Review by Kelly Jarvis: The Amber Owl by Juliet Marillier

Juliet Marillier’s stunning new novel, The Amber Owl, opens as Stasya, a young woman who lives on the edge of Heartwood Forest, and Lukas, a village goatherd, are telling each other stories. The two have been friends since childhood, but although Stasya feels at ease with Lukas, she keeps many of her spiritual rituals and unique abilities secret because she knows that widespread discovery of her gift for talking with animals might endanger her. Only her dog Flip, a shapeshifting companion, knows the full truth about Stasya’s talents, and when a group of soldiers arrives in the village threatening to tear down the Heartwood Forest, Flip transforms into a sparrow, flying into town to gather information that will help Stasya protect her beloved wilderness.

The soldiers have been sent to locate the treasure hidden in the forest center, and when Stasya raises her voice in protest and uses her storytelling to incite rebellion, the men mark her as dangerous. Her unique ability to calm animals coupled with the amber owl amulet she wears around her neck garner suspicion, and she and an injured Lukas are eventually transported to Dragon’s Keep to be questioned by the vicious Ruler of the Northlands. Stasya stands against the Ruler’s cruel threats, vowing to always protect the forest her grandmother taught her to cherish. With the help of an unlikely ally who slowly reveals the details of his own surprising story, Stasya and Lukas attempt a daring escape from Dragon’s Keep, undertaking a journey that will test the bounds of their friendship as they each discover their place in the world.

Marillier’s prose sings with both beauty and pain as she describes the way Stasya uses her gifts to help animals in need. Stasya can feel the anguish of even the smallest animal, and she sees the natural world as a sacred place, which in turn allows readers of the story to regard wildlife with wonder and contemplate the ancient wisdom of the trees. Marillier’s writing also explores human connections, presenting complex relationship which unfurl in the contexts of family dynamics, political power struggles, and slow-burn romantic attractions. The Amber Owl is a perfectly paced book filled with unpredictable plot twists and poignant, emotional scenes. I couldn’t put it down!

The gorgeous cover, detailed map of the Northlands, and exciting plot structure of the novel all make for a rewarding reading experience, but my favorite feature of The Amber Owl is its brilliant commentary on storytelling itself. Stasya uses stories to understand the world, to affect change, and to heal people. As the narrative unfolds, characters interrogate the old forest tales they have heard, knowing that “every story has some truth in it.” The measured revelation of various characters’ stories underscores the importance of both speech and silence, and narrative pauses in the tales within the tale of the novel call attention to the endless possibilities that unfinished stories ignite. As The Amber Owl reaches its own conclusion, it provides a satisfying closure to Stasya’s journey while also priming readers for the second book in the Heartwood Duology. Marillier has created a compelling story that sheds light on the art of storytelling itself, and it is this nuance which elevates The Amber Owl to the highest literary status.

The Amber Owl is an alluring story of friendship, community, nature, magic, storytelling, and love. I can’t wait to see where the second book will take me! Don’t miss this one! You can find it here.

Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, Blue Heron Review, Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer, Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly, The Chamber Magazine, The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers. Selkie Moon is her debut novella. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author), Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or visit her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/