Indigo Springs
99. A. M. Dellamonica, Indigo Springs
In the first chapter of this novel, Astrid Lethewood is in a prison cell being interrogated by a government official named Will Forest. An unprecedented worldwide disaster has just occurred, and now Astrid’s best friend Sahara is creating magical monsters, wreaking havoc with the U.S. military, and claiming to be a goddess. As Astrid begins to explain what happened, the novel flashes back to when Astrid inherited her father’s old house and returned to her hometown of Indigo Springs. Astrid, along with Sahara and Jacks (Astrid’s stepbrother), discovers a small collection of magical objects that her father left behind. At first, the three friends are excited about their discovery, but then Astrid discovers that the magic is much more powerful and more dangerous than she believed. In telling her story to Will, Astrid hopes to make amends for the havoc she unwittingly caused, and possibly to further her own secret agenda.
I suppose this novel can be classified as urban fantasy, since it involves magical elements but is set in the real world. Yet this book manages to provide a refreshingly unique story that’s unlike every other urban-fantasy novel I’ve read. The magical system is confusing at first, but as the narrative progresses, everything makes a lot more sense; some of the aspects of Astrid’s world that seemed to come out of nowhere actually became very important later on. I should also mention that Astrid is bisexual, which might make you more or less interested in the book, but her romantic feelings for women are actually very integral to the plot. Overall, I was impressed by the creativity of this book, but for some reason I didn’t love it. Maybe knowing the climax ahead of time made the journey a little less satisfying. I’m not sure; but while the book was an interesting read, I don’t think it’s a keeper.