Really Ravishing Review (Stork)

Review of Stork, by Wendy Delsol.

Quickie: Humorous and clever. Loved reading about other cultures and their beliefs. Give it a try.

Full: Vamps and werewolves, step aside- The Stork Society is here. Katla has been recently relocated to rural Minnesota from her sunny California home. Her parents just split up, and her mom wanted to go back to her hometown to be with Katla's afi; her grandfather. Katla doesn't feel at home in this strange new place, and the strange new people only make it harder for her.

A light on in the store across the street from her afi's store plays on her curiosity, and she stumbles upon a batty old woman who leads her into a creepy basement filled with a strange gathering of women- The Aslendigas Storkur Society. (Icelandic Stork Society, Local 414) It feels surreal to Katla, and she later tries to convince herself the whole thing was just a dream.

It's not though, and Katla is introduced to a whole new set of responsibilities as one of the Storks- finding vessels (women who could be pregnant) and placing essences (the babies) with the right mother. No small task. The essences and vessels come to her in dreams- confusing dreams with all kinds of symbols she must find the meaning of. She must have everything figured out and her decision made by a deadline, to boot.

Along with the weird old ladies who meet secretly in a basement, Katla also meets a boy. Jack is the quarterback on the school football team, editor of the school paper, and has an extreme aversion to Katla. Even as they are forced into knowing each other, he's hot and cold, nice then distant. Of course you end up loving him- you know you will even when you first meet him. ;-)

What was great about Stork? The humor! I absolutely loved the Kashi references. Bark? Yes. I completely agree. Kashi and all foods like it taste like bark, or cardboard with hard, tacky glue. And the Harry Potter line was fantastic. Katla's character was easy to relate to and fun to read about.

I was also grateful for the no-nonsense beginning. Yes, Katla moved from California to Minnesota... but we didn't have to sit through the whole thing. It just was. We're given the backstory, but not made to wait around for the real stuff to begin. Massive points for that.

I was a little bummed that there weren't more meetings with the other women of the Stork Society. They were incredibly interesting characters, and the myths, lore, and legends of the Stork women fascinate me to no end. I suppose my insatiable curiosity is to blame for wanting more. I'm a sucker for learning about other cultures and the stories that shape them.

Other than that, I thought Stork was a cute love story with an absorbing foundation in Icelandic legend.

4 out of 5 stars.

Want to know more? Stay tuned for an upcoming interview with Stork's creator, Wendy Delsol!