Turn to Paige Neverby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 8 Paige Never was through with helping others, stopping death cults, and protecting the world from other-dimensional breaches. Anders was accidentally killed -- and revived -- by Paige when he was a boy, and he's since dedicated his life to finding her and doing what she does. He finds her, and she's not happy about it, but the "how" of his finally finding her reveals the first hint that something is very, very wrong. Something Paige just can't ignore, especially when shadowed by "dead Anders".I ADORE the multiple puns in the title. While this isn't a pun-filled read, it has the kind of humor that will appeal to those who like that sort of cleverness. This story definitely has nods to Doctor Who, the kind of nods fans will appreciate, while still being unique. Paige herself has a touch of the Doctor's air to her, but not quite. The story is a first-person narrative with Paige as that person, and it's amazingly well balanced with the fact that we readers identify more with Anders. Paige's constantly-roaming train-of-thought and the colorful visuals in this read remind me of Douglas Adams' writing, but it's also very conversational and natural. Sometimes it's a bit ramble-y or tangent-y, but that's part of the charm. This story is sort of an adventure-mystery. There is plenty of action and "magical" abilities, and I like how the use of physical fighting is shown to have the advantage over otherwise very powerful individuals. The reveal of the mastermind at the end isn't something we can "solve" on our own, but it makes sense with the accumulated details once they're placed together alongside the reveal. There's also the mystery of how this mastermind does what they do, and I love that they refuse to spill their plan or how they did it, unlike a typical villain. I love the solution to the problem, and who has that solution. What was done to the world is hard to imagine, but is presented in a way that we get that, and it makes the solution that much more powerful. The Subtle Knives of the Endless Blossom are up to something ... something well above their skill set. In order to figure out what, Paige is going to need her own powers jumpstarted, which means a trip home. Said trip home is full of danger and complications, but it explains so very much, even as it reads as a sort of tangent. There's some dark history in here that adds depth to some characters, including a lot of interesting fleshing-out of Paige. This sidetrack also provides a way for Anders to better learn how to do some of what Paige does with energy manipulation. Our ability to identify with Anders from beginning to end is amplified in this section where the learning curve gets a boost. I really enjoy how differently he manipulates the energy compared to Paige, but also how they work together as teacher and apprentice, and with trust and teamwork during tight spots. If you're a fan of Knave's work I recommend reading Culture's Skeleton first (check out my review of that here); there's a small section of this book that overlaps with that one. You can fully enjoy this book without reading that one, but it will add something to this read if you've read the other. The second half of this book has a notable amount of typos that seems to get a bit worse as it goes. At first it's not really noticeable, and most readers will just miss the fact that they're there, but closer to the end they are slightly distracting. This is not enough to affect my review grade, but it is an annoyance that will bother some readers. This story is a lot of fun; you'll never want to stop turning the page. Written: July 20, 2020
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