Title: Finding Folkshore
Author: Rachel Faturoti
Edition: Paperback (Paper Orange Book Box)
Rating: 4/5
I do love a ‘secret London’ story (Neverwhere, Rivers of London), so it was great to find a YA take on the hidden city idea.
Fola is an A-grade scholarship student, studying subjects that will get her into medical school and please her Nigerian family. But Fola has a secret – she’d much rather study photography and film. Her GCSE Media Studies teacher invites her to enter a short film competition, but she knows her parents wouldn’t understand.
On her way home on the tube, Fola finds herself travelling beyond the end of the line. The Victoria Line train continues past Brixton, and she finds herself in Folkshore – a hidden part of London filled with fairytale characters, talking animals, and magic. But as an outsider, she’s not allowed in Folkshore, and she can’t access the train again to take her home. The police are looking for her, and she must rely on the kindness of strangers to survive.
Something is wrong in Folkshore. Residents are disappearing, shops and buildings are being mysteriously remodelled, and the magic is fading. Fola finds herself working with her new friends to find out what is happening to their home, and looking for a way to return to hers. Can her unique skills help save Folkshore? And can Fola return to her family?
Finding Folkshore is a fun read. There’s a large cast of colourful characters, from Fola’s exuberant Nigerian family to the magical residents of Folkshore. Following Fola into the hidden city means that we discover the existence of Folkshore as she does, and uncover the corruption alongside her and her new friends. She brings a sense of wonder to the story, and a need to understand where she is, and what is happening to the magic. Her adventure also gives her the chance to reassess what is important to her, what she really needs to worry about, and what she wants to do – if she can ever return home.
The book is a blend of ‘finding yourself’ YA, magical realism, and the excitement of the hidden city. I was cheering at the end!
Have you read Finding Folkshore? What did you think of the story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!
YA review: Finding Folkshore cross-posted to GoodReads.
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