VODNIK review, as promised

Vodnik by Bryce Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My husband won an ARC of this book, and we've both loved it. I won't include any spoilers for you, but I'll just let you know that I've never read anything like this. I don't give out 5 star reviews willy nilly. I 100% enjoyed this book! It was the complete package for me.

The simple fact that it's set in Slovakia, and revolves around Slovak folklore sets it apart from other books. The setting feels real because it IS real. The magic is exciting and new.

This book is COMPLEX; moreso than I was expecting. You're figuring new stuff out, making guesses as to who's the bad guy, what's going to happen, and getting clues all the way up until the climax. It's paced wonderfully, giving you just the right amounts of information to hook you at the right times. It's PACKED with stuff! I felt like I was reading much more book than there was, which was great because I loved the story.

The characters are developed nicely; I believe their motivations. One tricky thing the main character has to deal with is deciding how much to involve his parents in his troubles, which, I think, is exactly what happens in real life. Our parents seem to take the back seat when we're trying to deal with tough situations on our own. And the characters have a great blend of magical and real-world obstacles to overcome.

There's an underlying conflict where the main character deals with racism, and it is handled with the care it deserves at the same time as being frank and open about real life situations.

This book would be great for anyone 12 and up; It's not too simple as to feel like reading a Fablehaven book, but there's nothing so dark that a 12 year old couldn't handle it.

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