Review: Plain Kate

Title: Plain Kate
Author: Erin Bow
Pub Date: September 2010
Genre: Upper MG Fantasy

When Kate's father dies, she takes to the streets with her cat, Taggle, hoping to use her woodworking talent to support herself. Linay, a mysterious stranger, offers her an odd bargain: in exchange for her shadow, Linay will give her food and survival supplies and grant her a single wish. Kate takes the deal, and is soon entangled in a complex web of magic, revenge, and death.

The story draws on Russian folklore, and is written in the style of a fairy tale. Even if I point-blank told you a bullet-point list of the plot points, it wouldn't have that element of darkness and bleakness that Erin Bow's prose gives it. I don't enjoy horror, but this story did give me the chills--it's not scary, but eerie. Gypsies, witch-burning, plagues, river-ghosts, talking cats... It would be easy to have the main character lost in such a rich world, but the author gives Kate honor and fight all throughout.

My rating? 9 out of 10.