Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romantasy
Perfect for: Easy read, dark and cosy nights, escape
Rating: 5/5
I finished Skipshock weeks ago, and I can’t stop thinking about the characters. The book is so deeply unusual. And Caroline O’Donaghue is a master of world-building. One of the things that bothers me about fantasy is how often writers borrow ideas and creatures, and plotlines from each other. Ok, sure, yes, it is valuable to know what a wyvern is without going through the lore every time, but fantasy is meant to be about awe and wonder. Skipshock delivers it.
Caroline has created an entirely novel world. It’s like reading fantasy for the first time. I’d go so far as to say it was like reading The Chronicles of Narnia as a child. It avoids the classic romantasy character descriptions too. Instead, the characters have character. Scars, luminance, a way about them that makes them clear in your mind. Magical gifts aside, they seem normal.
The book follows Margo, a schoolgirl who takes a train to Dublin and ends up travelling between worlds. Without giving too much away, it's a beautiful, magic-filled allegory about how time is truly our most valuable asset.
I hope this spans into a good, long series.