Sonderbooks Book Review of Close Kin

Reviewed October 26, 2004.
Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2004. 216 pages.
Available at Sembach Library (JF DUN).
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2004, #7, Fantasy for Young Adults

I was completely delighted to learn that The Hollow Kingdom is the first book of a trilogy. Usually I read fiction at night, before I go to sleep. With both The Hollow Kingdom and its sequel, Close Kin, I didn’t get anything done the next morning until I had finished the book. They aren’t the sort of books I can walk away from and forget about.

Some of my review that follows might give away something about The Hollow Kingdom. If you haven’t read that book yet, stop reading this and go find it! It’s definitely a book that shouldn’t be missed, and this isn’t a series where you can skip the first book and still enjoy the rest as fully.

Close Kin tells us more about the fascinating history of goblins and elves. We learn more about Emily and Seylin, whom we were sure were destined for each other when reading the first book. However, when Seylin tries to propose to Emily, she doesn’t realize what he’s saying and she says some harsh things. He decides to go on a quest to find the elves, with whom he feels he will truly belong. Of course, once he’s gone, Emily realizes what she’s missing and finds a reason to leave the kingdom and go find him.

The two quests end up revealing much about the history of the elves and their dealings with goblins. Clare Dunkle explores the ramifications of the fascinating world she has created. What would happen to a people if they needed to survive, but the women always died in childbirth? Emily and Seylin’s story is the frame, but the heart of the book is in the tragic plight of Sable, one of the last of the elves. As in The Hollow Kingdom, there’s another look at cross-cultural relationships and how different peoples see each other.

I still thought that the viewpoint in this book jumped around a little too quickly in a few spots. However, I have to admit that Close Kin needs more than one viewpoint. It’s a much bigger story than any one person. It’s the story of the elves and their tragic downfall. The author manages to frame that grand story within the story of Emily and Seylin, and she does a magnificent job.

Let me add that this is only a minor quibble, that overall I loved the book. I love this world that Clare Dunkle has created, where sometimes the ugly ones are the ones with compassion, and the ones who value beauty act in ways that are horribly ugly.

I also liked the elvish math which she briefly mentions. I found it amusing that goblins declared it useless. Those who don’t understand a branch of mathematics usually do find it useless. I’ll bet that elvish math helped the elves to track the constellations and planets as they move across the sky, which were apparently extremely important for their spells. You see, the author knows this world so well, she’s even figured out how their math would work! I loved exploring it with her.

You can see that Close Kin deeply engaged my imagination. The history of the elves and goblins and the ramifications of their ways of life completely captivated my thinking, and the story of Sable completely captured my heart.

These are truly wonderful books. I can’t wait to read the next one! Highly recommended for both teens and adults—anyone who likes a good story. You’ll catch yourself thinking about them long after closing the books.

Reviews of other books by Clare B. Dunkle:
The Hollow Kingdom (Book 1)
In the Coils of the Snake (Book 3)
By These Ten Bones
The Sky Inside

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Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund

******Close Kin*

The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy, Book II

by Clare B. Dunkle