Let’s Talk Books! started out as an issue of my monthly newsletter, where I tell my readers what books I am currently working through and do a little review of those books. While you will have to sign up for my newsletter to get the dish on the books I am currently reading, I decided it would be fun to include some new Let’s Talk Books! content on my blog! In Let’s Talk Books! - Blog Edition I will dive deeper into topics such as world-building, behind-the-scenes, and characters of newly completed books and books I grew up reading and still return to today!
The wolf glanced back, amber eyes and bone-white teeth flashing in the lamplight. "Welcome to the house under the mountain, my lady."
Quote from Echo North, by Joanna Ruth Meyer
To get this new blog category started, I wanted to discuss a story element from a book I recently completed, Echo North. Echo North is a beautiful fantasy novel by Joanna Ruth Meyer that contains a fun element I think was a wonderfully creative addition to the story. The element of this book I want to discuss today is the author’s unique creativity in taking real-world objects and making them come to life, specifically books.
SPOILER WARNING: I will try not to drop spoilers in Let’s Talk Books! posts, but just in case, I will leave spoiler warnings in articles that may contain book spoilers. So, consider this your in-post spoiler warning! If you have not read Echo North, now is an excellent time to save this post so you can return after reading the book.
All the frames were made, unusually, of leather, some soft and supple, some old and cracked. I couldn't place why they seemed familiar until I noticed that every mirror had a little gold description plate, many at the top, a few at the bottom or tilted sideways along either edge. Book spines ̶ they reminded me of book spines.
Quote from Echo North, by Joanna Ruth Meyer
The Books of Echo North
Echo North follows the story of Echo Alkaev, a girl struggling to cope with how her appearance has impacted her life. But things get interesting when she encounters an unusual situation involving a talking wolf and an enchanted house. Due to circumstances that I won’t give away here, Echo is tasked with caring for an enchanted house. Within this magical house, there is a special library filled with books. Early in her story, Echo discovers that these books have a unique quality; she can enter their pages and experience their stories! In fact, she can not only enter the stories, but she can also meet other people who enter the stories as well. Those who enter the books and the stories they contain can interact with the characters and plot of the books, even participating in the story without changing its course. This gives more than one character a form of entertainment, much like an interactive play. But that is not all it does.
Why Are These Books Such a Great Story Element?
There are a few reasons why I think these books in Echo North are such a great element of the story, but the one I would like to focus on is the creativity of building tension. We all know that fantasy books are filled with great examples of “thinking outside the box,” so to speak, and Echo North hits the nail on the head! Interactive books are not a new concept to the fantasy novel world, but this story presents the idea in its own light, specifically as a creative way to build tension within the main character and the reader.
How do these enchanted books offer a creative way to build tension? The books Echo discovers hold something, or someone, detrimental to her story. She doesn’t know that at first, but eventually, she begins to suspect it. Placing this character in the enchanted books is a brilliant, subtle way to hint at what is really going on. While I will not tell you what happens, I will say that because of these books, I was on the edge of my seat, hoping my theory of what was happening was true. In addition to this, Echo’s movement in and out of the books adds a unique time problem for all characters involved, adding to Echo’s fear, and the fear of the reader, that Echo will run out of time! What will she run out of time for? Well, you will just have to read the book and find out.
I wept in the snow and crumbled to ash, for I was only pages in a book, burned and lost and gone forever.
Quote from Echo North, by Joanna Ruth Meyer
This creative and emotional story was a exciting to read and full of great life lessons. As a writer, I love how the author used each element of the world she was building, but the books were my favorite!
Have you read Echo North? What did you think of the books Echo could jump into? Did you catch any other ways they added to the novel’s plot? Comment and let me know!
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