The Realm of the Lost by Emma Eden Ramos is a middle-grade fantasy novel about a 13-year-old girl, named Kat Gallagher, who is feisty and responsible. She’s got younger siblings, Ellie and Colm, and a home life that is not what it once was, but she takes it on her own shoulders to care for her little brother whose sick a lot of the time. Her and Ellie, on the other hand, act as sisters should, especially sisters who share a room. They bicker over space, and one day on the way to school, all of the tension boils over on the streets of New York City.
An accident changes everything for Kat, and she finds herself in a place that is disconcerting to say the least. Here, she meets Rosario and Mikey, her brother and sister in the realm, and she must contend with Miss A, her realm mother. Between the Tallyman, the mysterious forests, and the creepy dark mists that come out at night with Apate, Kat must navigate a strange and frightening world. What makes this world believable is Ramos’ ability to ground her characters in a place and time, despite their strange surroundings.
“Before she died, Grandma Rose gave me a sterling silver necklace bearing the Celtic triskele. ‘This,’ she explained, pointing to each swirl that extended from the symbol’s triangular middle, ‘will bring you knowledge, power, and, someday, a safe passage.'” (from ebook, location 27)
Grandma Rose is like Kat, a feisty Irish woman who immigrated to the United States, and she is reminiscent of the grandmothers who tell tall tales from the past and generally dote on their grandchildren. Unfortunately, we don’t see much of this relationship, but a glimpse is enough to get the gist that she’s an important part of Kat’s upbringing. The relationship between Ellie and Kat is clear, though the relationship with their mother is a little less developed. However, Ramos offers the right balance of plot and description to see where Kat is and when, allowing the suspense and tension to build to the twist.
The four realms and what they signify are interesting, and could bring additional inspiration for a series of novellas, if Ramos is so inclined — the possibilities are endless. But what is truly engaging is the parallels between The Realm of the Lost and Kat’s real life, only in the lost realm, Kat is forced to take on the role of younger sibling. The Realm of the Lost by Emma Eden Ramos is an adventure that teachers Kat that there are more important things than just whether you have your own room.
***I wanted this to be longer!***
Emma Eden Ramos is a writer and student from New York City. Her short stories have appeared in Stories for Children Magazine, The Storyteller Tymes, BlazeVOX Journal, and others. Emma’s novelette, Where the Children Play, is included in Resilience: Stories, Poems, Essays, Words for LGBT Teens, edited by Eric Nguyen. Three Women: A Poetic Triptych and Selected Poems (Heavy Hands Ink, 2011), Ramos’ first poetry chapbook, was shortlisted for the 2011 Independent Literary Award in Poetry. Emma studies psychology at Marymount Manhattan College. Please visit her Website.
This is my 5th book for the 2012 Ireland Reading Challenge.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks…I hope you’ll give it a try if your hubby picks it up for his nook.
This one sounds intriguing! Thanks for the review – I added it to the Ireland Challenge page.
Thanks, for adding it.
Wanting it to be longer is a great recommendation!
I thought it was a great recommendation.
I think it can work if it’s done correctly! I wonder if Booking Daughter would be willing to give this one a try.
She might, depending on her normal reading habits.
I’m not much for fantasy but the fact that you wanted this to be longer speaks volumes!
I really don’t read a lot of fantasy, but this one worked for me.