Bingo Square: Free Space, replacing Borrow – and board complete with two final bingos (2nd column & last row)
This novel was an Amazon First read for October, and the author was scheduled for a talk with Beth Revis at a local bookstore so it seemed like the perfect choice. The talk was earlier this week, and it was such a great discussion. I hadn’t actually picked up on this when I read it but Khoury did say this novel was inspired by/a nod to Jane Eyre. So not a retelling but there are easter eggs and some of the characters and situations are definitely taken from that classic – the mean aunt, the abrasive love interest, the young ward etc. I know retellings/inspiration from older stories are always popular and I always like them but seems like this year particularly, I have read quite a few 2025 releases that were nods to 19th century literature – The Favorites/Wuthering Heights, A Far Better Thing/ A Tale of Two Cities, Hungerstone/Carmilla.
Khoury has been an author for over a decade but this was her first adult release rather than her usual middle school/YA fare. In this version of our world, magic exists – long ago the moorwitches learnt it from the fae and it is crafts based – weaving, embroidery etc. But the fae have retreated from the world, and the moorwitches are far in the past. Legends of their power exist but no individual has that kind of power anymore, even if many people still practice magic.
The fae, however, aren’t quite as gone as people think. When she was 8, Rose, the novel’s narrator, summoned a fae to protect her from her aunt’s wrath, and now that she is only weeks away from her 21st birthday, Lachlan has come to collect on the terms of the bargain. He wants to go home, and he needs her to complete some tasks involving a gateway behind a magical barrier in Scotland to make that happen.
Naturally, there is a handsome, mysterious and cantankerous man up north, and she ends up staying with Conrad as she tries to complete her mission, bonding with his younger sister. As a school teacher, Rose naturally wants to help the ten year old learn about her own powers even as Rose’s time runs out.
I quite enjoyed the magic system in this one and the alternative history. To be honest, it was a perfectly good book and definitely an enjoyable read but I didn’t love it, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. It was well plotted, the twists and turns were nice (if also not entirely surprising), and the world felt richly imagined – it felt lived in. It was a solid 3 star read for me. I think maybe there was just too much kid for me – but Rose is a teacher and it’s a Jane Eyre nod so it makes sense that Sylvie is there but I can only do so much pluck. I can’t say I always loved Rose’s decisions – maybe that’s what prevented me from enjoying this even more? I think there is also a point in the middle where the tension isn’t there/the pacing is off. Despite the fact that Rose had a deadline, I never really felt a sense of urgency. She would mention it on occasion but it never felt quite that pressing, especially in the middle.
Overall, it wasn’t a waste of time and was a pleasant time, and sometimes, that’s all a novel really needs to do. I would definitely check out Khoury’s next adult novel because I enjoyed this – she mentioned she had a few middle school/YA releases coming up so not sure when that will be but she wants to write more adult novels.