Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings find escape from their constrained lives via their rich imaginations. The glittering world of Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy world of Gondal literally come to life under their pens, offering the sort of romance and intrigue missing from their isolated parsonage home. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness … into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as the characters they have created–the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna–refuse to let them go.
Gorgeously written and based on the Brontës’ juvenilia, Worlds of Ink and Shadow brings to life one of history’s most celebrated literary families in a thrilling, suspenseful fantasy.
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A lush and imaginative fantasy about the young Bronte’s. A highly enjoyable read.
Lena Coakley knows how to spin a web of mystery and suspense that keeps the reading guessing. I loved everything about Worlds of Ink and Shadow. Coakley throws the main characters into their stories, letting them build their stories. However, just like everything in life, you sometimes have to take the good with the bad.
We follow the Bronte children as they create magical worlds and beautiful characters to live out incredible adventures and famous love stories. These stories are their escape from the harsh realities they live with each day that is too much to bear. Who wouldn’t love to be able to jump into their favorite story and become part of it instead of just imagining what it would be? What could be better? Unfortunately, we find out that these magical powers that they possess that allow them to travel to their magical realms come at a higher cost than anyone would be willing to pay. They discover that remaining in their worlds comes at a price and is unwilling to continue as they take matters into their own hands, deciding to leave their dream world with reckless abandonment. The risks for that choice begin to trickle into their reality, realizing that they might be in over their heads, uncertain if they are going mad or if it is all out of their control with all hope becoming lost.
Lena has weaved together a wonderful, mystical gothic tale that will capture any classic literature lover or one who loves a good mystery-adventure. I cannot say enough to praise Worlds of Ink and Shadow and explain how great it truly is. Worlds of Ink and Shadow is a spellbinding gothic experience for the ages that would make The Brontë’s proud.
I cannot believe I was scared to read this because I blindly love the Brontë siblings (this also convinced me to really read their books soon!! Because I’ve only ever read Emily’s works).
Worlds of Ink and Shadow follows the Brontë siblings, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne as they go deeper into the world of Verdopolis, a fictional world Charlotte and Branwell created. They not only writes this world, they also crossover to it meaning, they actually go into the world to create it (which in my opinion is a really great concept!).
It took me a couple of chapters in to really get into the novel but I do think it started off quite strong as it introduced Charlotte as a strong young woman who’s in love with writing and Branwell as a young man who feels that he’s being overshadowed by his sister’s talents. The setting really played a good role shaping the four siblings. I fell in love with all of them and somehow for Charlotte’s and Emily’s case, I can somehow feel the vibes of their books, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights respectively, in the characters as well as how they interact in the world of Verdopolis.
The more I read this, the more I get into the world of Verdopolis and how interesting the story is. When I said they crossover to the world they created, I meant they literally go there and interact with their characters. Everything is going so well until one of their characters had a feeling that there’s a higher being that’s controlling him. When he said that, you know something’s about to happen. It’s intriguing to read. I was really thinking: (1) what’s going to happen, (2) what Charlotte and Branwell will do, (3) how far will Emily take things, and (4) what is Anne’s role in all of this.
OVERALL, Worlds of Ink and Shadow is a really good and quick read. The fantasy aspect is good. I enjoyed the world building, the story behind their ability to go into the world they created. You’ll enjoy this if you like the Brontë siblings or if you’re interested about classic author’s lives in general because I believe apart from the fantasy aspect, parts of these are somewhat factual.
People fascinated by the Brontes will love this book. It captures their strange intensity in a very original way.