Since starting Fox Spirit my reading has dropped off dramatically, but I am going to do better in 2016. I will also be sharing anything outstanding on here. I posted about The Night Circus last year and over Christmas I read The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey and I thought it was wonderful. I will try to articulate why without spoilering.
Carey kicks off from the perspective of a little girl Melanie, living a very odd life, and allows the reader to unravel the mystery of what is going on, with a sense of slowly growing horror. The reader knows something is not right with the situation, the restraint of the children, the way they are showered and fed, and by the time the reason is revealed the reader is already suspicious. It takes longer for Melanie to understand and accept the reality of what is going on.
The novel is beautifully paced and continues to draw out elements of mystery and discovery all the way through. The characters, at first two dimensional from the perspective of the Melanie, are pleasingly complex and human as the book unravels. Once the early mystery of Melanie’s nature and situation are revealed the tropes of it’s particular sub genre are largely obeyed, but with a flair and originality that kept me reading and wanting to know how it would all resolve.
The resolution itself left me satisfied. It was a neat conclusion that pulled no punches. Heartily recommend this novel.