Fantasy
“Es sind die Kinder, die verschwinden” is a strong hook. Enough to make me wonder whether this is really an adventure story, or one of those books where the atmosphere is doing half the work.
That can go either way. If the mood lands, I’m in. If not, it just becomes a very polite mystery about missing children, which is less interesting than it sounds.
That can go either way. If the mood lands, I’m in. If not, it just becomes a very polite mystery about missing children, which is less interesting than it sounds.
The title does a lot of work there. “Children disappearing” can point to adventure, but it also nudges the whole thing towards something stranger and a bit less safe, which is usually where these books get interesting.
I’m more patient with atmosphere than I used to be. If the setting feels properly imagined, I’ll take a slow burn over a tidy mystery that’s in a hurry to explain itself.
I’m more patient with atmosphere than I used to be. If the setting feels properly imagined, I’ll take a slow burn over a tidy mystery that’s in a hurry to explain itself.