All About Middle Grade Review: Storybound

Storybound (Storybound, 1) by Marissa Burt, April 3, 2012. 416 pages. Published by Harper Collins Children's. Source: Library.

In the land of Story, children go to school to learn to be characters: a perfect Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They take classes on Outdoor Experiential Questing and Backstory, while adults search for full-time character work in stories written just for them.

In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story.

But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself....

With the timeless appeal of books like A Wrinkle in Time and the breathtaking action of Inkheart, Storybound has all the makings of a new classic. Brimming with fantastical creatures, magical adventure, and heart-stopping twists, Storybound will leave readers wishing they too could jump through the pages into this enchanting fairy-tale world.

First Sentence:

Una often told herself that she was invisible. 

Marissa Burt's Storybound is one book that I had been looking forward to reading for quite sometime. So, when I (finally) saw a copy of her debut novel at the library I jumped on the chance to read it; and let me tell you, and was well worth the wait because it was brilliant.

One of the things I really liked about Marissa Burt's debut novel was her writing. I loved the way she was able to capture the magic of story, as well, as the fear and wonder that Una felt as she was swept into the world of story. Storybound was such a fun and thrilling read for me because I loved the layout of the world and the uniqueness of the story line just captured my imagination and pulled me right in.
   Let's be honest here, the majority of us love books where the main character (points at self) is pulled into a magical world that they believed only existed in books and dreams. Especially, when an author is able to bring a different spin on it.

What I really enjoyed about the main character, Una, was that she was both smart and curious which are a great combination for the heroine of a fantasy book. While those two qualities made her interesting, I really enjoyed reading about her because even though she had been drawn into the unknown she still wanted to find out all the answers to why she had been Written In...even if it put her life at risk.
   I know I'm not doing Una justice, but trust me you will love her and her story.

Storybound was pretty much a fantastic read, but what I liked the most about it was the world. I loved all the various aspects of Story and the way the author used said world. While on a whole I liked the world, there was one thing that made it stand out and that was how the history and lore of Story was tied up in the Unbinding. There's so much I want to say about the world of Story and all the backstory of the world, but I fear that I may just give every little detail away. Just know this, it was so well thought out and oh so very good.

Even though I simply adored Marissa Burt's Storybound, the one thing that made me a little unhappy while reading it was the ending. While at times I do not mind a cliff-hanger ending, I do find it to frustrating especially when I cannot readily get my hands on the next installment. So, excellent read...just make sure that when you read it (and I'm hoping you will) that you have both books at hand.

Final Verdict: Marissa Burt's Storybound a fantasy must read for readers mad about regular characters being pulled into the magical unknown.

Storybound earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.