Kearney has a beautiful writing style with occasional moments of lyricism reminiscent of Dylan Thomas. The story itself is an intriguing blend of grim fantasy and psychodrama as he uses the usual genre tropes (namely a fantastical quest marred by roadblocks and hardships) as an allegory for one young teen's troubled adolescence. Or is it an older man looking back on his life's decisions with a mix of longing and regret? Either way the use of evocative language and shifting timelines makes for an immersive read and those final bittersweet pages can't help but make you wonder if you had a chance to do it all over again....would you? A dark and sober fairytale for adults. ( )

The best novel of its kind that I've read since [b:The Silent Strength of Stones|473867|The Silent Strength of Stones (Chapel Hollow #2)|Nina Kiriki Hoffman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330274707s/473867.jpg|462130]. ( )

Bought it last night read it thru in one sitting !

That is testament to the way this adventure fantasy will keep you turning the pages.

Reminded me a bit of my friend Barry's favorite, [b:Weaveworld|959961|Weaveworld|Clive Barker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1387741737s/959961.jpg|942564] and one of my favorites, [b:Stardust|16793|Stardust|Neil Gaiman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328433738s/16793.jpg|3166179], but this is its own world with its own secret ways.
( )

This was a fantastic read. It's a darker look at a fairy tale, a book that explores the tropes of traditional fairy tales while still treading new ground. His next book in the series (The Way to Babylon) had a sweet feel to much of it; while bad things could happen, the outlook overall felt positive. This book felt like its opposite: the alternate world that our protagonist comes to explore is indeed a rather grim place. And yet, the magic is there. The contrast and overlap between the two worlds here -- "modern" Ireland and the "fairy world" is what really makes this book. Paul Kearney is almost criminally unrecognized, despite being a fine writer of fantasy. This book isn't really traditional fantasy, though, and perhaps that's why it hasn't become better known. It comes off as a mix of literature, fantasy, and horror. It's a great mix and well worth the read if you enjoy these genres or any of Paul Kearney's other work. ( )

A Dark twisted fairy tale. An adult tale that does not shy away from graphic sexual moments or violence. Time travel and visits to an alternate plane where things are very different.
I really wanted to love this book. An fairy tale set in 20th century Ireland, with something in the woods. Sounded great to me, just my kind of read. Sadly, I did not enjoy it as much and I hoped.
We follow Michael, a young teen, in his search for his sister who disappeared after having relations with someone in the woods. His search takes him into another world of frightening beasts and new world rules. He travels with Cat, a girl from this world who has connected with him romantically. The world is dark dangerous and extremely interesting. Too bad Michael's ramblings weren’t because there seemed to be a lot of them. His story passes from times and worlds while we watch his shut down into the bottom of a bottle.
What went wrong for me ? I had a terrible time with the constant POV/time changes. There was no clear indication of who was talking, where they were and what time frame it was. I spent the first 1/2 of the book semi lost, looking back to see of I missed a page. I thought Michael talked about everything too much, over and over. It was a chore for me to finish this book and I was so disappointed in the ending. This was not a book I enjoyed at all in the end. I am giving it 3 stars for it’s very creative story even though it didn’t work for me. ( )