Big 5 stars for
Shadows of Sylvaheim
Fantastic, spiritual, coming-of-age, magical realism fiction that is well written with excellent character development. The story, overall, was reminiscent to me of The Wizard of Oz or The Chronicles of Narnia, worlds built between reality and fantasy with strong themes of family, psychology, and morality. I have recently read many fantasy books, and Shadows of Sylvaheim is one of my favourites, keeping me turning the pages and constantly engaged. I love the mythological references and the powerful teachings in the text, which are interwoven through the scenes and not hard to spot or understand. Also, the book has many fantasy and mythological creatures - Norse gods, Greek Gods, Monsters, Faeries, Etc... And, unlike other fantasy stories I've read over the years where frankly, these types of characters are blah, overused, and uninteresting, Gordillo's story felt fresh, unique and exciting! There's variety throughout the book that keeps a fast pace and the reader engaged.
Jack, the main character, is plunged into the 'hero's journey, and through his different battles, he is transformed. This theme runs deep in the book, impacting the other characters. This book makes for excellent talking points for a book club, or as a tool to talk about a person's inner power and strength, overcoming their fears, and the importance of their choices.
The main characters are well developed and succeed in becoming 'individuals.'. There is a transformation where their personal unconsciousness and collective unconsciousness are brought into their consciousness - becoming part of their whole personality - and they are ultimately made whole/strong.
Bottom line: This is an excellent book. It can be read for pure entertainment while at the same time for discussion and analysis because of the depth of the material- the 'reality', the 'dreams', the 'realms', the myths, the characters, the unconscious & conscious mind, the 'hero's journey, and so much more. As you can discern from this review, I loved this book and highly recommend it.
I had numerous favourite quotes/teachings - here are just a few:
'...reason your emotions. Work with them, don't suppress, repress or deny them, for they are the chief source of consciousness. Then release them.' (pg. 152)
'Remember, you are not what has happened to you-your past or your pain-you are what you choose to become.' (pg. 141)
'A dream that is not understood remains a mere occurrence; understood, it becomes a living experience.' (pg. 123)