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TheWide Starlight was a beautiful story about a mother and daughter with Norwegian folklore tied throughout. This story with its magical realism pulls you in and is sweet but so emotional in its story of Eli’s grief from when her mother disappeared. Highly recommend

I loved the writing style. The story was magical and really focuses on the mother-daughter relationship. I loved how emotional this story was.

A magical blend of fiction and folklore, with a deep emotional undercurrent. The Wide Starlight is lovely.

The Wide Starlight is a lyrical, heartbreaking, emotional story about the fractured yet beautiful relationship between a mother and a daughter. It follows 16-year-old Eline (Eli) Davis, who ten years prior to the beginning of the story is found alone on a glacier on Svalbard, the island off of the coast of Norway that her family called home, and her mother deemed missing. A decade on, Eli is a high school junior living with her American dad in a Massachusetts beach town with little memory of the night that her mother disappeared.

This book nicely ties in a Norwegian superstition about the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis: that you shouldn’t whistle at them or else they will carry you away. On a rare night where Aurora Borealis is visible over Massachusetts, Eli whistles at it and her mother comes back. As she tries to fill in the story of where she had been for the past 10 years, some improbable things begin happening in Eli’s town: narwhals show up in Cape Cod Bay, meteorites make landfall.

The Wide Starlight has magical realism elements that obviously require one to suspend their disbelief, but I thought that the reaction to such things happening in a beach town in modern-day Massachusetts was handled well. Eli is understandably pretty confused and finds herself inundated with confused texts from her best friend, which added a layer of relatability to this fairly far-fetched story.

Eli’s mother also leaves behind notes for her that she finds. Some of these letters contain fairy-tale like stories, which are included in the book. I don’t want to give too much away, but there was so much symbolism in those tales and it really added to the magical feel of the story. I was tearing up toward the end too, because The Wide Starlight really took me on an emotional ride.

A huge thank you to Penguin Teen for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! If you've been following my Instagram account or reviews for any amount of time, you probably know that I love fairy tales, so this YA novel imbued with Nordic magic was right up my alley.

First of all, I need to recommend this book to fans of Shea Ernshaw! This one reminded me a lot of Winterwood, with its magic and chilling setting. On the contemporary side of things, Eline dealt with her feelings of abandonment and anger at her mother, as well as her fears that her best friend will move away. But what really worked for me were the magical realism aspects, which involved a ring that grants wishes, three wicked princesses, and a monster ripped straight from the pages of a Norwegian fairy tale (to name just a few). There was a sense of foreboding that followed Eline throughout her journey and kept me on my toes.

In addition, Lesperance's writing style was so beautiful that I was compelled to keep reading! I loved the short chapters that described Eline's childhood in Norway or her mother's adventures as a young girl. They were written in a fairy tale style that helped me understand how Eline and her mother viewed each other and the world. I can't give away the ending, so I'll just say it was very emotional and left me with a slight book hangover. Pick this one up if you're in the mood for something atmospheric or if you're looking for a cheap trip to Norway!

The Wide Starlight is the evocative, atmospheric story of 16-year old Eli, whose missing mother draws her into a strange and magical world.

Eli’s mother disappeared one night, leaving her stranded on a sheet of ice in Svalbard, north of the mainland of Norway, where she might have frozen to death or been killed by a polar bear. Remarkably, Eli was discovered and saved, but Silje’s body is never found. Is she dead or missing? Did her troubled mind finally snap, leading her to abandon her young daughter before fleeing?

Silje’s body is never recovered. Eli is taken back to America by her American father and raised there. But then, a decade later, a series of strange events begin, leading Eli on the path of discovering the mystery that landed her on that ice alone, her mother missing.

A mixture of myth, magic, and contemporary storytelling, The Wide Starlight, is a vivid, ethereal story in which the reader (and often Eli) is never sure what is real and what is imagined. The friendship of Eli and Iris is ground in contemporary culture, but the spiritual bond to her mother is woven with fantasy and fairytales. The author’s portrait of Eli’s grandmother Mormor is especially excellent.

I read most of this engaging, bizarre, beautiful novel while curled up by the fire with a mug of steaming coffee. I suggest you do the same.

Loved the accurate descriptions of Norway, but the main character was lackluster at best and the plot was practically nonexistent. No one felt developed and the ending fell flat. So much missed potential here.

Wow was this NOT the book for me. Reading The Wide Starlight reminded me that I am not a fan of magical realism. Most of the time I just kept thinking, “What the heck is going on?” Like I wasn’t sure if all the weird stuff happening were just metaphors but the synopsis says this is a fantasy so I kept thinking this whole other magical world would appear soon. This is 100% magical realism. You have to go into it suspending logic and just let the story take you where it wants. Not my jam. If magic is mentioned, I want some kind of explanation or world-building.

<b>“Once upon a time, far from the green house at the top of the world, a girl stood alone on a frozen fjord under an empty night sky, clutching a ring that had turned from gleaming gold to dull silver. ‘I wish for my mamma to come back.”</b>

The writing is very beautiful and atmospheric. There were many lines, especially the folklore “once upon a time” stories that are weaved in. I also like how the author mixed in these old folklore stories to explain the mother/daughter relationships. But I was also confused a lot of the times. I never felt truly connected to the characters or what was happening.

I was expecting a super immersive atmospheric fantasy story full of magic and enchantments, and this isn’t that kind of fantasy. It’s compared to The Hazel Wood, and I kind of see why, but I ultimately disagree. I liked The Hazel Wood, because there is a whole other world that the MC interacts with (almost like portal magic). The fantastical elements in this story are all over the place. I do think readers who love magical realism like When the Moon Was Ours and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Rating: ★★★★
Genre: YA Magical Realism
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What I liked 👍🏻:
• Oooh this story was so magical 😭I really loved the way that fairytale mixed with MC Eline’s life.
•The transitions from MC trying to find her mother and the storytelling “Once upon a time...” slowly unraveling answers was absolutely brilliant.
• Initially I kind of thought that this would be a fun YA adventure story, but it’s actually very dark and intense. While of course it is about Eline’s own journey to figure out what happened the night her mother disappeared, as a parent I found this story really emotional. I think a lot of parents biggest fears are that we aren’t doing well enough by our children, or that in our efforts to protect our children we are actually hurting them. I thought about that a lot while reading this.
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What I didn’t like 👎🏻:
• Honestly this book was SO close to being a 5 star read, I just wanted more depth in Eline’s character (are you tired of hearing me say this about books? ITS IMPORTANT OKAY 😂) I just felt like there were a lot of gray spots in her personality, but the plot in and of itself was very strong.
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Overall Thoughts 💭:
• This one threw me for a loop! It is definitely not a happy story, there’s a strong Grimm’s Brother vibe to the magical parts. But it was very vibrant and very beautiful in a sad way. I saw it compared to The Hazel Wood, I would say yes... but better 😜😂 if you’re a fan of YA, dark magic and Nordic/Scandinavian folklore I definitely recommend this one!

First of all can we acknowledge the fact that this cover is absolutely spectacular? As soon as I saw it I needed to learn more about it. I was pleasantly surprised with this story.. ALSO the blurb sounded good. What I didn’t expect was such a beautiful example of magical realism.

This is the story of a girl who blames herself for her mother’s disappearance when she was only 6 years old. Told through alternating narrative of Eli at age 16 and with the stories of her childhood, we learn of the magic in her blood and eventually what really happened that night.

This book is utterly poetic and left me with ALL the feels. The plot twists were spectacular, placed in spots of the story you would have never imagined. I can't wait to read more by this author.

This book was exactly as advertised: a beautiful, atmospheric novel full of Norwegian folklore, centered around the Northern Lights. I loved the author's evocative writing and the way sharp creatures of legend are woven in. And the story does a wonderful job of exploring grief and the pain of uncertainty, especially when it comes to anything involving parents. Such a stunning novel!

Thank you Penguin Teen for a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the beautiful and very difficult in between of contemporary and fantasy where nothing is really explained and it just feels like real magic.

We follow Eli who when she as 5 her mother took her out to the middle of the glacier range near their home in Norway and then ... disappeared. Now a senior in high school, Eli is noticing odd magical things happening around her. And she also got a note that her mother is trying to contact her.

From there, this book caught me. We have feathers in lockers and narwhals showing up on the coast of Maine, 3 magical princesses, and a storybook of the history of the family. I absolutely loved it. If you're a fan of Katrina Leno's writing or The Last True Poets of the Sea, this book fits right into that category of magical realism.

As the snow (hopefully) thaws, this book is a great atmospheric read. Set in Cape Cod and on a journey to Norway, this book will transport you as well as sweep you up by the magic of it all. Eline’s search for her mother is immediate and enthralling.

This one was not what I was expecting, but in a good way.

The writing made it feel like a perfect transition book from Young Reader to Young Adult.

I enjoyed the characters and storyline.

It was slow in parts but I enjoyed it overall.

I recommend this to younger teens!

A lifelong dream of mine is to see the Northern Lights, so when I saw that THE WIDE STARLIGHT incorporated the lights into its magical realism plot, I had to read it. While the concept was intriguing, I found the execution to be lacking.⁣
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The first half of the book focuses on Eli's life in Cape Cod and her search for her missing mother. The first half dragged a bit for me, and I found it to be very repetitive. Once Eli visits Longyearbean in the second half though, the pacing picked up and I was more invested in the story. Eli is a very likeable main character and I enjoyed the segments that focused on her story. ⁣
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I enjoyed how the author incorporated fairytales-come-to-life in the novel (reminded me of my middle school INKHEART days), but it created more of a Middle Grade novel than a YA one. ⁣
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I'd recommend picking this up if you enjoy magical realism, learning about fascinating locations, or rooting for your main character. Go in knowing that the second half picks up.

2.5 stars rounded up

This book was hauntingly sad. It's worth reading, of course. But, Eli misses her Mom so much it is heartbreaking. I loved that the author built the story around the famous legend that if you whistle at the Northern Lights, they will take you with them.

This is simply wonderful. Gorgeous writing and characters that you really feel for. I just love the depth of the emotion and the atmospheric world created.

Thank you to the publisher and author for allowing me access to this title.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting from this book because the circumstances laid out from the synopsis made it sound very ominous. This book hooked me from page one. The writing draws you in and doesn't let you go. It's whimsical and the words just string together so wonderfully. Eline's mother disappears under the Northern Lights at her mother's whistle, and 16 years later a mysterious note appears in her bushes. When the lights return she whistles, here mother returns but it's just not quite what she was expecting. This story is so magical, full of love, and self reflection packed into this story. The atmosphere is so captivating. I cannot wait to read this with audio!

“𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙈𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚: 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩.”—Nicole Lesperance

Dripping with Norwegian folklore, this magical novel follows Eli as she struggles with the loss of her mother. Ten years later, she tries to remember what happened that fateful night on the frozen fjords in Norway. Her mother whistled at the Northern Lights and vanished. Now Eli lives in Cape Cod with her dad. When the Northern Lights become visible over the Cape for just one night, Eli can’t resist the possibility of seeing her mother just one more time.

This story is beautifully written, its pages filled with magical realism and folklore. Set upon the backdrop of frozen glaciers and stunning northern lights, it speaks of loss and acceptance. The prose is poetic and elegant. And each of the stories woven into the pages are lovely. Its a quick read that was difficult to put down. While it wasn’t the type of book I generally seek out, I immensely enjoyed it. There was just enough magic and suspense to keep my attention.

I loved the deep mother-daughter bond between Eli and her mother. It was heart-wrenching at times to read about Eli’s struggle with abandonment and some of her childhood experiences. I loved the way magic was woven into the events of the story. Just enough to be ambiguous, but clearly there.

“𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡. 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙤𝙧 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙟𝙤𝙧𝙙. 𝙊𝙧 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙡 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙.”

This is first and foremost a story about loss, about healing, about the lengths a daughter will go to find answers and closure. It was emotional at times, and touched on mental health issues too, which were generally in the background. But in short, it was simply a beautiful story.

What I enjoyed most was the folklore and setting. There were some lovely Norwegian stories depicted and woven into the lives of the main characters. I loved the parallels, and the way magic made certain tales come to life. Magic was always there, hiding in the seams of the world. Eli’s mother knew exactly how to tug on these seams and bring the magic to life. Her true love was in books and stories, but her ability meant she was often making the stories come to life, and these stories were her undoing. So Eli’s mother even tried to abandon them.

“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨. 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙮.”

The style of writing was unique. It jumped between past and present. From chapter to chapter we get glimpses into Eli’s present, and then Eli’s past based on the book or diary she wrote for herself at a young age to remember everything that had happened as a child. I liked this style, and it fit well.

Overall, this was a gorgeous story. It wasn’t in line with my tastes, yet, I still devoured it in two days. I think for people who like magical realism and connect with stories of loss, it will be ideal. MY RATING: 4/5⭐️

A big thank you to Penguin Teen for the eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Alaska has been a place that has always fascinated me. I loved learning more about Alaska, the setting, the scenery... I am itching to see the northern lights now.