Brad About Books: Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy

UNDER WILDWOOD
Published: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Harper)
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 559 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: Wildwood, #2

No synopsis here, because this review will be spoiler-free, even if you haven't read book one, WILDWOOD! (You can click on the book's title above to go to the goodreads synopsis)

UNDER WILDWOOD started off with a big bang, but slowly started to drag. While the first one was busting at the seams of imagination, UNDER WILDWOOD had moments with little action and slowed down pacing.

Like I said, the first book in this series (Wildwood) had so much life and imagination. The fantasy elements were perfect and everything about it was whimsical, adventurous, and made for a stunning book. But with its sequel, the story began to drag.

And by storyline that dragged, I mean the introduction of a new character into the chronicles: Mr. Unthank. Nothing about Mr. Unthank and his factory has magical qualities to them, and I started to question why his story was there in the first place. I wanted to see what Curtis and Prue were up to in the awesome and epic Wildwood instead of reading about some grouchy old man wanting to destroy the forest.

But don't get me wrong, this is not a bad sequel: it's still a great book! Prue and Curtis were still excellent characters, and I would say that their plotline was even better in this book. The stakes are raised insanely, and the concept of what they must do in order to save their newfound world was thrilling. Plus, Prue and Curtis as a team always make for a great novel.

And dark assassins coming after our beloved characters? Um, yes please. There were some twists in UNDER WILDWOOD that I did not see coming, and I really loved how Colin Meloy took us onto a new journey in the wonderful Wildwood. And I do mean literally a new place, since we are diving under the forest. The thing I loved the most about WILDWOOD was the entire world-building, and not only in book two do we get to see more of that world, we get to discover an entire new world underneath the already rich-land. That would have to be my favorite part of this series.

The illustrations are gorgeous as always. Carson Ellis does a phenomenal job at representing and drawing the story. Her art style is very unique, and I can't get enough of it! I would love a WILDWOOD graphic novel, just filled with her illustrations!

Overall, UNDER WILDWOOD is a great sequel, with the exception of the new added storyline. I'm now excited and nervous to see what happens in book three!

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