THE CONDUIT

A young woman discovers shocking powers within herself that ultimately connect to the forest she has always called home in Webb’s fantasy novel.

The first installment in the author’s Everglenn Trilogy begins in 2018, as Freya O’Neill has finished her second year studying advanced nursing theory at Queen’s University, Belfast. She looks forward to returning home to Everglenn, the isolated compound where she has been raised by her great-grandmother (known as “the Nana”) and where she will reunite with her beloved family and friends. But now, something is different at Everglenn—namely, Freya’s seemingly newfound connection to the forest, which manifests in unexpected ways. She’s able to communicate with wolves, for example, and guide the trees themselves to do her bidding. When Everglenn is threatened by loggers and fire and Freya attempts to use her power for good, she struggles to control it. She learns the magical history of the women in her family, which includes a special ceremony that will tie her to Everglenn and imbue her with “the power of three generations, and seventy years of dormant natural energy.” To do this, Freya will need the help of her friends, who all come to play vital (and sometimes surprising) roles in the ancient ritual. Webb deftly weaves themes of environmental protection and humanity’s innate connection to the land into a magical, multigenerational tale. Unfortunately, some awkward sentence constructions can make for a perplexing reading experience: “Making a slow ramble through the heavily treed front acreage, I shuddered a pang of a memory of the Nana, words she had repeated so many times over my last twenty-four years.” The stiff dialogue (“And it makes me uncomfortable, Freya, to be boldly honest”) prevents the characters from feeling fully developed, while the action often drags due to narrative repetition; the phrase, “I could feel nothing but love,” for example, is followed two pages later by, “I felt nothing from him but love.” These issues ultimately overwhelm the reader’s enjoyment of Freya’s unique journey to self-discovery.

An intriguing premise bogged down by wooden dialogue and a convoluted narrative voice.