Amy Lennox is returning to her mother’s home of
Book jumping is a power passed down through the Lennox clan that allows them to enter the world inside any book. From there they can speak with the characters, explore the settings, and even visit the Margin, a place where characters hang out when their books aren’t being read.
Despite how wonderful her new power is, Amy has misgivings about her ancestral home. Not everything on Stormsay island is as it seems. Amy’s grandmother has a secret involving the other clan of book jumpers. A mysterious figure stalks the island causing chaos. And in the book world, a nefarious thief is stealing the core ideas from classic works, ruining every copy the world over.
Only Amy, and the unique power of her heritage, can set the book world to right and reveal the mysteries of Stormsay island. But can she do so in time?
As a volume translated from German into English, I found this title a very interesting read. Several things over the course of the novel left me scratching my head a bit, but I suspect these are things introduced by the translation process, or simply peculiar differences between German and American storytelling. One of the reasons I find reading translated works to be quite fun at times.
I really enjoyed this book. Getting to see some characters from books outside of their usual setting is quite interesting and fun. I like when the characters hang out in the Margin, where we get to the book characters during their downtime when they aren’t playing out the scenes in their book. The book characters are sort of like actors in that regard, which is kind of a cool concept in a way.
Amy is a very fun character to follow, although some of her supporting cast can fall a little flat at times. Her romance is quite sweet and endearing, though it perhaps develops a tad fast for my taste.
Settings in this book, both in and out of the book world, are sparingly described but still really helped to set the mood.
Probably one of the best things about this book was the fact that everything ties back into its themes and atmosphere even as the characters jump between wildly different books from the canon of literature. Although the theme is difficult to nail down, personal responsibility to a larger cause plays a big role. As does taking responsibility for the repercussions of one’s actions.
The biggest weakness of the book, I think, is the pacing. Much of it moved along just a bit too fast for my taste. I would very much have liked to slow down and have a bit more fun exploring the world at times. For many, the way this weakness affects the ending might be a fatal flaw.
I, however, think it’s a minor consideration in a very fun and entertaining book. Especially if you grasp what I think is the full significance of the cyclical nature of the ending.
Overall, “The Book Jumper” isn’t perfect but it’s a very fun read that I’d recommend to fantasy enthusiasts and general book worms alike. The title earns a solid 4 out of 5 stars from me.
