Where the Dark Stands Still

I hate making comparisons like this, but I feel it to be true in this case, it felt like Naomi Novick's Uprooted and Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle had a baby, with a bit of Jim Henson's Storyteller series thrown in for good measure. Since I happen to really love all of those, this book was right up my alley. There was a strange balance between cozy cottage fantasy and something a little bit darker. There was an edge to it, that didn't devolve into horror by any stretch of the imagination but gave it a grim feel in places. I think that Poranek does a really good job of paying tribute to old folktales in that aspect. Poranek's descriptions are sumptuous and plunge you into the Driada forest world dripping with magic and mystery and ancient things, and that of its strange denizens and the delightful sentient house at the center. I liked that the main character had some pluck and growth and wasn't just going along for the ride. I've gotten tired of YA with waif main characters, and was happy to see the main female lead step up and use resourcefulness, kindness, grit, and bravery. Overall, the story just had a dark charm to it that I enjoyed. I certainly feel like getting lost in my own magical forest now! If you like old folktales, Grimm fairytales (original) with a dash of romance, then it will be right up your alley.