Book Review

Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

Worlds of Ink and Shadow is a YA fantasy about the Brontë siblings (Branwell, Charlotte, Anne, and Emily). As children, Branwell and Charlotte created the kingdom of Angria, and Anne and Emily created Gondal. Worlds of Ink and Shadow imagines that the siblings had the ability to step into one of their fictional worlds and interact with the characters as though they were real people. In doing so, the book answers many questions about the siblings, including the mystery of why they all died young.

In this story, Charlotte is 18, Branwell is about 17, Emily is 16, and Anne is 14. Charlotte and Branwell are the only ones who know how to step in and out of their world, Angria. They used to take their younger sisters with them, but eventually they shut them out, leaving Emily furious. Now, as Charlotte and Branwell realize that the borders between Angria and England are getting uncomfortably thin, they take Emily and Anne with them for one last visit – but the residents of Angria have their own ideas about how the story ought to go.

I loved how the characters of the siblings came out through their writing and through their conversations with each other. They seem not only true to the images of the Brontës that Brontë fans have become familiar with, but also recognizable by their writing styles. The four have a dynamic that feels like an actual, plausible sibling dynamic – one that is both close because they’ve spent so much time together, and fractured because Branwell and Charlotte have spent more time away from home. The way the siblings form various alliances and vie for privacy in a crowded space and bicker even as they ferociously protect one another feels real.

I also liked all the influences that show up in the story, from the works of Lord Byron, — whom the Brontës greatly admired — to the folklore told to them by their servant, Tabby. You can see these influences in their real work as well in the descriptions of Angria and Gondal in Worlds of Ink and Shadow. The book demonstrates how the siblings influenced each other. I especially enjoyed the interactions between Charlotte, who at this phase is writing idealized romantic characters and scenes, and Anne, who urges her to “be more true.”

The book balances the ridiculously fantastical and melodramatic world of Angria (and a peek or two at Gondal) with the everyday lives of the Brontës. As the residents of Angria become more self-aware, their lives become ones of horror and helplessness. Charlotte and Branwell are appalled to see that their creations are miserable, and terrified when their creations turn against them and their younger sisters. The book does an adroit job of pulling together real and unreal worlds and characters, mingling romantic fantasy, melodrama, and gritty historical fiction in a truly unusual way.

I won’t tell you how the book resolves, but there is a bittersweet romance and a satisfying, if not entirely happy, ending. The ending is satisfying not because it is happy, but because it works so well. It ties together multiple aspects of fantasy and actual history, and it resolves the plot and character conflicts in the book. It feels so simple and natural that I’m finding it difficult to recall that it isn’t actual fact. This book is insightful, original, thoughtful and fun – a must read for Brontë fans and easily enjoyable by anyone with an interest in the thin line between fantasy and obsession.

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Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

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  1. Jacqueline says:

    I’m a picky stick so I never read outside my romance genre other than for autobiographies. I’ve tried ALL of the Not Romance genres, and I’m always bored.I’m still working on not feeling guilty about that. Maybe one day.

    But! Can we talk about how damn gorgeous that cover is??? I would literally hang that shiznit on my wall!

  2. Gingerly says:

    Brontes in a self made portal YA Fantasy you say? I need this in my eyeballs right now!

  3. AWExley says:

    Bother. I want to buy this, but it’s unavailable from my location and a quick search tells me there’s no kindle edition available Downunder! *sob*

  4. Dianna Lang says:

    Impossible to express how excited I am that this book exists, and how devastated that I can’t start reading it immediately.

  5. Emily J says:

    I just finished The Eyre Affair, so I’m definitely up for another book that blends fantasy, literature and the Brontes!

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