I know only my name. Beyond that is confusion, a void where fantasy and reality swirl together. Fairies, Giants, Elves, Dwarves, ancient Keepers, and…Dragons?
A dark soul threatens the Five Kingdoms, but I am powerless to stand against him, overwhelmed by phantom memories, broken and lost.
Somehow, I must live. I must find my purpose. There are friends to love and battles to fight.
I know my name. Perhaps that is enough.
I am Ocilla.
My thoughts: The very first thing that caught my eye about this book is the cover. It's beautiful. Notice the little reflected shadow of the dragon? Now that I've read it, I understand why this is there, and it's even cooler.
Ocilla starts out the story trapped and badly injured in a dungeon. Her mind is empty of memories. She's rescued by a father-and-son pair of dryads (their race is not named that I can remember, but that's what they are like). The story gets going quickly, and soon Ocilla's impulsive curiosity begins getting her into trouble (and making her new friends).
The story reminded me a little of the Neverending Story. The large cast of often whimsical characters, unusual twists on familiar fantasy races, and their particular curses which Ocilla is prophesied to cure, make the world quite colorful. My favorite is honestly Ocilla herself. There were several times later in the book when I couldn't keep straight who was who, but most of the characters have unique voices.
It also reminded me of Donita Paul's "cozy fantasy" stories, because while the stakes are sometimes high, there's never much doubt that things will be resolved and the day will be saved. The first-person present-tense makes it feel dreamlike and peaceful. It's really quite pretty, if not quite my cup of tea (I'm not generally a fan of present tense style). The villain is nevertheless plenty horrifying whenever he appears in a scene. It's wonderfully done.
The idea of a person's name also being a song that gets longer and changes as they grow and age, is a lovely and creative one. That was my favorite part about the book.
As we see Ocilla flash back to multiple previous incarnations, it's implied that she and her companions are ancient souls that live again and again as they struggle to defeat the villain. The concept is one I've never seen used in a story before, and it's interesting, though kind of confusing. Some Christians are probably going to be bothered by the idea, but I sort of thought of it as being a little like Doctor Who; quite different scenario, true, but in that show, having multiple incarnations is something that's natural to the Time Lord race (it also makes actor changes convenient), and is not a religious concept at all. Same thing here. It's just something that happens in this particular story world; a plot device.
Recommendation: Read it if you like traditional fairytale fantasy and quieter stories. If you prefer books with more intense action or suspense, it might not be for you.
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