MADreads

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

December 29th, 2008 Molly - Central

- these are the well-known lyrics of the folk song Scarborough Fair.  Nancy Werlin weaves the tasks featured in a variation of verse two of the song into the suspenseful plot of Impossible.  Seventeen-year-old Lucy Scarborough must break the curse of the Elfin Knight by completing the following:

• make a magical shirt…without any seam or needlework.
• find an acre of land…between the salt water and the sea strand…
• plow it with just a goat’s horn…and sow it all over with one grain of corn…

This book is fantastical and fast-paced and impossible to put down.  I am not generally a fantasy reader (I know, I know, I said the same thing about vampires), but I would say this book is primarily a romance with thrills and fantasy thrown into the mix.  Lucy is a modern American teen, heading off to prom.  She is also struggling with an apparent genetic tendency towards mental illness, a horrific date rape, an unexpected pregnancy and a possible family curse.  If you like a story where true love battles evil and prevails against all odds, Impossible fits the bill.

This book has been garnering lots of attention and is on the YALSA 2009 Nominations list of Best Books for Young Adults.  The modern-day setting serves as a great contrast to the medieval lyrics and elfin curse and is a surprising, spellbinding read.  Impossible is my second favorite YA book of the year: stay tuned for my #1 read in an upcoming review.

Entry Filed under: Fantasy, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult