Echo North

by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Overview

"Epic and engrossing. Magic pulsates through every page.” —Kirkus, starred review

"...a compelling, satisfying romantic adventure with metafictional undertones.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A marvelous, enchanting tale about the power of love and stories.”

—Rosamund Hodge, New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beauty

"...beautifully written retelling..." - School Library Journal

Echo Alkaev’s safe and carefully structured world falls apart when her father leaves for the city and mysteriously disappears. Believing he is lost forever, Echo is shocked to find him half-frozen in the winter forest six months later, guarded by a strange talking wolf—the same creature who attacked her as a child. The wolf presents Echo with an ultimatum: if she lives with him for one year, he will ensure her father makes it home safely. But there is more to the wolf than Echo realizes.

In his enchanted house beneath a mountain, each room must be sewn together to keep the home from unraveling, and something new and dark and strange lies behind every door. When centuries-old secrets unfold, Echo discovers a magical library full of books- turned-mirrors, and a young man named Hal who is trapped inside of them. As the year ticks by, the rooms begin to disappear and Echo must solve the mystery of the wolf’s enchantment before her time is up otherwise Echo, the wolf, and Hal will be lost forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781624149207
Publisher:	Page Street Publishing
Publication date:	01/14/2020
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Joanna Ruth Meyer is the author of Beneath the Haunting Sea—described as “Epic, musical, and tender” by Kirkus

—and Echo North, which has received two starred reviews and is a YALSA nominated 2020 Best Fiction for Young Adults. She lives in Mesa, Arizona.

Editorial Reviews

* "Epic and engrossing. Magic pulsates through every page. . .Readers will ache when it's over and want to start all over again. A lush, captivating new twist on beloved fairy tales.”

—Kirkus, starred review

* “Meyer refreshes the familiar framework with additional fairy tale elements—'Cupid and Psyche,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' and 'Tam Lin' among them—producing a compelling, satisfying romantic adventure with metafictional undertones.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A first purchase for libraries." — School Library Journal

"Meyer's story provides a unique twist of the East of the Sun, West of the Moon fairy tale, which will engross readers from the first page to the very end." — Booklist

"The frequent, loving homages to the power of story and the pleasures of reading make this a leisurely, luxurious read, suited to lovers of folklore and long winter nights." — BCCB

“A marvelous, enchanting tale about the power of love and stories.”

—Rosamund Hodge, New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beauty

“I loved this classic-feeling fairy tale about destiny, family, and true love. If you like strong, clever girls, talking wolves and wonderfully strange mysteries, don’t miss this one!”

—Hayley Chewins, author of The Turnaway Girls

"A ravishing new fairytale woven of music, enchantment, and mystery. Readers will be riveted by Meyer's poignant voice and masterful storytelling, and fall in love with Echo's courage."

— Elizabeth Lim, author of Spin the Dawn and Reflection

“An atmospheric story so well-told it will leave readers enchanted right alongside Echo and her white wolf. I devoured every page.” —Jessica Leake, author of Beyond a Darkened Shore and Through the White Wood

"A gorgeous retelling set in an immersive world with deeply satisfying mythic undertones. Meyer imbues her fantasy with a classic sensibility and gravitas that are often missing from modern works."

— Laura Weymouth, author of The Light Between Worlds

"Immersive and captivating, Echo North is the perfect fairy tale to read beside the fire on a dark winter's night." —Megan Bannen, author of The Bird and the Blade

From the Publisher

★ 2018-10-15

To save her father, a 16-year-old girl makes a difficult bargain with a wolf.

Echo Alkaev lives a quiet life with her beloved father and older brother, working in the family bookstore. When Echo was 7, she found a white wolf caught in a trap. Inexplicably drawn to help it break free, Echo, attacked by the wolf, was left with scars across her face which villagers say are the devil's mark. After her father travels to the city to sell precious manuscripts and doesn't return, Echo is distraught and fights with her new stepmother, who continually belittles her. Echo flees, finding both her missing father and the white wolf in the woods. The wolf offers a bargain: He'll save her hypothermic father's life if she'll live with him for a year. She accepts. Though initially frightened, Echo tends the wolf's magical house, outfitted with fantastical rooms. She forms a bond with the wolf, who tells her he'll die when her year is over—and she decides she'll do anything to prevent that. Drawing on classic tales, Echo's story is epic and engrossing. Magic pulsates through every page; every landscape in this alternate Siberia lives and breathes. Echo is fierce, and her love for the wolf is hard-earned and true. Readers will ache when it's over and want to start all over again. All human characters are white.

A lush, captivating new twist on beloved fairy tales. (author's note) (Fantasy. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews