The Forgotten Tale by J. M. Frey (The Accidental Turn #2)
Genre: Fantasy Publisher: REUTS Publications Published in: 2016
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley
Official Synopsis:
Forsyth Turn has finally become a hero—however reluctantly. But now that Lucy Piper has married him and they’ve started a family in her world, his adventuring days are behind him. Yet not all is as it should be. Beloved novels are disappearing at an alarming rate, not just from the minds of readers like Pip, but from bookshelves as well. Almost as if they had never been. Almost like magic.
Forsyth fears that it is his fault—that Pip’s childhood tales are vanishing because he, a book character, has escaped his pages. But when he and Pip are sucked back into The Tales of Kintyre Turn against their will, they realize that something much more deadly and dire is happening. The stories are vanishing from Forsyth’s world too. So Forsyth sets out on a desperate journey across Hain to discover how, and why, the stories are disappearing… before their own world vanishes forever.
In this clever follow-up to The Untold Tale, The Forgotten Tale questions what it means to create a legacy, and what we owe to those who come after us.
My Review:
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of The Forgotten Tale right after finishing the first book in the series, The Untold Tale, so I was able to dive right in. Let me tell you that this book does not disappoint. As far as sequels go, I will say that I believe this book to just as strong and compelling as the first in the series. The Forgotten Tale continues to explore themes of readership and authorship, questioning the idea of story itself. It really explores the relationship that readers form with stories. The book also openly acknowledges and pushes back against popular fantasy tropes, which, for someone who reads a lot of fantasy, was delightful. I could definitely see myself teaching this book in a fantasy class, a women and gender studies class, or even a class about narrative. One of my other favorite things about The Forgotten Tale is the diversity. It is rare to find a book that so seamlessly integrates diverse characters into the narrative. Nearly every major character is marginalized in some way. The book is especially good at critiquing the sexism so present in much of classic fantasy. I found this story to be incredibly empowering as a woman. I really look forward to reading the third book in the series.
Rating: [4/5]
Releases December 6, 2016 | Goodreads | Amazon
