Release Date: March 8th, 2022

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy, Magical Realism

Publisher: Fiewel & Friends

Pages: 304

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Thank you to Fierce Reads and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis

In this young adult novel by award-winning author Anna-Marie McLemore, two non-binary teens are pulled into a magical world under a lake – but can they keep their worlds above water intact?

Everyone who lives near the lake knows the stories about the world underneath it, an ethereal landscape rumored to be half-air, half-water. But Bastián Silvano and Lore Garcia are the only ones who’ve been there. Bastián grew up both above the lake and in the otherworldly space beneath it. Lore’s only seen the world under the lake once, but that one encounter changed their life and their fate.

Then the lines between air and water begin to blur. The world under the lake drifts above the surface. If Bastián and Lore don’t want it bringing their secrets to the surface with it, they have to stop it, and to do that, they have to work together. There’s just one problem: Bastián and Lore haven’t spoken in seven years, and working together means trusting each other with the very things they’re trying to hide.

Review

I’ve been a fan of Anna-Marie McLemore’s books for a while, and have been looking forward to reading their backlog for a while. That being said, I was excited to see Lakelore coming out. And as always, McLemore demonstrates absolutely beautiful imagery and well-developed characters.

My absolute favorite aspect of this book was the representation and now intersections of identity were discussed. I loved not only how this book showed how being nonbinary varies from person to person, but also the experiences behind gender-affirming treatments. I also thought that the descriptions of ADHD and dyslexia were incredibly well done; as a person who does not share these experiences, they were shown in such a way that genuinely helped me understand its impacts on people-and one I believe many will be seen by.

While I enjoyed the way magical realism tied into the characters’ growth, I feel like this aspect of the book was more understated than it should have been. I was expecting more from the magical elements of this story and found myself wanting more of it. It surprised me how quickly this book wrapped up because of that.

But all in all, I loved the characters of Lakelore and the way that McLemore writes characters that feel true to life. And although this wasn’t a favorite of mine, I still look forward to reading more of their works.

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