The Edge of Strange Hollow by Gabrielle K. Byrne

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Edge of Strange Hollow by Gabrielle K. Byrne April Spisak Byrne, Gabrielle K. The Edge of Strange Hollow. Imprint, 2021 [384p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250624666 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250624673 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-8 Poppy’s family is unusual: her parents work in the Grimwood forest with the place’s dangerous magical creatures. Banned from the wood for her own safety, she is helpless when her mother and father disappear, but despite her lack of knowledge she’s determined to save them and her town as well. She’s also not good at listening, taking advice, or being patient, and her approach of flinging herself headlong into danger and scrambling to figure it out on the fly lands her in all sorts of additional trouble before she finally finds a solution (with the help of many far more level-headed, sage allies) that keeps both the townsfolk and magical creatures safe. There’s a nifty suggestion that beyond the thick fogs that both protect and isolate this region there exists our regular world (IKEA is mentioned as a grand mystery, for example). The concept of the true monsters being people rather than the actual monstrous creatures is a well-worn one, but Byrne effectively shades nearly all of her characters with elements of selfishness and altruism. Rather than being a showdown of pure good versus evil, it’s more about the limits of community against self-interest. For those drawn by the supernatural side, fairies, enspirited trees, valkyries, and even a cerberus share space here, providing a true cornucopia of fantasy interest. [End Page 330] Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois