Alex Smith (1)

I have such mixed views of this book... It is very much a Secret Garden-eque tale of a spoiled rich girl learning that others matter and minding a hidden world (or worlds in this case). I hated it at the start. I wasn't enjoying the tone and Erin was just unpleasant. I wanted to just put it down and forget about it, but I was still interested in the keys and doors so I soldiered on. I probably started enjoying it somewhere around a third of the way through - far longer than most would have stuck with it for. And I do feel like I missed parts of the earlier story, which may have impacted how I processed the rest.

I enjoyed Erin discovering art and creativity. I definitely think it helped her bond with her aunt a lot. And I loved the concept of the worlds. My favourite is probably the underwater one. The characters are interesting and complex, although I just say that I just found Kelwyn creepy and never liked him (although I know he represents a trope any people enjoy so maybe it's just me).

If you enjoyed the Secret Garden (specifically the character growth and the magic of hidden places), I think you might like this book if you can find it. If you're not a big fan at the start as I was, it's also probably worth pushing on a bit since the tone does change and the characters become more enjoyable to read about as Erin grows.… (mais)