Black Woods, Blue Sky is the long awaited fantasy novel by Eowyn Ivey. Like The Snow Child, the setting is the Alaskan Wilderness. There are three main characters, Arthur, Birdie and her young daughter Emaleen. I loved all three.
There is something very odd about Arthur but Birdie and Emaleen form a strong attachment and that begins the story that kept me riveted to the very end. Eowyn Ivey has once again created a wonderful story.

Really enjoyed this. The first two parts are just about perfect -- tense, evocative, beautifully written, and very compelling. However, I struggled quite a bit with the third part, which is really an epilogue, and which to my mind very nearly destroyed the success of the first two. I understand Ivey's aim in including it, and I think some readers will be moved by its efforts to resolve and conclude the emotional complexities of the main storyline, but for me it was a heavy-handed clunk at the end of an otherwise subtle, spare, and resonant novel. I won't say much more -- don't want to spoil anything -- but I really wish it hadn't been there at all, or had been many many pages shorter. It's hard to feel moved by an x-years-later rehash of something you read as a scene not 100 pages prior. But there's really nothing else to critique here, in my view. Ivey will always be a must-read writer for me, and the the imperfections of Black Woods, Blue Sky's structure are more than made up for by the superlative qualities of her prose and narrative imagination.

Thank you for the review copy. This book was sad to me but I enjoyed reading it. I liked the magical realism.

Melancholy and intimate, Black Woods, Blue Sky is a tale that will linger in my mind for years to come.

Readers follow Birdie, a single mother trying her best to raise young daughter Emaleen. Birdie feels a visceral connection with the land and longs for a simple paired down existence. When the mysterious Arthur enters into their lives, Birdie is given the opportunity to leave the mundane behind and her and Emaleen embark on a unforgettable journey into the Alaskan wilderness with the ever stoic Arthur.

I have never in my life wanted a happily ever after for characters as much as I did here! Not only are the three MC's brilliantly written but the supporting cast of characters are depicted so evocatively that it's impossible to not feel a kinship with them. They are each flawed and nuanced in a way that introspective readers will empathize with. The story itself is a somewhat quit tale but the moments of happiness and beauty are tangible. The "mystery" is one that is easily spotted but I was mystified with how each character chose to embrace the truth of it all.

Folks who demand shiny happy endings might balk at the ending but I found it to be just perfect!

Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book that will give you a hangover. I found myself absolutely captivated by the story, the scenery, the characters and finished in tears.

The story follows Birdie, a young single mother struggling to raise her daughter, Emaleen. Abandoned by her own mother, Birdie struggles emotionally and longs for a freedom from her hard life and motherhood that she doesn't understand. A quiet recluse, Arthur, enters her life and gives Birdie the opportunity to explore that freedom. Birdie ends up finding that it leads her back to Arthur and Emaleen - to love and acceptance.

The reader also gets a very intimate glimpse of the young child Emaleen while she explores her world, finds her independence, and quietly fears being abandoned by her own mother.

Black Woods, Blue Sky is so much more than a spin on Beauty and the Beast. Their isn't a fairytale ending, and the only fantasy world that the characters live in is the one of their own making. Do not expect a sweeping love story, but a beautifully written story full of strong characters, intense imagery, and powerful symbolism throughout. This is a powerful story of human nature, what draws us to love, to feel lonely, the wild, and the call to be free.

Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to read this book. This is one that will stay with me for quite a while.

Another beautifully written, unique, and powerful winter read by Eowyn Ivey! I’d recommend sitting down with it curled up in a comfy chair by the fire with a mug of hot cocoa (and maybe a peanut butter and honey sandwich)!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was eagerly awaited and I was so excited to receive an ARC. The novel was amazing. I couldn't stop reading. Very beautiful descriptions of the natural surroundings, just like Ivey's past novels. It was extremely sad in parts, but not every beautiful novel has to have a happy ending. Highly recommend.