The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse, by Brian Farrey, was published in 2016 by Algonquin.
In the center of the verdant Monarchy lies Dreadwillow Carse, a desolate bog the people of the land do their best to ignore. Little is known about it except an ominous warning: If any monarch enters Dreadwillow Carse, then the Monarchy will fall. Twelve-year-old Princess Jeniah yearns to know what the marsh could conceal that might topple her family’s thousand-year reign. After a chance meeting, Princess Jeniah strikes a secret deal with Aon, a girl from a nearby village: Aon will explore the Carse on the princess’s behalf, and Jeniah will locate Aon’s missing father. But when Aon doesn’t return from the Carse, a guilt-stricken Jeniah must try and rescue her friend—even if it means risking the entire Monarchy.
Rating: 4/5
The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse is quite a different book from Farrey’s Vengekeep series, which I liked. I like it when authors branch out and do different things. While a little obvious in places and a little over-the-top in others, Dreadwillow Carse discusses the importance of emotions in bringing people together. The book reminded me a lot of Inside Out, actually, since the emphasis was on sadness.
Farrey outlines very well what it would be like to live in a place where the people are only capable of one emotion. Because we are seeing things through Jeniah’s and Aon’s eyes, two people who can feel the whole range of the emotional scale, we see just how shallow and empty those people’s lives are and how important Jeniah’s choice at the end of the book is (and we know why her choice is the correct one).
It’s a simple book, but Dreadwillow Carse discusses a lot of important things, such as the burden of guilt (and other things) and its effect on people; the role of sadness, worry, etc. in a person’s life; and the nature of sacrifice.
That’s not to say it’s not without its flaws: as I mentioned above, the book is fairly obvious in terms of plot and some of its scenes are a little over-the-top, such as the letter exchanges. The message also tends to get a little heavy-handed in places, but not overbearingly so, thankfully.
However, in this case, I think the benefits of The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse outweigh its flaws. The ideas are communicated well, the book is gloomy and enchanting in all the right places, and even for all its obviousness at times, it held my interest and I found it an enjoyable read.
Recommended Age Range: 12+
Warnings: None.
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade
“I don’t believe,” she said, eying the falcon above, “that animals are allowed in the library.”
“And why not?” the man demanded, scratching his thick beard. “Gerheart up there? He has as much right to learn as anyone.”
“But he can’t read.”
“Reading,” the man said, pulling up a chair, “is just one way of learning. For example, my name is Skonas. There, you learned something by hearing. True?”
Jeniah found herself gripping the sides of her chair tightly. What sort of tutor was this? “My mother said you would teach me how to be queen,” she said, sitting up straight.
“Did she? I don’t recall that being in the job description.”
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