, Astrid's mother was truly healed, and they became . . . male. Thinking of the book's viewpoint on this issue previously, this doesn't make sense? And it confuses me. I mean, of course I'm . . . glad? But it just confuses me more, and I'm just not sure where this book stands. It leaves me feeling uneasy.

Anyway, besides those issues, this book is so original and well written. The climax falls a little flat and is over too soon, but I've never read something so creative. I'll probably read on. show less

This is one of those stories where someone from the world we know is magically transported to another realm. Sophie was on a mission to find out more about the biological family who gave her up for adoption - she loves her parents and brother dearly, blood ties or no, but she’s curious. When she and her newly discovered aunt fall through a portal into another world, that curiosity continues to drive her, and it’s awesome. Usually the characters these things happen to just accept it or show more refuse to accept it, but when Sophie finds herself in this land of pirates and magic, she decides she’s going to science the shit out of this. She’s all “I don’t recognise those constellations, gotta take photos of every new species I encounter, please help me collect samples, hmm what language does this language resemble, tell me more about your culture!” and I love it. show less

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
allthingsuf.com

As thrilling as stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia, Dellamonica’s CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA marries our modern world to to it’s exotic, magical alter-ego. Dropped into the warm oceans of a fantasy world, Stormwrack, Sophie Hansa needs every drop of the curiosity, intelligence, and adrenaline seeking skills she learned at home to adapt to the challenges ahead.

And it was just this mix of personal ability and magic that made this show more book irresistible. While exploring a new world is nothing new for contemporary fantasy, Sophie and her brother Bram do so with zest and personal abilities, not through the emergence of heretofore unknown magical legacies. Their very human approach, albeit aided by considerable intellect and prior knowledge in natural sciences, opens up this new world in a very believable fashion. From examining wildlife to untangling the maritime society that dominates Stormwrack, Sophie and Bram paint a vivd picture of this world.

Against the photojournalistic splendor of Stormwrack, it is no surprise that the characters themselves sometimes seem a bit thin. While Sophie doesn’t lack for drive and depth, the simple language that shows off biological and magical phenomena leaves the human element of this story to be a little understated. Despite this imbalance, the strong plot and world more than carry the characters forward, to the point when readers have time to fall in love with all three equally. Fans of Marie Brennan’s blend of magic and science will love this book, and CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA left me wanting another trip back to Stormwrack.

Sexual Content: References to sex. show less