"Splinters of Scarlet" by Emily Bain Murphy
The truth is a thread only her magic can unravel.
Marit Olsen must be careful with her magic. Although it flows freely in her blood, every use builds up an deadly ice inside called the Firn. Marit is well aware of the dangers of magic and the Firn - it killed her sister after all - so she vows to never use her thread magic. But when Eve, a fellow orphan who is like a sister to her, is adopted by the affluent Helene Vestergaard, Marit will do anything to stay close to her. Marit decides to risk it all and uses her magic so she can be hired as a seamstress at the Vestergaard manor. But she has a secret agenda as well: her father died in the Vestergaard jewel mines and Marit is convinced it wasn’t an accident. The closer Marit finds herself to the truth, the more danger she uncovers until treasonous plot that reaches all the way up to the king of Denmark comes to light. Marit’s magic may be the only thing to save her and the ones she loves - unless it kills her first.
I stumbled across this title in a 2020 release post and was instantly captured by the pitch. Little did I know that this book would not only become my favorite read of 2020, but one of my most favorite books of all time. "Splinters of Scarlet" by Emily Bain Murphy is pitched as Downton Abbey meets Frozen which not only sold me on reading this book, but it's actually an amazing representation on what the book is like.
Set in Denmark during the 19th century, this story is centered around Marit Olsen, a destitute seamstress with a dangerous magic running through her veins. Let me start off by saying Marit is an amazing and relatable main character. Her courage and desire to be a good sister to Eve is so inspiring. It was so interesting to see Marit balance the fear of her own magic and the need to keep Eve safe all while trying honor her dead family.
Two of my favorite characters are servants and siblings Lilian and Jakob. Their banter is hilarious and extremely relatable. Liljan is fierce, loyal, quick-witted, loud and loves “grotesque” trivia. Jakob is shy, quiet, bookish, smart, brave, kind and a little bashful (aka my new book boyfriend).
In this book, each and every character has hopes and fears, making them all feel like real people with real lives. I find that this is very rare in stories these days so I was pleasantly surprised that every side character had growth and resolution.
I adored the magic system in this story. If someone had the Firn, it wouldn’t be the same type as another person - there are many different kinds of the magic. Marit has the ability to sew gorgeous things just by touch, other may be able to grow plants, or cook food, or work glass. But each ability is just as dangerous as the next since the more you use it, the more the Firn builds up like ice in your veins until the user is frozen from the inside out. It made reading about each beautiful and magical thing tainted with the fear of death.
One of the biggest themes in this story is family and sibling relationships. There aren’t a lot of books out there that I find are very realistic when it comes to siblings. But this book got it right. All sorts of sibling dynamics are included in the book and I love Emily Bain Murphy for that. We have biological siblings, adopted siblings, siblings by marriage, and even chosen siblings! No relationship was the same or perfect and none of that cheesy "hey little sis" nonsense.
"Splinters of Scarlet" is also a stunning story from start to finish filled with beautiful aesthetics of freezing ice, blooming flowers, and ornate homes as well as the magic of ballet and fashion. This story had mystery and enchantment, worry and wonder. There are sad scenes, intense scenes, and happy fluffy scenes. Even the prose is amazing. Every description seems to have a purpose and aids readers in understanding Marit’s thoughts or state of mind. I was fully immersed in this book, totally invested in the plot, and never wanted to leave. (In fact, I even snuck this book into work so I could finish the last chapters right away. Don’t judge me ;P)
"Splinters of Scarlet" caught my imagination and whisked me away with magic. This story made me laugh and it made me cry and I literally just want to give this book a hug.*
All of these things combined make this book one of my new favorites!
I give "Splinters of Scarlet" 5 out of 5 plums.
Until next time!
~ K.J. Haakenson
*quick funny story... I had a nightmare one night that the dust jacket to this book got majorly destroyed and I was DEVASTATED but then I woke up and I was so happy that my book was okay. #booknerdproblems
Marit Olsen must be careful with her magic. Although it flows freely in her blood, every use builds up an deadly ice inside called the Firn. Marit is well aware of the dangers of magic and the Firn - it killed her sister after all - so she vows to never use her thread magic. But when Eve, a fellow orphan who is like a sister to her, is adopted by the affluent Helene Vestergaard, Marit will do anything to stay close to her. Marit decides to risk it all and uses her magic so she can be hired as a seamstress at the Vestergaard manor. But she has a secret agenda as well: her father died in the Vestergaard jewel mines and Marit is convinced it wasn’t an accident. The closer Marit finds herself to the truth, the more danger she uncovers until treasonous plot that reaches all the way up to the king of Denmark comes to light. Marit’s magic may be the only thing to save her and the ones she loves - unless it kills her first.
I stumbled across this title in a 2020 release post and was instantly captured by the pitch. Little did I know that this book would not only become my favorite read of 2020, but one of my most favorite books of all time. "Splinters of Scarlet" by Emily Bain Murphy is pitched as Downton Abbey meets Frozen which not only sold me on reading this book, but it's actually an amazing representation on what the book is like.
Set in Denmark during the 19th century, this story is centered around Marit Olsen, a destitute seamstress with a dangerous magic running through her veins. Let me start off by saying Marit is an amazing and relatable main character. Her courage and desire to be a good sister to Eve is so inspiring. It was so interesting to see Marit balance the fear of her own magic and the need to keep Eve safe all while trying honor her dead family.
Two of my favorite characters are servants and siblings Lilian and Jakob. Their banter is hilarious and extremely relatable. Liljan is fierce, loyal, quick-witted, loud and loves “grotesque” trivia. Jakob is shy, quiet, bookish, smart, brave, kind and a little bashful (aka my new book boyfriend).
In this book, each and every character has hopes and fears, making them all feel like real people with real lives. I find that this is very rare in stories these days so I was pleasantly surprised that every side character had growth and resolution.
I adored the magic system in this story. If someone had the Firn, it wouldn’t be the same type as another person - there are many different kinds of the magic. Marit has the ability to sew gorgeous things just by touch, other may be able to grow plants, or cook food, or work glass. But each ability is just as dangerous as the next since the more you use it, the more the Firn builds up like ice in your veins until the user is frozen from the inside out. It made reading about each beautiful and magical thing tainted with the fear of death.
One of the biggest themes in this story is family and sibling relationships. There aren’t a lot of books out there that I find are very realistic when it comes to siblings. But this book got it right. All sorts of sibling dynamics are included in the book and I love Emily Bain Murphy for that. We have biological siblings, adopted siblings, siblings by marriage, and even chosen siblings! No relationship was the same or perfect and none of that cheesy "hey little sis" nonsense.
"Splinters of Scarlet" is also a stunning story from start to finish filled with beautiful aesthetics of freezing ice, blooming flowers, and ornate homes as well as the magic of ballet and fashion. This story had mystery and enchantment, worry and wonder. There are sad scenes, intense scenes, and happy fluffy scenes. Even the prose is amazing. Every description seems to have a purpose and aids readers in understanding Marit’s thoughts or state of mind. I was fully immersed in this book, totally invested in the plot, and never wanted to leave. (In fact, I even snuck this book into work so I could finish the last chapters right away. Don’t judge me ;P)
"Splinters of Scarlet" caught my imagination and whisked me away with magic. This story made me laugh and it made me cry and I literally just want to give this book a hug.*
All of these things combined make this book one of my new favorites!
I give "Splinters of Scarlet" 5 out of 5 plums.
Until next time!
~ K.J. Haakenson
*quick funny story... I had a nightmare one night that the dust jacket to this book got majorly destroyed and I was DEVASTATED but then I woke up and I was so happy that my book was okay. #booknerdproblems
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