Synopsis

Echo Alkaev’s safe and carefully structured world falls apart when her father leaves for the city and mysteriously disappears. Believing he is lost forever, Echo is shocked to find him half-frozen in the winter forest six months later, guarded by a strange talking wolf—the same creature who attacked her as a child. The wolf presents Echo with an ultimatum: if she lives with him for one year, he will ensure her father makes it home safely. But there is more to the wolf than Echo realizes.

In his enchanted house beneath a mountain, each room must be sewn together to keep the home from unraveling, and something new and dark and strange lies behind every door. When centuries-old secrets unfold, Echo discovers a magical library full of books- turned-mirrors, and a young man named Hal who is trapped inside of them. As the year ticks by, the rooms begin to disappear and Echo must solve the mystery of the wolf’s enchantment before her time is up otherwise Echo, the wolf, and Hal will be lost forever.

(via Amazon)

Review

Being my first book of Joanna’s I have read; she has jumped up to one of my favorite authors for sure. This book absolutely blew me away. Per the author’s note at the back, Norwegian and Irish folktales inspired the Beauty and the Beast theme in this story, in which a girl must live with a “monster” character. Some of the settings themselves were inspired by real places in Siberian Russia which just adds some depth to the book once again. If you are a fan of said folk tales or just want a magical read full of wonder and danger, this book is for you!

This book follows the singular POV of Echo Alkaev. It is a story full of finding one’s place in world that does not necessarily want you a part of it. Also, love is the ultimate unwavering power in the world.

The book takes place in a plethora of widely differing settings and worlds, if you will. The story starts off in a quaint village along a forest, in which Echo spends her childhood before the incident with her father. She then lives for a year within the enchanted house under the mountain. This house reminded me a lot of the Howl’s Moving Castle in which the layout can change, and more rooms can be connected and disconnected. There was a library in the house that held book mirrors that transports Echo into various story worlds that she is free to explore as she sees fit. These worlds were some of my favorites in the book since it plays perfectly with my childhood fantasy of being able to literally jump inside story books and experience them like a character. Once the year is up in the magic house, Echo is thrown into a long journey far north, towards the final climax of the story. The world in this book felt very large considering all the different landscapes and environments that Echo experiences.

The magic in this book was incredible. Starting with the house under the mountain with its eccentricities of ever evolving rooms until the rooms themselves start disappearing. A bunch of the magic seems to be tied to the personified four winds and a witch who lives in the north on a mountain that meets the sky. It was interesting hearing more of their stories and how they have used their magic for both good and bad in the world. The final climax was probably the most magic filled section of the book full of suspense and energy. I could not stop reading it until I was done.

Echo is the main female protagonist who spends her entire childhood and early young adult years within the story. Her life is full of tragic moments beginning with her very birth. Even with all the dark moments, she still remains a strong-willed person who truly learns to take everything in strides. Due to that initial wolf attack, she is outcasted by the people in the village making her feel extremely isolated and alone. Due to these deep-seated feelings, she is more compassionate when it comes to other characters who are also struggling with deep loneliness and tragic circumstances. This made me feel even more sympathy for Echo’s plights in the story since she was a genuinely good person who just wanted to be left alone and have a peaceful and productive life. Her selflessness is shown multiple times throughout the story since she has to continuously put herself in danger in order to save and protect those who she grows to care about. She is a very intelligent character who manages to get herself and others out of some sticky situations, allowing her to take on the knight in shining armor role when it truly counted.

The Wolf and Hal are both very traumatized characters. The wolf takes on a more stoic, rule-following visage while Hal reminds me a bit like Howl at times with a more charismatic and adventurous personality. The two of them become more and more connected as the book goes on, leading to one of the better plot twists in the story. The wolf has his memories but suffers moments in which his animalistic side takes over. Hal begins ignorant of his memories but is slowly gaining them back as the story goes on. I found the scenes with these characters to be the best ones in the book since they begin as polar opposites that get more and more synchronized as time went on.

There is a bit of romance between Echo and Hal. Their relationship begins within the book mirror worlds in the house and is quite slow paced with obvious tension and attraction at first. The ending of the book was very sweet for them of which I was very glad to see. The romance plot took a back seat to the overall fantasy and magic one, of which I was happy for since that is where this book truly shines.

All in all, this has jumped up to one of the best books I have read in quite a long time, and I fully intend on reading more stories form Joanna Meyer. The twists in the story made this book feel even more impactful to read as they were at times challenging to grapple. There is actually a companion novel for ‘Echo North’ called ‘Wind Daughter’ that follows one of the side characters in this one. Which I am glad since this is a standalone novel with no sequel as of late. I could absolutely dive into this world once again. I HIGHLY recommend this book!