I feel like Catriona Ward books should come with a disclaimer at the beginning of the novel…something along the lines of the choice/warning Morpheus gives Neo before he commits to embarking on a trip to crazytown, ya know something like “This your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You close the book, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to. You flip this page, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
And friends, the rabbit hole Ward creates is always deeper than you can possibly imagine. This story in particular maybe even more so than most! Just when you think you’re on semi-steady ground and you’ve got things figured out, BOOM!
The bottom drops out from under you and you have a whole new world to traverse. Although, the new world looks similar, like the one you were just figuring out but on slant. And there’s always a surprise or two along the way.
I love the way this story unfolds! In Looking Glass Sound Ward really exemplifies how writing or storytelling is its own brand of magic. It can hurt or heal, it can right wrongs or create them, it can immortalize or eradicate. This idea is woven into the story through every twist and turn.
The characters are raw and flawed and compelling. They help draw you in but they also destabilize everything you think you know about the truth. Their grief, fear, pain, regret, wants, needs (etc.), blur the lines of what’s fiction and what is fact. You not only feel for them but with them and that is more often than not overwhelming and disorienting (mostly in a good way!).
It also brings forward a haunting element to the story which I appreciated. I thoroughly enjoyed this wild trip and as always look forward to the next mindfu*k tale that Ward dreams up!
I received an ARC of this book from Tor Nightfire via NetGalley and this is my honest review.
Bookworm Coalition 