Alex's Review: Curiouser and... by Jillian Maria

I read this novella as part of the Secret Scribes judging group for the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS). This review is my personal opinion and does not solely determine if this story will move onto the next phase of the competition.

Ashlyn Jones is the perfectly obedient child. Her parents choose everything for her even down to what she should wear. After she falls in the forest, she awakens in a strange land covered in eternal twilight and wanders through this place where the paths don't follow logic and the people are weirder.

While trying to evade a pack of wolves, she stumbles upon a girl sleeping in a tree for so long that the branches seemed to have grown around her. All Ashlyn wants is to get back home, but will she be able to find her way?

The prose flows beautifully and does a great job at capturing the dreamlike setting. Ashlyn is a great main character. Understandably damaged from how she was raised, she must learn to make choices for herself and discover who she really is without her commandeering parents. With deep themes and great characterization, Curiouser And is compelling but dark.

While I absolutely loved Ashlyn's character arc, I feel that the author could have gone even further with it. The climax of the story felt a bit too much like generic action whereas I was hoping for Ashlyn to confront herself more than confront the setting—To really decide who she is and what she wants. Regardless, the story was well done and very enjoyable.

If you like fairy tale like settings and deep characters and themes, then you'll love Curiouser And...