All The Crooked Saints

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 14, 2018

Review

This work of fantasy set in 1960s rural Colorado by Printz Honor winner Stiefvater is an enjoyable, if at times overly clever, tribute to the magical realism genre that has at its center cousins Beatriz, Joaquin and Daniel Soria who are descended from a line of miracle workers. Replete with characters whose lives exist in a sort of tall tale universe -- like Marisita, whose wedding dress is seemingly permanently covered with live butterflies and who, since she left her groom at the alter, has been literally followed by a rain cloud; Tony, an arrogant disc jockey who actually grows into a giant; and a pair of arguing twins who are connected by a two headed snake, this fantastical tale also involves a pirate radio station housed in a van, a rooster named General MacArthur rescued from a cock fighting ring, magical owls who appear when miracles are afoot, and plenty of family drama. Stiefvater's usual marvelous gift for wickedly funny and perceptive dialogue is present, though at times it seems to overcrowd this narrative, already packed full of so many wild details, and sometimes creates a feeling of too purposeful quirkiness. However, patient readers will be rewarded with a story that is heartfelt and lyrical, if unlikely to inspire the same kind of intense fandom that has sprung up around the author's Raven Cycle series. Sophisticated teen readers who appreciate authors like Melina Marchetta, Frannie Billingsley and Laura Ruby will be a natural audience for this stand alone novel.

Overall Book Score: good