Reviewed by Kiara Done for Readers' Favorite

Six years ago, Alyssha Dodson and her brother discovered the door to a parallel world beneath Voodoo Bridge. It was a world not unlike her own, a world struggling to grow and blossom into something better despite a past ravaged by discrimination and politics. In the eyes of a child, it was a simple world of adventure and excitement. A promise to her father has kept her in her own world, but she’s eager to go back and start building a life for herself in Aerte. She’ll get to see her brother again, be able to start training as a healer, and finally be able to seek out Kardl - the boy of her youth - and fan the embers that had never ceased to glow in her heart. She’s spent every day since preparing for the moment that she’d once again step through the door, but she’d never once stopped to think that the Aerte she’d discovered as a child might have changed. Alyssha is about to discover that navigating the challenges of adulthood can be difficult, no matter what world you live in. Mary Patterson Thornburg’s The Kura gives this coming of age plot a whole new twist!

The world that Mary Patterson Thornburg created in The Kura is truly incredible. She introduces the reader to a richly woven tapestry of clothes, creatures and customs that are very different and yet somehow still identifiable. The coming of age issues she touches on are artfully dealt with, and the passion between the characters is palpable. The plot development was very good. The characters, creatures and settings were well described – so much so that I’d actually love to see them brought to life in film! I could tell that the author spent ample time carefully and lovingly constructing the mythical world of Aerte. Everything in the novel was three-dimensional and full of life. I loved the way the author touched on how different a world can look through the eyes of a child versus the eyes of an adult. How a person can feel overwhelmed by the decisions that they need to make and want to run away from them instead of face them. I loved the way the author used the wisdom of the elders to influence characters' decisions and choices. It gave the novel depth and made me wish that the world we live in now was still the world we grew up in. As a reader I was never once confused by any of the things introduced. It was very, very well done! If you enjoy politics, romance and adventure, give The Kura a try. One of the best books I've read in a long time.