LitPick Review
Ash has always heard whispers from the world around her. She hears things' true names and their possibilities. By naming something, she can tie it to that possibility, essentially deciding what it becomes. Her village, Last Hope, lives in constant fear of attack by the dao fora, or forest fairies, and illwen, giant magical storm beasts with the power to kill and destroy. Every year, the attacks get worse and more frequent, but no one knows what is causing them. One day, a dao fora boy is captured and brought into the village. Ash, the only person not afraid to talk to him, names him “Friend of Strangers”. He tells her that the dao fora live in the forest, which is being destroyed by the silk worm industry in the surrounding villages. She and this “Friend of Strangers” must work together to save the forest and destroy the lurking evil in the land.
Opinion:
The Namer of Spirits was a thrilling book. The imagery in the book was striking, such as “her mom looked like a ghost with her white dress and veil billowing around her.” It is enjoyable to see the characters develop as their perspectives are broadened by the people around them. The author, Todd Mitchell, effortlessly combines an enchanting plot with important lessons. The Namer of Spirits confronts the concepts of deforestation and climate change as well as the idea that each of us have many possibilities in life that we can choose from. The book was intriguing and fairly easy to read, but I would mainly recommend it to any reader ages 12+ because of the complex themes. I loved the experience of being immersed into Ash’s world, and I think you will too!
