Bookmas Day Five: Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi Review

Welcome to day five of Bookmas and a review of Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi!

If you haven't checked out yesterday's Bookmas post where I reviewed Furthermore be sure to check it out here

Image from Goodreads

Genre: Middle-grade/Fantasy

Publisher: Dutton Books

ISBN: 1101994797

Release Date: November 14th 2017

Format: Hardback/Paperback/E-book

Audio-book

Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo

B&N, Book Depository

Website, Twitter, Instagram

Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

A new adventure about a girl who is fated to wash the bodies of the dead in this companion to Furthermore.

Our story begins on a frosty night…

Laylee can barely remember the happier times before her beloved mother died. Before her father, driven by grief, lost his wits (and his way). Before she was left as the sole remaining mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood, destined to spend her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife. It’s become easy to forget and easier still to ignore the way her hands are stiffening and turning silver, just like her hair, and her own ever-increasing loneliness and fear.

But soon, a pair of familiar strangers appears, and Laylee’s world is turned upside down as she rediscovers color, magic, and the healing power of friendship.

Review:

**I was sent this book by Penguin Random House in return for my honest review**

After loving Furthermore (which you can check out here) so much I immediately picked up Whichwood. Can we just talk about how gorgeous the cover is? I loved the Furthermore cover but I think I love this one even more.

After reading the first book, I expected this one to be just as bright and whimsical but this one is a lot colder and darker. I actually found this one to be less middle-grade and more young adult with the themes it explores. I would recommend reading Furthermore before starting Whichwood. Despite our main character being Laylee, there are still appearances from Alice and Oliver as well as references to the first book.

I loved seeing Alice and Oliver in this story. I fell in love with them in the previous novel so I was excited to read about them again. The main focus, however, is on the character Laylee who works as a Mordeshoor. As she continues her work, her hairs turns silver, her hands begin to stiffen and she becomes more lonely and fearful. Tahereh Mafi is excellent at writing description and characters. You really felt for Laylee and the work she has to do that goes unappreciated. All she wants is for people to understand her and for friendship. Eventually she earns it and I love how Tahereh Mafi explored the theme of friendship.

Much like the first, I did find the ending to be a little rushed. The conclusion comes around fairly quickly and is resolved after a large build-up in previous chapters. But, I still really enjoyed the book. I like that a darker theme was explored in this novel compared to the last. That being said I did prefer Furthermore over Whichwood. I loved the bright whimsical aspects of the first novel and did miss it in this one. However, that doesn't mean I didn't love this novel any less. I love the world that has been created and there are still more to explore.

This novel has been out for a little while now and I definitely recommend picking it up along with Furthermore. I plan on picking up a finished copy as soon as I can to add to my collection!

From the beautiful cover, to the magical writing; Tahereh Mafi is a fantastic writer who creates magical and whimsical worlds and I highly recommend you check these books out. Readers who loved Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz will love these books.