EDGEWOOD: A REVIEW WITH SPOILERS
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READ EDGEWOOD: A REVIEW WITH SPOILERS
Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli was released earlier in 2022.
The story is about a young girl who dreams of traveling the world and becoming a famous singer. She is so very close to achieving everything she’s ever wanted, but a mysterious force in nature keeps trying to call her back home to Edgewood.
This book is full of mystery, fantasy, relatable characters, surprise twists, and a little romance. It is a pretty quick read, and definitely something you want to add to your TBR list ASAP!
Keep reading to see a summary of the book, plus details on the plot, characters, fantasy elements, and the official Books 4 Movies Review Rating!
SUMMARY
Can love survive the dark?
“Edgewood has everything I love in a Kristen Ciccarelli book: lyrical prose, a romance that will hurt, and themes rooted in raw and intimate questions, making for a timeless tale.” – Joan He, New York Times bestselling author of The Ones We’re Meant to Find
No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.
When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.
Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal―her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.
With the help of Hawthorne―an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day―Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.
Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli’s Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.
THE CHARACTERS
The majority of the main characters in Edgewood are pretty relatable, especially the main character, Emeline. However, there are a couple of characters that, even though they aren’t human, just don’t seem all that relatable. They were missing depth and interesting qualities, which made them a little boring to read about.
The characters listed here are the main ones that appear either throughout the entire story, or they lend a big hand in moving the plot forward.
EMELINE
Our main character, Emeline, is a young singer who just wants to time to shine. Throughout the entire book, she has two main goals – to save her Grandfather and to get herself signed to a famous record label.
As we get closer to the conclusion of the book, Emeline’s values and goals change. Her love for Hawthorne, the woods, her friends, and what she realizes will make her truly happy come to the forefront.
The change in her attitude and what drives her is startling and beautiful to experience with her. I may have shed a tear a two…
HAWTHORNE
Hawthorne is the main character’s love interest. We don’t learn until much later in the book just how deep this love goes, but you are going to be very surprised by it! It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers trope… but with a big twist at the end!
He is well-read, poetic, and artistic. He pushes Emeline to be her best self instead of trying to be the hero all of the time. He is the male love interest that we all love to read about.
SABLE
I LOVE Sable! She is an LGBT character, which we definitely need more of! She is strong and protective, and I imagine her to be incredibly attractive. Also, she is a Shiftling with a wolf form… who doesn’t love a good wolf character?
My only issue is that she does not come up often enough. I wish she had more lines that I could quote or characteristics that I could love or hate.
ROOKE
There is only one part of the book where Rooke is in the spotlight, which is really depressing because he would be the perfect character for readers to fall in love with.
I wouldn’t mind reading an entire book from Rookes POV!
EMELINES GRANDFATHER
I honestly wish Emeline’s Grandfather had more lines. She clearly loves him very very much, but as readers, we just don’t get the opportunity to love him too.
Maybe the issue is that the book just isn’t long enough?
It seems like he could have been given a slightly bigger role, especially since the ENTIRE plot of the book stems from trying to rescue him from the Wood King and get him safely home.
THE VILE
The Vile is the “villain” of the story. I put that in quotations because the concept of one main evil character causing all of the chaos is not black and white, there is a big gray area.
If you like villains that are morally gray and not as evil as they are made to be, then you’ll love The Vile too!
Spoiler alert: Before she became truly evil, she killed the man keeping her hostage, which is such a badass thing to do! That damsel in distress saved herself and made sure he couldn’t hurt anyone else… Which is one of the main reasons why she is one of the best characters!
FANTASY ELEMENTS
THIS IS A LOW-FANTASY NOVEL. THERE ARE TWO WORLDS IN THIS STORY – ONE OF THE MAGICAL FOREST, AND THE REAL WORLD.
Some of the magical elements found in Edgewood include Singing voices, The Wood King, the forest, talking trees, and various creatures.
MAGICAL VOICE
The main character, Emeline, has a beautiful voice that connects to the magic of the woods and nature. Her voice is able to do incredible things, like make scary creatures sleep, open up your secrets, and heal.
THE WOOD KING
The Wood King is the overseeing powerful force in the woods. He keeps everything connected, and is in charge of the safety of all living beings in the woods.
Since his essence is directly tied to the woods, whatever happens to it, also happens to him.
MAGIC IN THE WOODS
The woods have deep magic of their own. They are directly connected to the Wood King and all other living beings that reside in it.
The biggest magical element that the woods has is its ability to collect tithes, or sacrifices, and change them into the magic that heals and protects all living things within the forest.
TALKING TREES
Early on, we realize that the trees actually communicate with Emeline. They watch over her, protect her, and love her.
They get upset when she doesn’t sing them a “true song” and they are happy when she comes back to visit the woods.
FANTASY CREATURES
Here is a complete list of the fantasy creatures that appear in the book:
- SHADOW SKINS
- EMBER MARES
- SHIFTLINGS
- THE VILE
- THE WOOD KING
- CLAW – the beast protecting the Song Mages music
PLOT...AND TWISTS
I counted three major plot twists in this book, and these are plot twists that I DID NOT SEE COMING!
Let’s be honest, we book lovers have read so many books that we can spot a “plot twist” long before it comes up.
These plot twists were written so well, that I didn’t realize that I had read the hints until after the book had ended.
RATING
4/5
PLOT
I absolutely love this plot! I wish it was longer and more drawn out. The twists and turns are well-placed and very fun to read. The ideas seem to be influenced by other fantasy stories, but not in an obvious way. For example, The Vile reminds me of Maleficent – a misunderstood evil villain who everyone portrays to be evil but no one ever cared to really look into her situation. Although there is some influence, I would say that this story is very original.
The ending is especially great! There is a role reversal. It is one that I did not see coming, and I am very happy for it.
The story concludes in a nice little bow, but there is enough room for the possibility of a 2nd book, which I will buy and read asap (if one is ever written).
If I were basing my rating just on the plot, then this book would get an easy 5 stars.
CHARACTERS
I love the concept of all the characters, but there really wasn’t a lot of room to love or hate any of them.
Rooke and Sable, who are 3rd tier main characters, only have a few lines. In fact, Rooke doesn’t even appear in most of the book. He shows up in the beginning, is briefly shown a couple of times after that, and then we don’t see or hear from him again until the very end.
The reason this book has 4 stars instead of 5 is solely because most of the characters are more like vague concepts than actual beings for us to love and fan-girl over. Emeline and Hawthorne are the only two characters that we really SEE and get the opportunity to love. Honestly, most of Hawthorne’s most endearing moments don’t happen until the end of the book, when Emeline has flashbacks.
WRITING STYLE & QUOTES
There are MANY great quotes in this book. The poems and songs are especially wonderful!
My only issue with the writing is that there isn’t enough. Many little adventures happen, so there is not enough space for us to really fall in love with any one character.
Kristen Ciccarelli puts more effort into creating several action sequences than allowing us to learn more about the other characters in the book. Even the grandfather, who is the driving force behind most of Emeline’s actions, does not have enough lines or spotlight moments. I would love to have had the chance to love him the way that Emeline does.
ADAPTABILITY
Not all books are meant to become tv shows, movies, or Broadway plays. In fact, there are many movies and shows out now that really shouldn’t have been adapted.
Although there are many elements of Edgewood that would look great on-screen, there just isn’t enough going on for an adaptation.
Some of the elements that I think would be fantastic include:
- The talking trees
- Singing, especially in an unearthly, magical way
- The switch between the real world and the magical world in the woods
- Ember Mares and Shiftlings
- The love story
Elements that probably won’t adapt well (unless producers have TOP NOTCH graphics or elements that are lacking:
- The Vile
- Claw
- Rooke and Sable
- The Wood King
- The internal struggle with songwriting
- Memory
RE-READABILITY
I would definitely read this book again, but it doesn’t land on my top 10 list. Honestly, it doesn’t even land on my top 20 list. If this book becomes a series, and I get to see more of the characters and fantasy elements and romance, then I will get into this book more.
This book is a great quick read. There is enough romance and heartbreak and fantasy to keep me interested, but it’s not enough to bring me back over and over again.
This is the kind of book that I will read in between binging multiple heavy book series, to cleanse my literary palate.
CONCLUSION
I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you are looking for a low-fantasy novel with relatable characters. This is a light read that doesn’t leave any major cliff-hangers, but there is a little wriggle room for a potential 2nd book.
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