My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Water Lily by Crystal Packard is a fantasy story for young adults and not my usual favourite kind of read. However, I found the beginning intriguing and the writing as charming as it was beautifully descriptive. There is a touch of romance that is sensitively written and most appropriate considering the main protagonist, Lily, is about to be eighteen and whose emotions are raw and confused. Without wishing to spoil the plot I will just add that her relationship with her mother is not good at all and she has just lost her best friend. Peculiar events are happening to Lily involving an owl and she is missing Meme, her grandmother, the only other person in Lily’s opinion who seems to understand her. But Meme is missing and seeking her whereabouts leads Lily into a paranormal adventure in another world that she discovers through falling through one of her grandmother’s mural paintings.
The novel has plenty of twists and turns with strong characters that one can like and hate and I found myself rooting for Lily right up to the end. Unfortunately, the ending was disappointing for me as I found it too rushed and clichéd in its efforts to explain too many things in the plot. Perhaps younger readers than I will be more able to accept some of the ‘magical moments’ that occur through the story. The pace of the book is fast and furious and the conversations are believable, notwithstanding it is a fantasy adventure. Overall I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this story and can recommend it to anyone who is keen on the fantasy genre and not just the target audience of young adults.
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