Edgewood

By Kristen Ciccarelli. Pub Date 03/01/2022

3.5 stars. Best enjoyed when you want a contemporary fae love story laced with a little heartbreak.

TW: amnesia/dementia/Alzheimers

Emeline Lark’s passion lies in her music, even as her voice seems to summon echos of vines and roots from folklore-laden woods where she grew up. Her biggest dream is to see her name in marquee lights. However, when the perfect opportunity shows itself and she gets the chance to tour with her favorite band, she is learns that her grandfather, the man you raised her, has disappeared from his assisted living home. When she goes to investigate, she learns that he has tithed himself to the Wood King, an ancient being that is said to keep the wood and its villagers alive.

Emeline travels to the kingdom at the center of the dangerous wood in order to find her grandfather with the help of Hawthorne, the King’s tithe collector. She trades herself as the King’s new singer in exchange for her Pa. The King accepts Emeline’s trade…with a stipulation. She must find and perform all of his former Song Mage’s songs or forfeit her life. As Emeline sets out on this dangerous path, she learns not only the source of the corruption that has been slowly taking the woods around the kingdom, but also stumbles across the secrets of her own past and her connection to the very wood that would rather eat her alive than let her save it.

Edgewood was a great story once I got into it. However, I do need to admit that for me personally it exploited some very real fears and traumas I have related to amnesia, forgetting, and Alzheimer’s.  As long as you are prepared for that, this emotional journey will take you places. There were definite twists and turns that I never saw coming, a magnetic pull between our two MCs, and well kept secrets I would have never expected even half way through the book. The story was largely about love, loss, and determination.

*Spoiler* The ending was very sad to me and broke my heart thoroughly. It was by far the most traumatic ending to a book I have experienced lately. That said, the book was still worth it and I did enjoy the journey.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Kristen Ciccarelli for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.