The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine by Lindsay A. Franklin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an advance digital copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the cover for The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine, I was intrigued. When I read the synopsis, I was instantly charmed, and had a feeling that this could end up being a lifetime favorite. And I was absolutely correct. From the premise to the setting, from the characters to the references to classic works of fiction, from the voice to the profound musings on the power of story and why stories matter, I was captivated by every page of this book. I dove deep into this story, reading it slowly because I didn’t want it to end. I wish Franklin would write a dozen more books in this series. I would eat up every single one.

Imagine there’s a library, another world at the center of all worlds, tasked with protecting the stories it houses and ensuring that none of said stories lose the plot, so to speak. Imagine teams, or Novems, of magical beings, tasked with diving into those stories when they do go off the rails and bringing them back into line. Now, imagine that you’re a teenage girl from Earth who thought she had invented the aforementioned imaginings, only to find herself falling into them. That’s the basic premise of Emlyn’s story.

I immediately loved Emlyn and was charmed by her. Her snark-camouflaged anxiety when we meet her is very relatable. Her brain is such a funny, sassy place, even in the horrible and stressful situation we first find her in: a rehashing of her sister’s disappearance 7 years ago. Even through her stress and guilt and suppressed grief, her musings and observations on life are so refreshingly unique. Considering how no one has ever believed what Emlyn claims to have seen, as well as all the years of therapy she’s had to undergo, it’s no wonder that she thinks she’s lost her mind when she falls into the fictional world of her own making.

Can there be free will in a story already written?

There are other wonderful characters, as well. Namely, the rest of Emlyn’s Novem. Each Novem is comprised of a Flare, a Bolt, an Echo, a Gryphon, a Muse, a Harmony, a Zephyr, a Sentinel, and a Dragon. The whole setup has a bit of a Camp Halfblood vibe, which was a really fun surprise. The other eight beings that make up Emlyn’s particular group are as varied in personality as they are in form and function. I love the friendships she developed with a few of these teammates, and I especially love how much she treasured those friendships, as they were a fairly new experience for her. And then there’s Frank, the size-shifting wyvern. She is the most delightful of animal companions.

Franklin’s worldbuilding method—explaining the ins and outs to us through Emlyn’s own introduction—is clever and engaging. She doles out a lot of information without it feeling like infodumping, because it’s information our main character needs. The idea of a giant library, housing stories encased in spheres that you can dive into, is captivating. And I love the inclusion of pillar spheres, classic stories that shape culture and echo through the centuries. The references to classics—especially childhood classics—made my heart ache for some reason. I guess because those are stories that have never stopped speaking to me. There are references to Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Goose Girl, The Secret Garden, Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, Gulliver’s Travels, a plethora of fairytales, and more.

This made my Neverending Story, Inkheart-loving heart so happy.

And then there’s the writing. The tone and voice are SO CUTE. I already mentioned how much I enjoyed being in Emlyn’s head. First person isn’t usually my favorite, but sometimes it’s just exactly the right choice. Franklin used it so well here. But under the entertaining voice and the the charming plot line is philosophical depth. The truths spoken about the power and importance of stories resonate deeply. This is such a powerful love letter to literature. It plays with tropes, breaks the fourth wall, and pays homage to dozens of timeless, well loved tales. And, most importantly, it waxes poetic on why these stories still resonate with humanity so strongly. So, while this is a fun romp of a story with some great emotional depth, it also made me think deeply and highlight frequently.

The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine is enchanting, entrancing, and enriching. It brought more to my life than mere entertainment, though it entertained with great aplomb. Every once in a while you pick up a book that feels like it was written by a kindred spirit, specifically for you. This is one of those books for me. It surprised me, it moved me and amused me, and it made me think. I’m inexpressibly excited for where the story goes next. The fictional location mentioned on the final page is one of my very favorites. I could read new books in this series forever.

Expected publication date: February 4th, 2025

You can pre-order this book directly from Enclave, the publisher, or from: Blackwell’s | Bookshop.org (Support independent bookstores!)

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