The Wild Hunt

This book had so much potential, but it didn't quite manage to reach the mythic proportions of Yolen's storytelling abilities. She was clearly channeling Susan Cooper's the Dark is Rising series, the legends of the Wild Hunt, and the complexity of the fairy king and queen's rivalry, but the story was so short and underdeveloped that I feel like we only got a taste of the actual story.

I could understand how some might like this children's book - but I don't think I'll keep it around for my kids to read. I liked some of the story twists and thought that went into it, but the voices to me felt flat and some of the biggest twists were obvious from the start. Overall, the character development felt stunted and the big reveal wasn't much of a reveal with the ending feeling rushed and loose ends left loose.

I recall loving this book as a child—something about snow, hounds, an underground realm, multiple worlds. It took me many years for my mom and I to find it again in our bookcase. I just read it for a second time, and found it a bit hollow. It feels more an abstraction of a story than a story itself. That said, Mully (the dog), is still excellent, and the chateau is still beautiful. Maybe I should try some other Jane Yolens again.