Fabulous book with cool drawings to accompany the story. I read the ARC of this MG novel by the brilliant Lauren Oliver back in August. It will be out on October 4th and I want to encourage everyone to put it on their to-read list. In a letter to the reader, Lauren says that she wrote the novel in a "concentrated two-month period at the end of 2009." She had recently lost one of her best friends and was working through the tough emotions connected to the loss, fantasizing about taking his ashes and scattering them over the water, the one place he always felt at peace. This thought transformed into the journey of Liesl who lost her father and wishes to "restore the ashes of a loved one to a peaceful place."
Liesl and Po is a very personal novel for Lauren. It's so beautifully written and imaginative. The loss of her father is just the beginning of the terrible trials in her life. She has a wicked stepmother who keeps her locked up and barely feeds her. She's alone. But Liesl's life changes dramatically when the ghost Po shows up with a interesting companion.
The world which Liesl lives is a dark one, in more ways than one. Light has been stolen by a greedy alchemist to create a spell for the wealthy Lady Premier. (You have to read the novel to find out what it is.) The alchemist's assistant Will, a boy who's horribly mistreated, accidentally misplaces the magic in an understandable mix-up. Unfortunately, his actions are unforgivable to the alchemist and the Lady Premier. And from there his journey begins.
The intertwining stories of Liesel, Po, and Will is action-packed with plenty of surprises. There's good guys and bad guys and of course, magic. Lauren tackles an extremely difficult subject of losing someone you love and presents a fantastical story of friendship, loss and life, hope and renewal.
Another winner by Lauren Oliver!