furthermore: stardust reviews

Furthermore – Tahereh Mafi

☆☆☆☆

goodreads/b&n/amazon

blurb: The bestselling author of the Shatter Me series takes readers beyond the limits of their imagination in this captivating new middle grade adventure where color is currency, adventure is inevitable, and friendship is found in the most unexpected places.

There are only three things that matter to twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow: Mother, who wouldn't miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. But it's been almost three years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she's about to embark on one to find the other.

But bringing Father home is no small matter. In order to find him she'll have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is a boy named Oliver whose own magical ability is based in lies and deceit--and with a liar by her side in a land where nothing is as it seems, it will take all of Alice's wits (and every limb she's got) to find Father and return home to Ferenwood in one piece. On her quest to find Father, Alice must first find herself--and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.

full review under the cut! 



Furthermore is a glorious romp through a wild and colorfully imagined world, where nothing is as it seems and everything is more beautiful than it normally is. Tahereh Mafi has woven a bright tale, full of abundant magic and character growth, perfect for kids and adults alike. In this book, you will positively fall in love with the realm of Ferenwood and muddle your way through the topsy turvy world of Furthermore. You'll meet wonderful characters, from bold and gentle Alice to determined, insecure Oliver. I had an absolute blast reading this book, and if you're in the mood for a fun and fast-paced tale of impossible things, I'd definitely recommend this book! 

Tahereh Mafi is an amazingly talented writer, y'all. I cannot even begin to comprehend the sheer amount of time and imagination that it would take to simply outline this book. But where the book shines is also where I struggled a little bit. Everything is so impossibly fantastic that it is a little bit hard to get into the rhythm of the world. I didn't really understand what was going on for the first like 50ish pages of the book, with all of the talk of bushes that grow pennies and sunlight that forms itself into rain. However! Once you sort of accept the absurdity and wondrousness of this world, you get totally sucked in and it's easy to follow where the plot is going. The confusion is off-putting at first, but it doesn't last long! 

I grew to absolutely love the world of this book. It is the most unique one that I've read in awhile. It's almost like Mafi was able to get inside a twelve year old's mind and make the most beautiful and ridiculous land ever. It rains sunlight, magic grows from the very ground, and color is a marker of all things wonderful and magical. Which is where our protagonist, Alice, comes in. Alice is different from everyone else in Ferenwood, because Alice was born with no color. A drop of honey in her eyes and a bit of pink her cheeks, but otherwise, Alice is as white as snow. And in a world of vibrancy and unbelievable hues, she is an outcast. Her status as an outsider is exacerbated by the fact that, in a world where no one ever leaves, it has been three years since she has seen her father, who disappeared mysteriously. 

Despite this, Alice is a lovely character, full of life and wonder. I loved seeing the world from her point of view. Oliver, our other main character, is sullen and closed off when we first meet him, but through his friendship with Alice, he changes into someone warm and trusting. They venture into the land of Furthermore, where nothing is as it seems, in order to find Alice's father, who has been held prisoner there for the past three years. Furthermore is magical and terrifying, and I never knew what was coming next. From the town of slumber, where everyone is covered in galaxy tattoos and the town disappears when the sun comes out, to the town of Left, which has been forgotten by everyone taking right turns. It was all just so creative, like an enormous work of art that I just got to live in for a little while. I don't feel like I can talk about much of the plot, because its just so wonderful and strange, but trust me when I say that it is a wild ride and it is worth it!

I loved the beauty and the magic of this book, but I also loved how positive it was in terms of character growth. Alice has to learn to accept herself for who she is, no color and all, and love herself. Oliver has to learn to tell the truth and trust people, despite fearing abandonment and solitude. They must rely on their wits and their trust in each other, and only when they can truly do that do they succeed. I just loved the way they were so cute with each other once they finally became friends! Y'all this book was just SO GOOD! Magic and friendship and all :) 

xx
Caroline