Review Detail

4.5 2

I, Coriander

Middle Grade Fiction 121

Choose your own path

July 23, 2006

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

N/A

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

"I had always believed that there was only one world, the world I had been born into. Now I know that the world we live in is nothing more than a mirror that reflects another world below its silvery surface, a land where time is but a small and unimportant thing, stripped of all its power. For me it was my salvation."

Coriander Hobie is a child of two worlds. Daughter of a merchant in 17th-century London, this strong-willed, perceptive girl suffers at the hands of her Puritan stepmother who brutally tries to "bring her back to the ways of the Lord" and break the liberal spirit fostered in her by her exceptional mother. Daughter too of that fairy princess, lion-hearted Coriander battles the forces of the wicked Queen of the magic land to free the King from an evil spell and rescue a prince from a terrible fate. As she fights to reclaim her heritage in both worlds, armed with conviction in her own identity, Coriander must find a way to have the life she chooses without giving up either of her two homes.

Part historical novel and part fairy tale, this work will captivate readers with its riveting and detailed parallel storylines, its intriguingly drawn characters, and, above all, its engrossing first-person narration, made believable by its formal style and old-fashioned turns of phrase. Confident heroine Coriander's voice comes through loud and clear and will touch and inspire all readers.

Note: The extreme psychological and physical cruelty to which the heroine is subjected may be frightening for some readers. The historical endnote gives useful context for readers unfamiliar with Commonwealth England.