Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Unraveling is the latest novel by Karen Lord. The novel is this fascinating combination of murder mystery, fantasy, and the questioning of ethics in a fantasy setting. All wrapped up within Caribbean lore. It’s both unique and compelling and with good reason.

The novel follows three main characters: Dr. Miranda Ecouvo, Chance, and the Trickster. Together, these three need to solve a series of murders. And figure out who was the one pulling the strings. And ideally, they need to do it before something drastic happens and changes things for good (or worse).

While it is described as a standalone novel, that isn’t entirely accurate. Or rather, it didn’t feel that way. This novel could also be considered the long-awaited sequel to Redemption in Indigo. Honestly, you can read the novel either way (as a sequel or a standalone). But I have noticed that fans who have read it as a sequel are happier about it.

Writing

Karen Lord has a way of writing these elegant and thought-provoking stories. So it was no surprise when Unraveling stayed true to that form. It explores rich Caribbean lore while also debating ethics and morality. And all of this occurs while dealing with the main plot itself – a murder mystery of sorts.

Unraveling was full of strong characters and richly described moments in time. Sometimes, it seemed like if I simply reached out, I could touch the scene. Yet, never once did it feel like I was drowning in details. It was an interesting balance, but one perfectly achieved nonetheless.

My one major concern about this novel is the marketing. It’s been consistently described as a standalone novel – yet it didn’t quite read as one. Yes, all of the information and even the main plot can be understood without having read Redemption in Indigo. But there’s also an assumption that you already have the required knowledge. You can infer a lot of it, but it sometimes makes the reading less smooth.

Development

There is a bit of an ebb and flow to Unraveling. It’s not slow; rather, it takes the time to tell the story it wants to tell. With the amount of details and description included, that’s probably not much of a surprise.

The characters have been introduced in a previous novel. Yet there is plenty of time for us to get to know them here as well. Miranda, Chance, and the Trickster are vastly different characters – and it shows. While it is easy to tell that from the start, the more we get to know them, the more apparent it becomes. In a way, it was an interesting character study.

The plot moved along steadily, regardless. It always felt like something was lingering in the background, which helped so much with the tone of this novel. It was somewhat foreboding. But it was also enchanting.

Conclusion

Unraveling was a unique experience of a read. There was so much to well…unravel regarding this novel. There were multiple layers to the plot, the characters, and even the supporting characters. The use of specific lore only helped to enhance the whole telling.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel; as I mentioned above, I only had one real regret. It was captivating, but it was also oddly relaxing in its own way. Perhaps because it pulled me into the plot, distracting me from everything else.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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