Michael Knipp's Reviews > Marrow Charm

Marrow Charm is the story of a young girl trying to reunite herself with the ones she loves. Having spent her entire life underground in a town of people who can barely eek out an existence while constantly being on the threat of dying from a mysterious plague, Azure’s world is turned upside down when an outbreak occurs. The world that Kristin Jacques has created for this book contains unexpected twists and turns as it slowly dishes out slivers of its mystery.

The true draw of the story here is its strong adherence to teasing explanations to the reader so sparsely that every new clue creates even more questions to the nature of the magic that permeates Marrow Charm. Choosing to describe the vicious effects of the taint but giving very little descriptive details of the numerous haunting creatures in this tale keeps your imagination on overdrive as you try to piece together everything that is happening. Every time a character is introduced, the plot thickens and the world expands . Jacques tells a tale of magic that defies standard tropes or definitions.

There are points where the vagueness of certain aspects of the story did slow me down or force me to reassess my position on the book. At times, I struggled with the narrative flow of the exposition of events and their significance in light of the events of the story, but the narrative itself always remained compelling. Some of these elements might have been necessary evils in the enigma of this story’s world.

Ultimately the story did entice me to its completion, and I look forward to the next chapter in the life of Azure. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fantastical tale where answers are always kept just out of reach -- where magic is unpredictable and unexplainable. Thanks to Netgalley, The Parliament House, and Kristin Jacques for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.