The Meri

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

Meredydd’s family was murdered, and she was taken in by the Osraeds for teaching. Showing an unusual aptitude for the Art, her path is stony. As a character, Meredydd is strong, and genuine, but lacks a little in self-awareness.

This is a traditional journey novel. Everything is focused on the Pilgrimage of Meredydd to find the Meri. The tasks she is set are quite interesting, and should be thought provoking for some readers. It really didn’t feel like much happened in the novel though, and so it was an easy read.

I’m not quite sure what kept me reading about this novel. Perhaps it was the strong female character of Meredydd who needed to hold against the odds. Or perhaps the riddles, which I enjoyed trying to solve (with little success for some).

I wanted to know more of Skeet. This is book 1 in a series, and I’m almost tempted to get the other books just to find out more about him. Almost tempted, but not quite. He was the character who interested me the most after Meredydd, although her other male friend also had potential.

I would have liked to know more of the exact teachings of the Osraeds. My academic interest in a novel has always been so inclined. I was also interested in Meredydd’s fascination with the spider and its web – was this a metaphor for something deeper?

The ending ruined the novel for me. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and I felt cheated. That knocked what could have been a 4 star book into a 3 star book for me.