Book Review - Burrowed

 

It's been a while since I've posted on here. You could say I've been getting some writing done. Anyway, today I'm taking a look at Burrowed a fantasy novel by Maressa Mortimer. This post is being made as part of a Reading Between the Lines blog tour.

Blurb

The beautiful island of Ximiu has a plan for a more sustainable future. But not everyone living on the island is on board. Jasira, daughter of the governing matriarch, is determined to uncover the dark forces threatening her home. With the help of her friends she embark on a desperate bid to save her island community. When the price is higher than she had bargained for, will Jasira still find faith and beauty in the world around her?

Review

This was an intriguing read. Marketed as a fantasy, it nonetheless takes place in a modern society, which brings across the feeling it could be real and take place somewhere in our world. This is backed up by the fact that the island's society is Christian. However, it retains a fantasy element on account of the fact it doesn't clue you in to where exactly the island could be situated. There's mention of a mainland, but doesn't state any country name. Nonetheless, I think this works to the story's advantage, because the ambiguity lets the reader make a decision on exactly where it takes place.

The story is told from the point-of-view of Jasira Colmadis, the daughter of the Xibai, who rules the island. We explore her friendship with Ilori, the son of the Vice-Xibai, as they navigate the effects of the Serving Clean Island initiative the government is pushing for. The island's residents are being asked to sell their cars, but when the cars go missing before they can be sold on the mainland, that sets a mystery in motion.

I quite like how Jasira plays the detective, and a lot of the story is dedicated to how people are feeling the effects of the push for the sustainable future. It's almost as if the initiative is being sabotaged. It's a slow-burning mystery, but one that keeps you guessing.

Burrowed is available here.

About the Author

Maressa grew up in the Netherlands, and moved to England soon after finishing teaching training college. Married to Pastor Richard Mortimer they live in a Cotswold village with there four children. She is a homeschool mum, enjoying the time spent with family, travelling, reading and turning life into stories, she wants to use her stories to show practical Christian’s living in a fallen world.

• Website
• Facebook

Happy writing.