REVIEW: The Twistrose Key by Tone Almhjell

While this is a middle-grade story, its magic and wonder really captured me, and I loved every minute of it. The main word I use to describe this book is "cute", and if you also like charming stories about the love between children and their pets, you'll think so too!

CHARACTERS
The story is mainly told from the perspective of Lin, and eleven-year-old girl who finds a magic key marked with the word "Twistrose". This means that she is special, and able to enter the magical world of Silver. Lin is a very good example of an eleven-year-old, in my opinion. She's sweet at times, insistent that she knows what she's doing, loves her pet dearly, and very determined. She has her share of flaws and strengths, and is a very believable character. I think she's great. Her narration is also very good, never giving the reader more than what Lin herself knows and being sure to sound like a girl of eleven.

When not focused on Lin, the story occasionally takes the perspective of her pet, Rufus. Rufus is a vole that Lin found and took care of, a little animal very dedicated to her. In the world of Silver, the deceased pets of children live, talking and walking about like people. This allows us to see Rufus' personality, which is great fun to read: he's funny at times, encouraging, and also quite stubborn. He and Lin make a good team, even though they have their disagreements.

There are other, background characters, all of whom are very fleshed out, even if their appearances are brief. My favorite has to be Ursa Minor, the sweet, very hug-able bear who helps Rufus and Lin on their journey.

PLOT
The plot of this novel is rather straightforward: Lin finds the Twistrose Key, enters Silver, and is tasked with finding the Winter Prince, a boy her own age who has gone missing. Of course, there are twists along the way to take Lin and Rufus to their goal, some of which I was surprised by! I found the plot engaging and fun to read. I kept turning pages as fast as I could to see what would happen next.

WRITING
I loved the writing in this book! I am not sure if the English is a translation or not, as the author is Norwegian, but it's beautifully written. Some sections are lyrical, and the author does a great job of showing what the characters think and feel. She also does an excellent job making Lin actually sound like an eleven-year-old, as I mentioned earlier. I found Lin a great portrayal of a girl her age, which can be quite hard to do.

I must also mention the worldbuilding here, as I think it's fantastic! Silver is utterly unique, despite comparisons to Narnia. The animals that populate it are the dead pets of children all over the world, and they live in a town much like any to be found in Europe. The magic is utterly unique, and the landscape is beautiful and much bigger than what is seen in this novel. I was captivated by how wonderfully the world of Silver was created.

RATING
5 stars! I know I'm not the target audience for this one, but I loved it so much.

RECOMMENDATION
I would give this book to a young girl (or boy!) who loves fantasy, animals, and magical adventures. Or an adult who likes the same!