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A review by rorikae
Questland by Carrie Vaughn
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
'Questland' by Carrie Vaughn is a fun novel that is a mix of Jurassic Park and Dungeon & Dragons.
The story centers on Dr. Addie Cox, a literature professor, who is recruited to go with a team of mercenaries to an island off of the Pacific Northwest. This island has been transformed into a resort based off of fantasy novels where visitors can go on quests, drink mead at the local inn, and maybe even meet a dragon. Before the island could be opened to the public, one of its employees, who just so happens to be Addie's ex-boyfriend, appears to have cut off all outside contact. Addie and the team will have to go up against unicorns, dwarves, and flying monkeys to figure out what really happened and open the island back up to its funder, a wealthy tech billionaire.
If you like classic fantasy novels, you're likely to have a lot of fun with 'Questland.' Vaughn utilizes tropes and common creatures to create what many of us would dream of, a fantasy land in the real world. Following along with Addie as she uncovers the truths of the island and encounters seemingly magical creatures is a lot of fun and makes this a perfect beach read.
I did have one sticking point with the book, which is that it fluctuates between a really fun and campy novel and then it will suddenly take more serious turns. It is revealed early in the novel that Addie is the survivor of a school shooting, one which took the lives of two of her friends. It's something that she is still learning to cope with and the situations that she is put in throughout the novel make her deal with some of the traumas that she still has. This feels somewhat in contradiction to the really fun and referential aspects of the rest of the story, which keep to a lighter air. I think this story would have been aided if Vaughn had decided to either make it very light and campy or more fully explore the traumas that Addie is facing. As the book currently stands, it doesn't delve enough into Addie's mental state and what she is going through for it to be properly explored.
Even so, this book was really fun and I think it would be the perfect beach read as long as readers know going in that there are some traumatic moments and references to a school shooting, which stop it from being as light or fun as the rest of the elements add up to.
The story centers on Dr. Addie Cox, a literature professor, who is recruited to go with a team of mercenaries to an island off of the Pacific Northwest. This island has been transformed into a resort based off of fantasy novels where visitors can go on quests, drink mead at the local inn, and maybe even meet a dragon. Before the island could be opened to the public, one of its employees, who just so happens to be Addie's ex-boyfriend, appears to have cut off all outside contact. Addie and the team will have to go up against unicorns, dwarves, and flying monkeys to figure out what really happened and open the island back up to its funder, a wealthy tech billionaire.
If you like classic fantasy novels, you're likely to have a lot of fun with 'Questland.' Vaughn utilizes tropes and common creatures to create what many of us would dream of, a fantasy land in the real world. Following along with Addie as she uncovers the truths of the island and encounters seemingly magical creatures is a lot of fun and makes this a perfect beach read.
I did have one sticking point with the book, which is that it fluctuates between a really fun and campy novel and then it will suddenly take more serious turns. It is revealed early in the novel that Addie is the survivor of a school shooting, one which took the lives of two of her friends. It's something that she is still learning to cope with and the situations that she is put in throughout the novel make her deal with some of the traumas that she still has. This feels somewhat in contradiction to the really fun and referential aspects of the rest of the story, which keep to a lighter air. I think this story would have been aided if Vaughn had decided to either make it very light and campy or more fully explore the traumas that Addie is facing. As the book currently stands, it doesn't delve enough into Addie's mental state and what she is going through for it to be properly explored.
Even so, this book was really fun and I think it would be the perfect beach read as long as readers know going in that there are some traumatic moments and references to a school shooting, which stop it from being as light or fun as the rest of the elements add up to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Toxic relationship