Ix Tatterfall knows she’s different. Not only did her mother mysteriously disappear and her father’s soul get trapped in the Between World of the Labyrinth of Souls, but Ix can cross back and forth into the Labyrinth, home to Sorrows like Wrath, Misery, Greed, and other personified ills. She can also see the Nightmare creatures that live in the Labyrinth and sometimes slip into our world, although most people can only feel their effects. Normally, too, the Labyrinth can only be visited by the dead (who pass through Death’s Door at the center), souls lost in dreams, and members of Candle Corps, the elite guards who protect the Kingdom of Spinar from Nightmares.
When Ix’s powers are noted by Candle Corps, she’s given a choice: Join the Candle Corps Academy and learn to channel her powers, or be taken into custody. She chooses the former.
As outcast Ix tries to settle in at the Academy and make friends, it becomes clear that things are increasingly wrong with the Labyrinth. A scarecrow named Raggedy Jack, neither Sorrow nor Nightmare, has been wreaking havoc there, and a growing number of Nightmares are slipping into the Waking World. Ix and her friends, shy Ollie and prickly Morrigan, work to unravel the mystery, revealing old and dangerous secrets that may even be connected to Ix herself. Ix is clever and brave but not perfect, a young person trying to figure out herself and her world, and sometimes making mistakes.
Many familiar beats of magic-school series are here: a trio of friends; a large, spooky campus; an entitled student who becomes an enemy; a secret magical town—but the worldbuilding is also fresh and original in many ways, starting with the Labyrinth and Sorrows but extending to the wide range of Nightmares. There are Weighty Sloths that cause crushing feelings of defeat (best dispelled by thinking about doing small things on your to-do list), Quarrelswarm Wasps, whose sting makes people snappish and angry, and many more. Some Nightmares are simply fearsome, such as Warty Hornswaggles and Jimber-Jawed Hounds, while others are harmless, like the Inkling who becomes Ix’s adorable pet/companion.
Underlying the spooky worldbuilding, however, are themes about belonging, found family, overcoming sorrow, and how a community treats those in its midst who are different. While the messages are obvious, author Leslie Vedder stops shy of becoming pedantic. Queer relationships are also normalized in this world, and one of Ix’s friends was “practically adopted” by a two-man couple who become important to the story in ways I won’t spoil. I also get a queer vibe from the overall-clad Ix herself, but maybe it’s just me; perhaps future volumes will clarify.
And yes, although the ending is satisfying, there’s a clear hook for a sequel. Enjoy this recommended read and be ready for more adventures ahead.
Ix’s parents are described as having tan skin and dark eyes; Ix reads as White on the cover image. Ollie has brown skin and Morrigan peach skin.
