01/01/2014
Gr 6–8—In this story about loss and letting go, Otter, like her mother, Willow, is a binder, a person who can banish the dead using the magical strength of knots. The more powerful the binder's magic, the stronger the knots' hold. Otter's skills, along with those of the rangers and storytellers, are necessary to protect her matriarchal society, the Shadowed People, from the dangers of the dead spirits that prey on the living. However, Willow warns her daughter before her death that there is something terribly wrong with the knots. There's some romance, but the theme of binding things too tightly and the problems that arise with not releasing loved ones dominates the story. Sorrow's Knot is a dystopian novel that does not deal with the destruction of the broader world. Rather, it delves into the mythology of a group of people and how their prejudices and resistance to change came to be. Readers of suspense will love the dark tension of the story line, an ebb and flow that carries through to the very end.—Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA
10/14/2013
Otter is the daughter of Willow, the most powerful woman in a matriarchy that exists on the edge of a dangerous forest. Willow, the binder, casts yarn into “wards” that protect the village by keeping the dead at bay. Although Otter has inherited her mother’s magic, Willow mysteriously refuses to teach her spells, expels her from home, and chooses another girl as her apprentice. Otter must rely on two best friends: Kestrel, a ranger in training, and Cricket, who plans to become the village’s storyteller. When Cricket runs afoul of head ranger Thistle, the three friends leave the village for an uncertain future. Bow’s background in science is evident in her Northern American setting; everything from the botany to the zoology feels authentic. Her prose is painterly, though the pacing occasionally lags under the weight of descriptive exposition. As with Bow’s debut, Plain Kate (2010), this dark fantasy has an old-fashioned feel: there’s a strong-willed protagonist with little knowledge of how to channel her power, and readers will enjoy watching her discover that “the world was larger than we knew.” Ages 12–up. Agent: Emily Van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Nov.)
Praise for Sorrow's KnotWinner of the 2014 Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and FantasyA Kirkus Best Book of the Year"A winner. A lovely gem, dark and quiet as the dead but glimmering with life as well. Not to be missed." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review"Bow displays the patient, rhythmic pace of a seasoned storyteller, and the spare elegance of her prose manages to inspire both chills and tears as the tale requires.... Dark but ultimately hopeful, this quiet fantasy will leave its mark on readers and have them contemplating shadows in a whole new way." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review"Bow's background in science is evident in her Northern American setting; everything from the botany to the zoology feels authentic. Her prose is painterly. . . Readers will enjoy watching her discover that 'the world was larger than we knew.'" — Publishers Weekly"Readers of suspense will love the dark tension of the story line, an ebb and flow that carries through to the very end." — School Library Journal
"Grief beats at the heart of adolescence in this fantasy version of North America.
For the free women of the forest, death is a complex, dangerous thing: The dead are bound, and some rise again as White Hands, whose touch brings madness and transformation. Bow’s lyrical writing, which beats like the storyteller’s drum Cricket and, later, Orca wield, tells a story both specific and timeless. The conflict between tradition and change, the tensions between mothers and daughters, and the journey west (itself both physical and metaphorical) all play a role. Within the grand thematic scope is a simpler story, reminiscent of the timeless hero’s journey: Otter, the binder’s daughter, untrained and called upon to face great threats, must use the tools of tradition and forbidden knowledge (a secret story echoes throughout the novel) to remake the world. Add to that epic scope two love stories, a genuine portrait of friendship, a nuanced exploration of loss and letting go, and a fine tracery of humor as well as plenty of tears, and you have a winner.
A lovely gem, dark and quiet as the dead but glimmering with life as well. Not to be missed. " - Kirkus reviews
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Starred Review
At the edge of Bow’s fantasy world stands Westmost, a small village of women who bind the souls of the dead and secure the knots of the ward to protect the living from the voracious White Hands, shadowy creatures whose mark means certain death. As the daughter of the most powerful binder in generations, Otter is next in line to inherit the power and responsibility of binding the dead, but one awful night changes all that when she’s cast out by her mother. Otter finds solace with her friends, Kestrel, a ranger, and Cricket, an apprentice storyteller, until it becomes clear that her mother’s power is no longer protecting Westmost but threatening it. As in her previous work, Plain Kate (BCCB 2/10), Bow displays the patient, rhythmic pace of a seasoned storyteller, and the spare elegance of her prose manages to inspire both chills and tears as the tale requires. Ruled by tradition and overshadowed by death, the snowed-in village of Westmost makes an evocative setting for three teens to wrestle with their fate, and the details of the vaguely North American, pre-industrial world are immersive without being overwhelming. The heart of this story, however, lies with Otter and her friends and their efforts to come to terms with the harsh realities of adulthood, the necessity of grief and mourning, and their realization that sometimes love does not translate into salvation. Dark but ultimately hopeful, this quiet fantasy will leave its mark on readers and have them contemplating shadows in a whole new way.
Praise for SORROW'S KNOT A KIRKUS Best Book of the Year *"A winner. A lovely gem, dark and quiet as the dead but glimmering with life as well. Not to be missed." — KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review *"Bow displays the patient, rhythmic pace of a seasoned storyteller, and the spare elegance of her prose manages to inspire both chills and tears as the tale requires.... Dark but ultimately hopeful, this quiet fantasy will leave its mark on readers and have them contemplating shadows in a whole new way." — BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS, starred review
★ 2013-10-01
Grief beats at the heart of adolescence in this fantasy version of North America. For the free women of the forest, death is a complex, dangerous thing: The dead are bound, and some rise again as White Hands, whose touch brings madness and transformation. Bow's lyrical writing, which beats like the storyteller's drum Cricket and, later, Orca wield, tells a story both specific and timeless. The conflict between tradition and change, the tensions between mothers and daughters, and the journey west (itself both physical and metaphorical) all play a role. Within the grand thematic scope is a simpler story, reminiscent of the timeless hero's journey: Otter, the binder's daughter, untrained and called upon to face great threats, must use the tools of tradition and forbidden knowledge (a secret story echoes throughout the novel) to remake the world. Add to that epic scope two love stories, a genuine portrait of friendship, a nuanced exploration of loss and letting go, and a fine tracery of humor as well as plenty of tears, and you have a winner. A lovely gem, dark and quiet as the dead but glimmering with life as well. Not to be missed. (Fantasy. 13 & up)
