Storybound http://www.yabookscentral.com/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/200x285s/08/e6/16/_Storybound12med_1318122249.jpg Featured

Storybound by Marissa Burt is the perfect book for lovers of middle grade fantasy and adventure. From the first few chapters, the reader will be sucked into the land of Story, just as Una Fairchild is.

Marissa Burt did a great job building the characters in Storybound. There were a lot of characters, but none of them ended up falling flat - each had their own story to add. Una Fairchild, the confused protagonist lost in a strange world and there's Peter who desperately trying to live up to his family name and be a hero. And of course his family with their secrets, and Sam the sarcastic cat. It's even hard not to love Snow, the mean girl from a broken home.

Despite the various point of view changes throughout Storybound - often without warning - it's easy enough to follow along. In fact, the changes in point of view actually make sense and make up a necessary element of Storybound.

The worldbuilding and storytelling in Storybound was done wonderfully. There's so many fantastical elements that make up the land of Story and all the rules that go along with it. Muses, tale keepers, villains, heroes, ladies, etc - each had an important role to play but Marissa Burt was able to build it all up without overwhelming the reader.

Any lover of fairy tales is bound to enjoy Storybound by Marissa Burt. Storybound is engaging and full of mysteries and adventure, as well as beautiful world building and characters that you can't help but love.

The concept of Storybound had me a little confused before I started reading but Burt does a great job of introducing the world of Story. And to me, that’s what Stoybound was: an introduction. There’s a self-contained story arc of its own, of course, but everything works toward he higher purpose of introducing a larger story.

I was a little confused by a few things that just seemed to be fact. Like, why did Peter and Una assume Truepenny was bad from the get go? He didn’t seem to do anything to get himself branded as a suspicious character besides stare at Una, but let’s face it, she did some things that would seem strange to native Storyians. And why do they just automatically think Thornhill is evil? I know she teaches villainy and has a cold disposition, but that’s about it for obvious “evil” factors.

All that aside, I did enjoy the characters. I especially liked that Una wants to be a part of the action. I mean, when she’s faced with a dragon, she snatches the sword from the guy’s hand instead of waiting for him to save her. Then we have Sam who happens to be a pretty awesome talking cat and Peter who desperately wants to be a hero. I kind of wish I got to learn more about all the side characters, though. They were enjoyable but they also felt a bit surface.

I liked the idea of Story and Burt explains it all in a way that makes sense, but I was still left feeling like there was more to be learned. Like I said, though, Storybound is a great introduction and I look forward to learning more about Story in the sequel.

The Nutshell: Storybound is a good intro to the series, but I was left feeling a little disappointed in the overall story.

Near Miss