Review/ Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade" — a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate's father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.

Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: In exchange for her shadow, he'll give Kate the means to escape the town that seems set to burn her, and what's more, he'll grant her heart's wish. It's a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes that she can't live shadowless forever — and that Linay's designs are darker than she ever dreamed. (Publisher's summary from Powell's Books)

There is a lot about Plain Kate that makes this book an interesting read, and although I really liked the book I did not love it.

The first thing I like about the book was the setting. Bow’s vivid descriptions of medieval Russia does a lot to create the perfect backdrop and mood for Kate’s story. The country folk are a superstitious lot and quick to find evil even in a young orphan girl. I also liked the addition of the gypsies and the fact that while they operated on the fringe of society because of the superstition surrounding them, they were themselves a very superstitious lot.

The plot was slow moving and I never fully connected to Kate. I liked her and felt sorry that her life was difficult. I also liked reading about her ability to carve and the way Bow made her talent come to life, but I also felt that the deal she makes with the witch Linay felt wrong from the get go and that even Kate recognized this, but still made the deal. Later in the book, Linay tells, Kate that he chose her because of she was weak, but I never saw Kate as weak. She managed to survive after her father died without asking help from anyone. Does this sound like a weak character to you? What she was, was lonely and it is this loneliness that Linay uses to his advantage.

The best part of the book for me was Kate’s cat, Taggle. In exchange for Kate’s shadow, Linay must make her a gift and this gift is giving Taggle the ability to speak.  I think Bow must be a cat lover as she definitely had Taggle down pat. He is as loyal as any cat could be, but still very independent and self-serving.

While Plain Kate is a book I am glad I read, it did not grab me in the way I had hope it would. Bow’s writing is lovely, rich, even lyrical, but the plot was too slow for my taste.  I also feel that a middle school audience would find the book tedious and a YA audience would not appreciate the lack of action or romance.

Source: ARC copy received from Book It Forward Tours