I recently finished Kelly Barnhill's (award-winning) YA novel The Girl Who Drank the Moon, as it is one of our 2020 Battle of the Books selections. This is your typical Fantasy, filled with Dragons, Witches, Wizards, Monsters, Heroes, Villains, Castles, Towers, Magic, Danger, Adventure, and One Very Special Girl. All the standard fantasy tropes have found a home within the pages of this one. It was cute... And well-written... But I didn't think there was anything particularly special about it.
Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a juvenile fantasy.
Anyway... without being too Spoilery:
Five hundred years ago (give or take), a terrible volcano erupted, devastating the Protectorate and the surrounding forest. There was a dragon involved. And a wizard. And a witch. It's unclear what exactly went down that fateful day. Not many are still alive who witnessed the events. And history always gets changed and reshaped to fit the ideals and views of Those In Charge. Long story short: People blame the Witch in the Woods (isn't there always a witch in the woods?), and every year on Sacrifice Day the village Elders leave a baby in the woods to appease her. I suppose so she doesn't unleash her wrath upon them again. Or there could be a more corrupt reason behind the tradition. Either way, the witch isn't who people think she is. And this year's baby is very special indeed.
These elements combined....the Smack, predictably, is about to go Down!
What happens next?
You'll just have to read to find out.
--AJB
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