Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: The Book Woman
AUTHOR: Laurel Beckley
PUBLISHER: Less Than Three Press
LENGTH: 83 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 13, 2019
BLURB:
As an assistant editor at the prestigious Hanhat Publishers, Evie Southiel is entrusted with fine-tuning the manuscripts of the company’s most important authors. Her skills as a book witch allow her to manipulate the stories she reviews and bring them to life.
Then her girlfriend steals the secret manuscript of Hanhat’s best-selling author and leaks it to the press, and Evie is exiled to become a journey carrier with the Pack Horse Librarians in the eastern mountains.
Timid city mouse Evie doesn’t know the first thing about surviving in the wilderness, riding a horse, or dealing with the rugged mountain folk and coal miners surrounding the town of Hevis. She does know books, though, and she’s determined to do the best job she can. But that goal is jeopardized when her horse gets spooked on her first solo run, sending her tumbling out of the saddle and into a mysterious mother’s life.
REVIEW:
It’s nice to read a warm, sweet fantasy story that still introduces unique elements to the genre. Evie, an exiled book editor who is forced to become a rural library carrier, follows the path of many literary heroines before her—she must adapt into new surroundings to survive, and in turn, finds true love. But interesting magic and worldbuilding elements keep the story fresh and interesting.
As Evie struggles with her new surroundings, she learns more about the world, and also learns how other people from different backgrounds view books. When she takes a nasty fall and becomes injured on her first solo journey, a mysterious woman takes her in and offers her a new perspective on home and family. A lot of unique characters were introduced in the first half of the story, so until the second half, I wasn’t even sure who the love interest was going to be. But the romance between Evie and Katalin, the gruff woman who lives in a cave with her precocious son Lajos, develops sweetly and naturally. Evie is strong, but the natural world still baffles her, and Katalin’s protectiveness makes for a perfect match.
Evie’s magic—weaving visual tales out of written books—is so cool, but we needed so much more of it! I love how her magic is used to bring interest in literacy to poorer communities, and that message fits in well with the book and character, but I feel like Beckley could’ve taken it even further. I actually want more stories about Evie’s life before she became a journey carrier, because her magic mixed with book editing would be a really cool skill.
You’ll also be very happy with how LGBT-inclusive this world is! There are many trans and non-binary characters, and most characters seem to be bisexual or pansexual. And all family types are represented, from single parent households to big polyamorous families. In addition, all characters are unique—they come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and abilities. It’s a wonderfully diverse story, and I hope Beckley continues this world and expands on some of these characters.
This story ends on a sweet and happy note. It is all about finding yourself and finding your family in unexpected places. It isn’t a new type of story, but it’s a cozy one, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
RATING: 
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