Deep Is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson
on April 16, 2024
ISBN: 0593562704
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

“Deep is the Fen” is a young adult fantasy novel by Lili Wilkinson. Merry, the protagonist, is dealing with changes in her friend group. She has a scholarship to university, but doesn’t want to leave her widowed father or her friends. Her friend Teddy plans to join the Toadmen, who are a secretive brotherhood that she suspects of using evil magic. When she is asked by her school rival, Caraway, to go to a Toad Ball with him (spoiler alert: potential semi-enemies to lovers setup), she does so in exchange for his help in thwarting Teddy from joining the Toads.

Themes of friendship and investigating beneath the surface and not accepting the status quo are showcased by Merry as she fights for her family and friends against an ancient evil. Wilkinson has utilized folklore from East Anglia and Lincolnshire about the Fens, but also has created her own modern twist to them. The novel wraps up a bit quickly, but readers who enjoy Holly Black or other modern fantasy will enjoy this. Recommended purchase for YA collections where modern fantasy is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.