Heather’s Bookshelf: The Stranger’s Guide to Talliston
Author: John Tarrow
Released: 07/11/19
Genre: YA Fantasy
“The Stranger’s Guide to Talliston” introduces Joe, a thirteen-year-old living alone after his parents don’t return one day. He lives by rules his father set out for him including a necessity for medication.
When Joe finds himself running in fear of his life, he happens upon a manor with a labyrinth called Talliston. Behind each door in the manor is a magical pathway to different places and times (past and future) that require a magical touch to open. Along the way, he finds help from many of the people (and birds) he encounters. He learns about himself while experiencing the extraordinary people and places.
With the help of his found book, The Stranger’s Guide to Talliston, Joe tries to escape from the beings (Grim Grotesques) trying to hunt him while also trying to find his way out of the many doors of Talliston. Will Joe find the answers to his past in order to ensure his future?
Trigger Warning: racist/prejudiced language, reference to rape/incest
First, the house in this story really exists and you can tour it. Anyone who grew up on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has imagined finding a magical closet or pantry door that provides a portal entry to a fantastical world. So, the premise of a fantasy book connected to a real life physical location was super exciting to me.
Overall, I was a little mixed on this tale. Joe as a protagonist was fine. He wasn’t extremely likable or relatable, but I still found myself rooting for him. The story has a definite pattern to it. Joe goes through a door, finds himself in a crazy situation where he has to figure something out in order to escape the baddies and then moves to the next door. I found many of the times and locations interesting- especially New Orleans and Ireland. I also liked many of the fantastical ideas throughout the story and found many to be magical and creative. However, while the first half of the novel had seemingly little carryover between chapters and some format/pacing challenges, the second half picked up and started tying things together. Just when I thought I had some things figured out, the author threw different ideas in there that just didn’t fit for me. I don’t want to give anything away, but a lot happens in the end and while I appreciate the undertone of stories to come, I found this particular finish to be somehow unfulfilling. There’s so much that happens in this story that perhaps it was just a little too much to leave me fully invested in Joe.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
I reviewed this story on combined platforms: audiobook with ebook. The audiobook had great pacing and a narrator with a soothing, yet easy-to-understand voice. However, throughout the book there’s a jarring crow call and some of the accents/characters are much more believable than others.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A fantasy-filled YA filled with interesting concepts, places, and times. So much happens that it doesn’t quite all come together in the end.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with John Tarrow
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or Audible
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