Skylark by Meagan Spooner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A reader's trust in an author is essential. Especially in a fantasy or science fiction world, where there is a great deal of world-building and not all facts about the world are known right away. One must get the impression that the writer is in control of his/her story, and if you just keep reading, your questions will be answered.
Meagan Spooner repaid my faith in spades.
This book's beginning is a little rough. I had to grit my teeth and plow through the first few chapters, trusting that explanations would be forthcoming. I also had some doubts about the main character--I flatly hate protagonists who need to be rescued all the time, and this seemed to be happening to Lark way too much. Although in fairness, since she had been born and raised in a walled city, and never had any contact with the outside world until she had to flee for her life, her initial helplessness was understandable. About halfway through the book, she started standing on her own two feet, and by the end she bid fair to be a proper badass.
I'm still not sure about some of the backstory here. Many of my questions were answered, but I still couldn't figure out if these events even take place on Earth, even though human beings are the protagonists and Terran animals like birds and bees are mentioned. On the one hand, there's a post-apocalyptic feel, and on the other, there's a high fantasy feel. These disparate elements do mesh, but I hope there are more answers forthcoming in the second book.
I've read several Amazon 5-star reviews about this book. I wouldn't go quite that far, I don't think. But this book was worth the time I spent with it, and I look forward to the sequel.
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