The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

Arha's isolated existence as high priestess in the tombs of Atuan is jarred by a thief who seeks a special treasure.

This story is simple (in fact, it's for kids) but like the first EarthSea book it filled up my heart. Something about it rang true. I'll return to this story and it's many images when I need a reminder of how and why we climb up out of the dark.

Another great story from Earthsea.

This story follows Tenar, later Arha, then later again Tenar in a fascinating entry in The Earthsea Cycle. The story is gripping, the world is beautifully developed, and the writing is once again fantastic.

Dang that was the longest cave exploration ever.
Excellent commentary on the sad reality of religious zealotry, and the cruelty of involving children before they are able to choose for themselves.

I enjoyed this. It felt like an original world-setting, it was nice to encounter a fantasy world that didn't lean on well established tropes. I want to learn more about the world, so I'll probably read the other 2 books at some point. The story was quite... limited? Felt like a short story more than a full novel. Not that it felt like it was dragged out, but just that it was a very simple plot.

But that makes way for good themes, setting, and the development of the main character. LeGuin packs in a sense of time passing and emotional maturing to this short novel. There's a tender and realistic demonstration of what loss of hitherto-unshakable faith is like, and mixed into that a critique of dogma and religion as well. It's nice to see deeper themes like this in YA fiction.

As well as being, to a lesser extent, a journey of events, people, and places, it's also an emotional journey from darkness into light, with Tenar ending up a very different person at the end; less sure of herself, wounded by her past, but free and more whole. One thing I really love to see is complex, flawed characters, and Tenar feels real and alive in this book. It's my first time reading LeGuin, but I can tell already they have a way of capturing the human spirit, and I look forward to exploring more of their work.