My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Numinous is an imaginative and engaging read, which will whisk you away on a marvelous journey into the world of Rood’ravil. Emory Skwara has an uncanny ability to create real, grounded characters who you connect with right away. The story surrounds Lily and her ability to control minds with the use of fiad, a magical ability she possesses. Her cat, Blink, is from another world and instructs her on how to use fiad. Meanwhile her brother, Sebastian, learns about Lily’s abilities and the other world, Roodravil, from an enigmatic owl called Numinous. Both Lily and Sebastian are caught up in an adventure neither signed up for when they go down opposite paths that will ultimately collide.
The two main protagonists, Lily and Sebastian, each perfectly capture the innocence, eagerness, and angst of teenagers caught in circumstances beyond their control. It’s difficult for me to classify the book under one genre because it perfectly melds urban fantasy, epic fantasy, and sci-fi so well. I enjoyed the multitude of characters in the book besides Lily and Sebastian such as Drake and Ricky, whose viewpoints are captured in separate chapters. Skwara’s writing puts you inside each character’s head and I found myself identifying with several characters’ idiosyncrasies and personalities. Overall, Numinous is full of many memorable characters and creatures, it delivers thrills and adventure that any reader will enjoy. This book is a real treat for both young adults and adults who enjoy fantasy and sci-fi stories. I highly recommend it!
