Judy's Reviews > The Book of Love

I chose to read this book because I recognized the author from an earlier book I enjoyed, and also because the description caught by attention because I like fantasy and this one sounded interesting.

Description:
Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long been presumed dead. Which, in fact, they are.

With them in the room is their previously unremarkable high school music teacher, who seems to know something about their disappearance—and what has brought them back again. Desperate to reclaim their lives, the three agree to the terms of the bargain their music teacher proposes. They will be given a series of magical tasks; while they undertake them, they may return to their families and friends, but they can tell no one where they’ve been. In the end, there will be winners and there will be losers.

But their resurrection has attracted the notice of other supernatural figures, all with their own agendas. As Laura, Daniel, and Mo grapple with the pieces of the lives they left behind, and Laura’s sister, Susannah, attempts to reconcile what she remembers with what she fears, these mysterious others begin to arrive, engulfing their community in danger and chaos, and it becomes imperative that the teens solve the mystery of their deaths to avert a looming disaster.

My Thoughts:
The prose is beautiful and is atmospheric in nature - almost like a fairy tale. There is a good story here. I liked some of the names: the band name is My Two Hands Both Knowe You; the coffee shop is What Hast Thou Ground?; and one of the magical characters is called Carousel. I thought those names were fun. I liked how some of the characters could turn into animals using their magical ability. Unfortunately, and I'm likely in the minority here, I found the book to be overly long and I was bored through a little over half of the book. I had to force myself through. Luckily the second half of the book had a little more movement to it. Also, I couldn't get invested in any of the characters. Nothing made me feel anything while I was reading this. It is not likely that I will recommend this one to my friends.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication on February 13, 2024.