On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

Fantasy. 304 Pages. 4 Stars

Synopsis:

Now in hardcover for the first time, featuring all-new illustrations! Once, in a cottage above the cliffs on the Dark Sea of Darkness, there lived three children and their trusty dog, Nugget.

Janner Igiby, his brother, Tink, and their disabled sister, Leeli, are gifted children as all children are, loved well by a noble mother and ex-pirate grandfather. But they will need all their gifts and all that they love to survive the evil pursuit of the venomous Fangs of Dang, who have crossed the dark sea to rule the land with malice. The Igibys hold the secret to the lost legend and jewels of good King Wingfeather of the Shining Isle of Anniera.

Full of characters rich in heart, smarts, and courage, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is a tale children of all ages will cherish, families can read aloud, and readers’ groups are sure to enjoy discussing for its many layers of meaning. Extra features include new interior illustrations from Joe Sutphin, funny footnotes, a map of the fantastical world, inventive appendices, and fanciful line art in the tradition of the original Frank L. Baum Wizard of Oz storybooks.

My Review:

So I’ve been hearing about this book (and this series) for a few years now by a whole lot of people. It came with the highest of recommendations, and finally, I caved and bought the book.

The story starts out kind of slow. The whole time I read the book, I had this…this sense of holding my breath and peeking around the corner. I was just waiting to see how everything would unfold. It honestly held some suspense for me. I was waiting for the shoe to drop since I’d been told how epic the series is, waiting to see what made the story such a big deal and when we’d drop into the deep end. But Peterson told a much smoother, gradual story with this book. I get the feeling he’s laying the foundation and this is just the beginning.

I did really enjoy the mystery of this book. I spent most of the book trying to puzzle out what was happening, and even when I did finally start piecing things together, I really appreciated the journey. Everything clicked together and made sense when it was supposed to. Even if I got it before the characters did, it was enjoyable to see how things tied together and watch the characters come to the same realizations I did.

The story has this touch of home to it that was peaceful and lowkey. We follow these three children around in this relatively normal little town, and as the story progresses–albeit slowly–there are strange little occurrences or bumps in the road that just sort of pop up here and there throughout the story. I felt like I needed to be on guard for something to pop out and begin some epic fantasy battle or something but only toward the very end did things start picking up.

But, oddly, that wasn’t a necessarily bad thing. The real richness of this read for me was the world and the writing style. The world was so cool and so fun. It had such depth and unique quirks that fascinated me. And the style in which Peterson tells this tale greatly amused me. It had a strong…I don’t quite know how to put it. The narrator told a story, much like Lewis’s narrator tells the Narnian stories, and seemed a bit of his own character. The little asides and quirky tidbits about seemingly irrelevant information, such as book titles for reference or histories on instruments, and the almost backwards way of describing everything was unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a novel. I was absolutely enthralled by the stylistic choices Peterson made in this book.

I’m certainly intrigued by the plot, and curious to know where it’s all leading. I’m sure I’ll be hooked in at some point, and I’ve heard the first book isn’t the fan favorite. But the world and writing really stood out to me personally.

The characters were quite distinct, too. Each one had his own feel and tone and style, which I really enjoyed. I liked how they were easy to tell apart and each played their own role together like pieces on a chess board. I’m curious to learn more about them, and about how the structure of the world works, and what happened in the Great War. This book just left me more curious than anything else, really! XD I don’t quite know what to make of it yet.

I think the saga will deepen thematically as I go on, from what I’m told, but I could already feel hints here and there of allegorical themes that could become stronger in subsequent books. It’s MG and Christian fiction, so there is no foul language, no romance, and very mild violence. A few fight scenes with a little blood here and there. I’d be comfortable giving this to a middle schooler.

As a note, I also listened to the audio book because that has been conducive to my schedule as of late. And may I just say that the narrator for this book did a fantastic job! He had a rich voice and handled the crazy writing and words excellently! Oh, also, the illustrations in this edition were a really neat addition to the reading experience!

More:

The second book in the Wingfeather Saga is North! or Be Eaten! (5 Stars)

The third book is The Monster in the Hollows (5 Stars)

The fourth book is The Warden and the Wolf King (5 Stars)

I rated and reviewed the above on Goodreads. This series should be read in order. Click the links above for more info.

On GraceBought

See my thoughts on the next book in the series below!

North! Or Be Eaten