Yet another indie read! I read and finished this one in a few days, while on holiday in Dorset with my family. I have to say, I’m not the quickest of readers but I finished two books while on that holiday and started on a third. I was having the best time.
This one was from an indie author I’d seen on TikTok a few times, sharing cool skit videos and updates about her books. Her other novel seemed more contemporary, but this cover had my attention. And then she gripped me with the story when she said it was somewhere between The Chronicles of Narnia and Jumanji, both of which I adored! I’m a sucker for an escapist read in any sense, but this one has a really cool concept.
It focuses on the perspectives of Emma, a rustyard worker living in another world, and Ash, who is from the US, and very much from our own world. When Ash visits his grandmother’s house after her funeral, he doesn’t expect to fall into one of her paintings and discover a new world, one full of monsters and dangers he would never have expected.
I did think the world-building could have been elaborated on a little with this one, but I did enjoy seeing more of the world Emma comes from. It’s similar to our world, but in theirs, Earth is nothing but a myth from a game. So of course Emma thinks Ash, his sister Jenny and his friend Wren, are all nuts when they fall from the sky and tell her that’s where they’re from. But she knows a lot about her world, and the card game, Ending in Cadence, so eventually she decides to help them get home. To do so, they must play the game and win.
I loved Emma and Ash’s growing friendship – and eventually how it became more – and really connected with the characters for this reason. Emma is strong and fiery, and Ash is sensible but knows how to make her smile. They’re forced to battle some magical monsters, and thrown into some weird puzzle games.
Overall, a very quick and easy read! And an enjoyable one.
April Grace 