THE HAGGID

A teenager hungry for adventure stumbles on a fearsome parallel world in this short YA novel.

Sixteen-year-old Lily Waters loves reading adventures that take place in fantasy worlds. She longs to break away from her humdrum life in Hunningale, where the only two species are humans and elves—groups that do not normally mingle. While running an errand for her father, Lily and her friend Oliver “Ollie” Millwood happen upon a broken piece of signage that leads them to explore an abandoned church. While inspecting the ruin, Lily is unceremoniously whisked away, finding herself face to face with a frightening humanoid creature referring to himself as “the Haggid.” He tells her that a human of her age only has about 24 hours to live in Lostalius, the world he has dragged her into. Though she is afraid of dying, her curiosity about Lostalius and the creatures she meets there inspires her to learn more. The Haggid, against his better judgment, is captivated by Lily and decides that he will help her get home, where Ollie is frantically trying to find a way to bring her back. Meanwhile, the Haggid has his own enemy to contend with. It is clear that Lostalius and Lily’s home of Hunningale are supposed to be two distinct realms, and there is the beginning of some promising worldbuilding at play in Levy’s lively book. But the brevity of the story does not allow the setting or the characters much room to breathe and grow. The tale ends abruptly, right when all sorts of new questions have been raised, implying intentions for a sequel. The author’s fantasy creatures are especially intriguing and would benefit from more detailed descriptions.

A fun fantasy with lots of potential that ultimately feels spare.