A review by futurememory
Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
4.0
What a brutal story, in more ways than one. Some of the descriptions in here will really set your teeth on edge.
Archivist Wasp is a pretty fine novel, even if it does meander quite a bit. The journey that Wasp takes is almost YA in character, as we watch her grow into herself and truly realize her full potential. The reader is taken through some confusing bits, some poignant points, and some interesting turns. The internal logic of the world sometimes doesn't work very well; bits are oddly jarring instead of smoothly joined.
The ending is what really solidified the novel for me, though. Everything clicks together in the most satisfying way, especially after some bits that were a bit too deus ex machina (quite literally, in parts) for my liking. It reminded me of The Ghost Bride - might be the entire journey through the ghost world we take here - and I think I might have enjoyed that novel just a bit more.
Archivist Wasp is a pretty fine novel, even if it does meander quite a bit. The journey that Wasp takes is almost YA in character, as we watch her grow into herself and truly realize her full potential. The reader is taken through some confusing bits, some poignant points, and some interesting turns. The internal logic of the world sometimes doesn't work very well; bits are oddly jarring instead of smoothly joined.
The ending is what really solidified the novel for me, though. Everything clicks together in the most satisfying way, especially after some bits that were a bit too deus ex machina (quite literally, in parts) for my liking. It reminded me of The Ghost Bride - might be the entire journey through the ghost world we take here - and I think I might have enjoyed that novel just a bit more.