And so, through "subtle" pushing by the publisher, I succumbed to reading Les Ombres d'Esver (roughly translated: The Shadows of Esver) by the Belgian author Katia Lanero Zamora. The novel, published in 2018, is catalogued as YA (Young Adult), but as Mrs Zamora herself said: Anyone can read the book, it's not specifically written for young adults. I repeat, forget the YA-label.

There will be spoiling, but that's mainly for my own recollection and future reference.

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As some readers have detected, Esver is an acronym for Rêves, French for 'Dreams'. Dreams and botany are two key ingredients in this story. A key phrase in this dark story is: Le soleil finit toujours par se lever (an African proverb, apparently - full version: Quelle que soit la durée de la nuit, le soleil finit toujours par se lever.).

Esver is a large domain, a mansion that is located far from the civilised world. People sometimes come to Gersande de Vincenaux (mother of Amaryllis) for healing, also when the doctor and/or pharmacist can't solve the problem.

The large mansion is occupied by Amaryllis and her mother, Gersande de Vincenaux. Where's the father, Aurélien? Well, in the beginning, there was one happy family: father, mother, Amaryllis, and her brother. As it goes with an aristrocratic family, they had staff. Amaryllis and her brother Narcisse would play games, he would tell stories (inspired by Horace's stories), play the valiant bodyguard, and so on. One of the servants, Horace, would take care that all went well for the children, especially when the parents didn't have time to devote attention to their proper offspring. After all, what are staff otherwise for?

The relationship between mother and father would, at some point, suffer greatly. Not only did his wife have an affair with their servant (or butler?) Horace - father wasn't exactly the best gentleman ever, so no wonder one then seeks solace and affection elsewhere -, but the death of their son would the nail on the coffin of their relationship and the further existence of Esver. From that day on, it was decided that Esver would be sold and that Amaryllis would be looked after, as in 'be the wife of the new owner'. Mother, however, would have to be put away in a mental institution.

Amaryllis's brother had a vivid imagination, so much even that he went outside, into the garden. He was desperate to retrieve Étincelle, the silver word that fends off any enemy. Only, according to the story, the sword is at the bottom of the lake. As he can't swim, Amaryllis offered to dive in his stead, but he refusesd. She dove, but got caught by the cold. Narcisse wanted to jump in to rescue her... to no avail. Her brother's body is eventually found - after her parents had to drag the information out of her (she vowed to not tell about their little secret) -, but the boy's no longer among the living. That's when the father breaks into a fury, accusing his wife of all the misery in his life.

Amaryllis, a 16 year old girl, thus lives together with her mother ever since. Her mother is a botanist and healer. In her time, she worked on finding a formula to create a natural, plant-based medicine. As Amaryllis seems to suffer from nightly, epic escapades, fighting against evil invaders from a parallel world, mother has prepared her a herbal medicine to improve her daughter's sleep. Amaryllis, however, isn't in favour of such treatment, as she feels she has a duty to fulfill. Together with the magical beings Rouage and Féroce, she, as Captain of the Army of Light with her mother's hairpin that serves as a sword - nicknames Étincelle or Sparkle - at night, has to protect Esver and hunt for the stolen

During the day, Amaryllis is obliged to study the ways of botany, learn all about plants, flowers and their characteristics. She can't go to school, because of her so-called illness. In addition, she's to keep an eye on and maintain a certain plant's health. The plant was named Aeternalis. Mother is almost omniscient, especially between 08h44 (time for breakfast) and 20h44 (bedtime). At these times, Amaryllis's mother tranforms into a wyvern that takes its task of guarding Esver and Amaryllis very seriously. Only, Amaryllis doesn't know it's her mother and why she's able to transform.

Since Gersande and Amaryllis are the sole surivors/inhabitants of the domain, they have to do it all themselves. No one can maintain such a large domain and mansion, so dust, cobwebs, stains, ... are left to roam. The most important activities are: eating, studying, and sleeping. Repeat. No time for cleaning, the future of Esver and especially that of Amaryllis is at stake. Her mother's goal is to get Amaryllis go to a prestigious university (Institut Théophraste d'Erésos) and thus escape the fate that awaits her, should she remain at Esver.

Once more pieces of the puzzle are connected, the relationship between Amaryllis and her mother vastly improves. Gersande can't leave Esver, as that would maker her incapable of returning to her human form; she would, when she transforms into a wyvern. Amaryllis doesn't want to leave Esver, because she doesn't want to leave her mother all by herself.

Eventually, the day comes when Esver is to be handed over to its new owner, one of father's business partners. In come a horde of redecorators to make sure the mansion looks spic and span. Mother and daughter are given new clothes, because the transfer of ownership is to be done by a large banquet and under official conditions. Little do father and the other know that the evening will not go as planned.

Gersande transforms into a wyvern again, the guests run screaming out of the house, seeking refuge or taking flight. Amarylllis goes out on a final quest to retrieve the stolen ruby that belonged to the wyvern. It was said an old, bed-chained harpie had had it all this time. Retrieving it would restore peace and tranquillity, for all involved. All's well that ends well, right?

Not yet, as Amaryllis, in the final battle, had to confront her younger self. This little girl challenged her older version: to kill the one responsable for this misery. A few persons (mother, Naricsse, Horace, ...) were projected, and Amaryllis was to stab or behead the culprit(s). She didn't, instead chose to hug and console her younger self. Together they would return to the scene of the crime to fend off the dark forces, the Shadows, the Ombres.

With the ruby back, Amaryllis having found peace with her own emotions, our fellowship (including the Army of Light, which did exist) fought off the evil. Mother Gersande, as she passed a certain boundary, got cured from the curse that dominated her life for so long. She could now leave Esver without any fear or doubt. The "imaginary" beings returned to their world, together with the younger Amaryllis, through the crack that connected both their world and the real world. Amaryllis and her mother, as they lived in rather poor circumstances, stepped outside towards new horizons and a new life.

The nightly adventures were not exactly figments of Amaryllis's imagination. The ruby was stolen from Gersande by her mother-in-law, represented as the old harpie in the "pic tourmenté". She stole the precious stone from Gersande at the time of Narcisse's drowning. Féroce, the bull centaur, was a representation of Horace, while Rouage was a representation of her deceased brother, Narcisse.

In the end, karma does its work. As the father didn't really look after his children, treated his wife miserably, and only sought richess and status, divine intervention found it more just and harmonious to work out a solution that befitted each involved party best. The mystery that surrounded Esver would continue to exist and children would tales to tell for years to come, without really knowing what went on inside and outside those walls.

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'Les Ombres d'Esver', is a very good book, even though there's always room for improvement here and there (details are important, yes). The writing is beautiful, captivating and makes this story a page-turner. Both your imagination and feelings are addressed. Mrs Zamora wrote more than just a fantastic story, as it also asks of the reader to reflect upon their own upbringing, for example, and/or their relationship with their own parents or with their own children, or with their guardians (if not brought up by their parents).

Some passages have had an emotional impact on me during my reading of this book, probably also due to some personal circumstances. This doesn't happen often, though.

So yes, maybe I should be a little less critical or strict in my reading choices. Just a little, though.

For anyone interested, there exists a playlist on Spotify for this book. See HERE.

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I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. ( )