Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey returns to the mythical landscapes of Alaska with an unforgettable dark fairy tale that asks the question: Can love save us from ourselves?

Birdie’s keeping it together; of course she is. So she’s a little hungover, sometimes, and she has to bring her daughter, Emaleen, to her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, but she’s getting by as a single mother in a tough town. Still, Birdie can remember happier times from her youth, when she was free in the wilds of nature.

Arthur Neilsen, a soft-spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only at the change of seasons, brings Emaleen back to safety when she gets lost in the woods. Most people avoid him, but to Birdie, he represents everything she’s ever longed for. She finds herself falling for Arthur and the land he knows so well.

Against the warnings of those who care about them, Birdie and Emaleen move to his isolated cabin in the mountains, on the far side of the Wolverine River.

It’s just the three of them in the vast black woods, far from roads, telephones, electricity, and outside contact, but Birdie believes she has come prepared. At first, it’s idyllic and she can picture a happily ever after: Together they catch salmon, pick berries, and climb mountains so tall it’s as if they could touch the bright blue sky. But soon Birdie discovers that Arthur is something much more mysterious and dangerous than she could have ever imagined, and that like the Alaska wilderness, a fairy tale can be as dark as it is beautiful.

Black Woods, Blue Sky is a novel with life-and-death stakes, about the love between a mother and daughter, and the allure of a wild life—about what we gain and what it might cost us.

I’d heard great things about this author but had not read any of her books. I added “The Snow Child” to my list for the year ahead, but when I saw this one on BOTM, I decided to give it a go. I love magical realism when it’s done right, and this one definitely is. This novel is an exquisite blend of family drama, romance, and mystery with a touch of magical realism, all wrapped in the wild and untamed beauty of the Alaskan wilderness. With echoes of Beauty and the Beast, this story is about love – romantic love, the love between a mother and child, and the painful choices that love sometimes demands.

The novel follows Birdie, a single mother struggling to provide for her young daughter, Emaleen, in a small Alaskan town. When Arthur Neilsen, a reclusive and mysterious man, rescues Emaleen after she wanders too far into the woods, Birdie is drawn to him. Birdie has always known Arthur but has never paid him much attention. This simple act of kindness toward her daughter sparks something in Birdie, and she finds herself drawn to him. Unlike the rough and directionless men she has been with in the past, Arthur is a gentle giant: quiet, strong, and deeply connected to the wilderness. For Birdie, Arthur and his simple life in the remote mountains represent the type of life she has always longed for.

And so, against the warnings of those closest to her, Birdie moves with Emaleen to Arthur’s isolated cabin, miles away from civilization. After cleaning up the cabin and settling in, their new life seems perfect. They fish, forage, and live simply, disconnected from the world’s expectations. But as the seasons change, so does the atmosphere in their secluded home. Birdie soon realizes that Arthur harbors a secret, and she and Emaleen may not be as safe as she once thought.

The pacing of the novel is perfect, slowly building tension as Birdie’s dream life in the mountains begins to crack. She and Arthur love each other very much, and Arthur – despite a dark secret and a sometimes short temper – is the man she has always dreamed of. Emaleen adores him, and he is so gentle with her. But as he continues to disappear for extended lengths of time, Birdie can’t help but wonder where he goes or what he does. We, the readers, and eventually Emaleen, know his secret before Birdie, and watching her make the discovery and then reconcile this new normal is beautifully executed by the author. We know how dangerous Arthur is, but we also know how sweet he can be. Just like Birdie, we struggle with whether she should stay or take Emaleen and run far away.

As far as characters go, Birdie is headstrong, resourceful, and deeply flawed. Her love for Emaleen is evident, but so is her desire for something more. Her decision to uproot their lives for a chance at love is questionable, but it’s also painfully human. Who wouldn’t want to believe in the possibility of a fresh start? Ivey has written Birdie as both admirable and frustrating, forcing the reader to wrestle with her choices rather than passing easy judgment.

Emaleen, on the other hand, is a bright spot in the novel. Ivey captures her six-year-old voice and personality perfectly, making her one of the most endearing aspects of the story. Through Emaleen’s eyes, we see the magic of the wilderness, as well as the slow unraveling of the world her mother has created.

And then there’s Arthur. Scarred, silent, and deeply enigmatic, he is a character who embodies both danger and tenderness. His existence teeters between the monstrous and the human, making him a perfect modern-day Beast. Yet, unlike the traditional fairytale, his darkness isn’t just an illusion to be dispelled by love – it’s something real, something that threatens Birdie and Emaleen. What makes him so compelling is that he is never truly a villain despite his potential for harm. Instead, he is a tragic figure shaped by forces beyond his control. Had the novel stripped away its magical realism, Arthur could have been just another damaged, brooding figure with a violent past that Birdie is too blinded by love to leave. But with the hint of the supernatural woven into his character, he becomes something else entirely, someone whose fate feels inevitable, yet deeply heartbreaking. He was someone I really cared for.

The novel also thrives on atmosphere. Ivey’s descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness are beautiful and terrifying. She captures the isolation, the rawness of nature, and the way it can either cradle or consume those who dare to live within it. The tension in the novel is as much about the setting as it is about the relationships. The land itself feels like a character – unpredictable, untamable, and filled with secrets.

Overall, I found this to be a haunting and beautifully written novel. Ivey masterfully blends magical realism with raw human emotion, creating a book that is both enchanting and unsettling. Fans of literary fiction, modern fairytales, and atmospheric storytelling will find much to love here. It is a novel that asks difficult questions about love, family, and what it truly means to be free. Highly recommended!

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