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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Dubiety by Nancy Newman is the third book in the Heartwood series, which began in the Adirondack Mountains where the teenager Elathea was revealed to be the next true Xylem. Ela was sent to the magical edifice, Heartwood, to learn about her destiny of protecting the natural world from destructive supernatural demons. Ultimately accepting her role, in the sequel Ela confronts another demon in Pennsylvania that threatens the world's ecosystem by causing destructive fractures in the earth. She also battles self-doubt due to scrutiny from her ancestral community, causing her to question her capabilities. In Dubiety, Ela grapples with her expectations and, feeling underestimated, faces her most formidable opponent yet. Xaphan threatens to decimate most of life on Earth. Despite her doubts and inability to heal the wounds of human-induced environmental damage, her unwavering determination to preserve her legacy pushes her to devise a way to exterminate the natural world's demons.
I love how Ela's journey and her outlook on what her role is have shifted so much in Dubiety and how her character arc is so well embedded that we truly do feel what she does. This is enhanced by moving prose which is so prolific in Newman's writing that we almost stop noticing it. Almost. "She was home. She had come to reconcile that home would no longer be in a city, a state, or even a country." There is one particular scene where Ela's emotion so resonated with me that I got really choked up. Ela is in extreme pain. Her companion is deeply injured. In a cocoon of magic from the natural world that is so debilitating in the strength it requires that it utterly depletes Ela...it's the most beautiful moment. Not only for how it is depicted but for how Ela's heart, her connection, her ability, her empathy, and her selflessness all culminate in this deliriously spectacular moment. Nancy Newman's growth as an author is surging as well and I am looking forward to seeing where she takes us next. Very highly recommended.
