Chapter 9: The Wilds of Oregon

I bought Wildwood by Colin Meloy almost immediately after it was released because I'm a huuuuuuge Decemberist's fan. They are hands down my favorite band. I was excited for this book not just because the lead singer was the author but the premise of it is great.

It's about a young girl named Prue who lives in Portland just on the edge of the Impassable Wilderness, an untouched area across the river which seems strangely aloof from the bustling city next to it. One day her baby brother is kidnapped by a flock of strange birds so she and her friend Curtis set out on a quest to get him back. Armed with her bicycle and her quick wits she is a formidable opponent to this strange land filled with Bandits, coyote soldiers, Avian Monarchs, and a mysterious but obviously evil ruler.

I will start out by saying that I loved this book. I thought a lot of the elements used in it were creative, original, and intriguing. The writing style was fantastic and the beautiful illustrations by Carson Ellis worked well with the text to give a really vivid picture of the world. I loved Prue as a main character, I thought she was smart and sassy and strong (exactly who I wanted to be when I was 12). But the criticism I will give it is that the plot and it's tropes are very conventional. It felt a lot of the time like a more modern retelling of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I don't want to give away too many details but let's just say that the story follows a similar arc with different characters and settings. It was enjoyable but a bit too familiar and predictable.

Wildwood by Colin Meloy (576 pages)

Judgement: Aesthetically Pleasing (7 out of 10)