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Reviewed by: Heather Maneiro, High School Librarian Title: The Dark Fable Author: Katherine Harbour
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: 9-Adult Genre/Type of Book: Fantasy
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: None Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: Cybils Speculative Fiction Review
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: What is more important - belonging or being right?
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Review:
Evie is the lone orphan with no place to belong. Evie has no real friends except her strange elderly landlord. She wants desperately to reunite with her brother and sister and really understand what happened the night her family fell apart. Then one night at her catering job, she gets snagged in the web of a secret society - La Fable Sombre (LFS). Evie knew she had always been a bit different, but she didn’t fully understand how magical her ability to disappear was – exactly the type of skill that LFS is looking for. Now Evie has a group and a place to belong, but is this magical group good or evil. Can they help Evie reunite with her family?
Verdict: Touted as a next read for fans of Six of Crows, I would also indicate perhaps a YA or darker take/ step up for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. After all, at the heart this books all surround children looking for family and belonging who find out everyone has unique and special abilities that can be used to conquer the world when working together.
I listened to this one on audio, so not sure if it was that experience or something else. I do see other reviewers commenting though that sometimes the plot lines, names, etc. were a bit difficult to follow especially in the muddling middle, but I found myself racing at the end. As such, I haven’t decided whether or not I will be ordering physical copy for our school.
Number of party hats:
Find resources for The Dark Fable on TeachingBooks.
For more information about this book, see the author's website.