The Collagist

Holmberg details a family saga buried under years of secrets in this cumbersome gothic fantasy debut. Most of Romilly’s memories of her childhood are shadowed by her mother’s mysterious illness. Following her mother’s death, villagers suddenly flee their homes and Romilly takes up her mother’s place in assisting her emotionally withdrawn father on the family farm. When she learns that her seafaring uncle has gone missing, she persuades her father to help her look for him. Despite them fearing the worst, they find him safe on a remote island in an abandoned cabin once owned by her great-aunt. Exploring further, Romilly realizes that the island is inhabited by strange animals, including a talking crow named Robbie and a kestrel named Mira. After Romilly and her uncle reveal that they’ve both seen a mysterious sky being, they endeavor to make contact, setting their family on an unexpected path. Dense and overwrought prose hampers narrative clarity and buries the more intriguing elements of Holmberg’s worldbuilding, such as the lore behind the enigmatic being and Romilly’s ancestry. Romilly and her family cue as white. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)