Written by Erin Bow
I offer you three reasons why Plain Kate is a fantastic book…
(1) PLAIN KATE IS EVOCATIVE — The setting is a mystical eastern Europe/Poland/Ukraine-ish place, straight out of fables and folklore. It smells & tastes of cottages, deep & impenentrable forests, well worn cobblestones, and forgotten streams. You could swear that the aroma of baking bread, wet & muddy clothing, and harsh buring embers fills your nostrils as you read through the novel…every page, every scene wraps you in the layers of a world not our own, yet so very familiar.
(2) PLAIN KATE IS EPIC — Sometimes, this epicness lies in the plot (such as the ultimate goal of the witch Linay…read it and find out what it is). Sometimes, the epicness lies in the cast of characters (it’s actually surprisingly how many of them populate the book)…even background extras are given moments to shine, as if you knew them & what they are about, with a single line. Ultimatlely, the most epic aspect of the book is the language. Playful, seductive, witty…descriptions dance off the page, with not a single word wasted.
(3) PLAIN KATE IS TERRIFYING — There are moments where your heart pounds, your anger builds, your frustration mounts. Kate goes through several levels of personal hell: her helplessness, her determination, her ordeals will take your breath away. Most of these involve the character of Linay…a witch with enough emotional baggage to damn the St. Lawrence River. Just when you think he’s simply mischevious, sly & non-chalant…he transforms into something dark, duplicitous, cunning, and Machiavellian in a way that would make the real Machiavelli hide under his bed and wish his name had never become an adjective. He is one of the single best villains I have ever had the privilege of reading…IF he really IS a villain, that is…
Plain Kate is a novel that might be marketed as Young Adult, but like the best Doctor Who novels, like the works of Philip Pullman & Neil Gaiman, it transcends categories and labels, and is simply a gorgeous, awe-inspiring adventure. It’s not for reading…it’s for “experiencing”.
