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    Worlds of Ink and Shadow: A Novel of the Brontës
    Worlds of Ink and Shadow: A Novel of the Brontës
    Worlds of Ink and Shadow: A Novel of the Brontës
    Ebook305 pages4 hours

    Worlds of Ink and Shadow: A Novel of the Brontës

    By Lena Coakley

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    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 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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherABRAMS
    Release dateJan 5, 2016
    ISBN9781613126301
    Worlds of Ink and Shadow: A Novel of the Brontës
    Author

    Lena Coakley

    LENA COAKLEY was born in Milford, Connecticut, and grew up on Long Island. After studying writing at Sarah Lawrence College, she moved to Toronto. She is the author of the acclaimed fantasy novel Witchlanders, winner of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, as well as the picture books On the Night of the Comet and Mrs. Goodhearth and the Gargoyle. The former administrative director for the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers, Oakley is now a full-time writer.

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    Reviews for Worlds of Ink and Shadow

    3.5/5

    33 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I got this book in my January Owlcrate box. I started it then, read about 20 pages, and then just put it down and didn't pick it back up until now. I actually ended up enjoying this book more than I thought I would. I really liked the fantastical elements added to the Bronte siblings story and how accurate the author did get with other aspects of their lives. The characterization was done really well and I loved how Old Tom was incorporated. It was really cool to see the author's imagination of how each of the sisters personalities ended up really inspiring their published works and what really drove them to write about the topics that they did. How Charlotte wrote about her life as a governess, and Emily's novel was dark and twisted, and how in Anne's novels you could tell she came from a family involved in the church.
      Overall, I really loved the imagination and creativity in this novel and the characterization of real people.
      3.5 stars
    • 2/5
      I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

      This book just wasn't for me. As much as I love Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, I haven't read anything else by the Brontes. The parts with Charlotte and Branwell disappearing into Verdopolis just felt strange to me. It was sometimes hard to tell when they were back in the real world. I didn't connect to any of the characters. Everything just fell flat.
    • 4/5
      Eerie and compelling -- and the fact that this was inspired by the Bronte siblings' actual stories about imaginary worlds makes it all the more interesting. I haven't read many books by the Brontes, but that is going to change.
    • 5/5
      Hard to put down. Though I have only read Wuthering Heights, and no work from the other Bronte sisters, I enjoyed this book wholly. I believe readers who are also writers of fiction will enjoy the concept of writers being able to cross over into the world of their creation, and relate to the idea of fictional characters seeming to have a will of their own. The way the story continued to unfold was captivating, and epic, and the true villain of the story was reminiscent of tricksters of the old fairy tales. I appreciated the bits of the real Bronte siblings lives that were found throughout the book, and was impressed at what Lena Coakley did with it all, but prior knowledge of the Bronte siblings is not necessary to the enjoyment of this book.
    • 5/5
      Reading over the reviews, I seem to be in the minority, but I really liked this book. It wasn't what I was expecting, but this time that worked to its benefit. I loved the world created, what the author used from real life, and how it all worked in this wondrous story. It was a quick read for me and I just really, really liked it. Sure, some parts were rather cliche and tropey, that's going to happen in any book. I would recommend this. For sure 5 out of 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      I'm deeply fond of the Brontes (especially Charlotte) and I loved this imagining of their created worlds of which dominated their early writings. The author manages to capture the spirit which prevails across the writings of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, but places it alongside a compelling narrative that makes me more interested than ever in the siblings' writing. A fascinating read for Bronte fans and one likely to appeal to others as well.
    • 3/5
      I found this book to be mostly confusing, and I really didn't learn much about the Bronte family. The plot cleared up near the end, but I still don't feel it wrapped up well or made as much sense as it could have.
    • 5/5
      Hard to put down. Though I have only read Wuthering Heights, and no work from the other Bronte sisters, I enjoyed this book wholly. I believe readers who are also writers of fiction will enjoy the concept of writers being able to cross over into the world of their creation, and relate to the idea of fictional characters seeming to have a will of their own. The way the story continued to unfold was captivating, and epic, and the true villain of the story was reminiscent of tricksters of the old fairy tales. I appreciated the bits of the real Bronte siblings lives that were found throughout the book, and was impressed at what Lena Coakley did with it all, but prior knowledge of the Bronte siblings is not necessary to the enjoyment of this book.
    • 2/5
      Originally posted on my blog:

      Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley
      Amulet Books, 2016
      Fantasy; 352 pgs
      Source: NetGalley

      Lena Coakley's Witchlanders was among my favorites the year I read it. I was blown away by the world building, the characters and the overall story. I have been anxiously awaiting another book by the author and so jumped at the chance to read Worlds of Ink and Shadow when it became available on NetGalley. I admit to being a little nervous about the subject matter. I do not generally gravitate towards fictionalized stories starring real-life people. But we are talking about the Brontë siblings, and a fantasy novel to boot. How could I resist?

      Charlotte is the oldest of the four children, and very responsible and practical. Still, she is a romantic at heart. As the story progressed, I liked her more and more. And not just because she would go on to write one of my all-time favorite novels, Jane Eyre. The second oldest, Branwell, was more of a wild card, a definite risk taker. He was always trying to best his sister Charlotte. Both Branwell and Charlotte shared a friendly rivalry as siblings often do, but it was sometimes fraught with jealousy and pettiness.

      I am surprised no one wanted to ring Emily's neck, given her rather dreamy and at times thoughtless behavior. This isn't to say I did not like Emily. She is such an interesting character, not to mention quite strong-willed and daring. I could not help but draw comparisons between her book, Wuthering Heights, and the Emily Lena Coakley has created. I was quite curious about Anne, the youngest. As much as I like outspoken heroines, the quiet ones often win me over the most. Anne was no exception. She was the voice of reason, and the one who tried to keep everyone grounded.

      It is over the course of the novel, seeing the imaginary worlds or touches added by each sibling, that the reader gets a more complete view of just who the Brontës might have been in their younger years. It made the fictional characters the siblings created even more interesting in their own ways too.

      The novel has a somewhat mythical quality about it, which reminded me a little of author Lisa Tuttle and her subtle style of weaving myth in with reality. Lena Coakley takes a similar approach, taking advantage of the setting and superstitions of the time and threading them into her story.

      The novel is extremely slow in setting up; although I suppose the reader is given an opportunity to understand just the type of relationships the siblings shared as well as what their life was like while growing up. It really dragged for me though, and I seriously considered giving up several times early on. It wasn't until I hit page 97 or so that I knew I was in it for the long haul. The book picked up for me as details about the crossing over into the not-so-imaginary worlds created by the Brontë siblings began to solidify. I still have mixed feelings just the same. I was involved in the story and characters enough to want to know what happened, to see where Coakley would take me, the reader, but this isn't a book I came away loving, I am sad to say. I always felt like I was on the outside looking in. And I never quite got over the feeling of wishing it could be more than what it was--that something more would happen.

      As a perpetual daydreamer, there was a part of me that wished I could do just what the Brontë siblings were able to do--create and step into the worlds my daydreams sometimes take me--become a part of the stories. Isn't that one of the reasons I enjoy reading and writing? It's probably best I stay on this side of the book and paper, however, especially given the experiences of the Brontës in this novel! While this one did not quite live up to my expectations, I am curious what Lena Coakley will come up with next.
    • 4/5
      As WORLDS OF INK AND SHADOW opens, we meet the Brontë siblings as troubled teens. Their mother and two of their sisters have died, and to avoid their individual failings Charlotte and Branwell have retreated into a world literally of their own creation. Verdopolis begins to consume more and more of their time, however, and the cost for this amusement eventually grows too high. The novel fuses elements of horror, fantasy, and historical realism and provides a fun alternative-worlds exploration. Ideally, this novel will open a door into the Brontës' own work when readers are ready to meet the authors on their own terms.Read my complete review in RESOURCE LINKS 19.2 (April 2016).

    Book preview

    Worlds of Ink and Shadow - Lena Coakley

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