book review: ora and the old god
Image: cover of Ora and the Old God
Wild and stubborn, Ora Widogast is determined to join her brother for the annual Tabas hunt. When he makes a terrible mistake, her brother is turned into a pig, and she is taken captive in the fae realm. There, the fae queen places her under the watchful eye of a cruel and powerful mage, Tyg Marigen, who despises humans.
As a world of politics and old conflicts unfolds around Ora, she plans her escape, but then, she makes a dangerous discovery—she can use magic. Something no human has done before. To avoid Tyg’s wrath and save her brother, she must find a way home before her secret is revealed.
But, she has no idea how to control her newfound power.
Ora and the Old God is book one in the Of Ether and Silver series, and writer Sarah Day’s debut novel. In it, we follow Ora Widogast into the fae realm on her quest to save her brother, Hademar, who has been turned into a pig. Ora is taken captive and given into the care of Tyg Marigen and her husband Callum, both powerful fae warriors and mages. To escape, she must learn more about the fae realm, its politics, and her own new and surprising power.
Ora and the Old God is beautifully written, even poetic at times; Day shines in her descriptive prose. Her world is complex and vividly painted, with a range of magical creatures and distinct political and social structures, and the promise of these being explored more fully in further work. Ora is a willful, stubborn, and strong protagonist - my favourite kind - and it is easy to empathise with her struggle to free herself and her brother from the dangerous fae. I loved Ora’s relationship with her uncle, Lupin, who stands as a teacher and guide, and who never curtails Ora’s wildness. Tyg is a cold and intriguing villain, and I’m curious to see the lengths that Day will push her to in the next novel.
Though Ora is seventeen in the novel, I would place Ora and the Old God in the younger bracket of YA. There’s some violence, including the removal of a finger, but there’s no overt romance; the complexity of the prose would suit sophisticated younger readers who are outgrowing Middle Grade. I enjoyed the fact that Ora’s voice was that of an actual seventeen-year-old, and not an adult; though determined, she still has moments of self-doubt, and she realistically struggles with that uncomfortable ‘in-between’ time, where members of her family still think her a child, and she wishes to prove them otherwise.
Strengths:
A complex, well-drawn, and atmospheric world;
Accomplished, beautiful prose;
A strong, willful, stubborn female protagonist;
A cold and uncompromising female villain;
A realistic exploration of the ‘in-between’ coming-of-age time, and a female lead not focused on romance.
One-sentence summary:
An intriguing adventure following a strong female lead, set in a complex, beautifully-written world.
*I received a free e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.