Around Curiosity's Edge: Hidden Meridians

J.P. Hostetler’s Around Curiosity’s Edge: Hidden Meridians is the first book in what could be a very epic series. In this first book, we follow our main characters Salem after he has lost his mother in a fire and will now be in the care of his uncle he barely knows. This uncle lives on the peculiar ship, Curiosity, and Salem is whisked away on an adventure he never believed would be true. Mythical creatures are real and they’re being hunted to extinction, and the crew Salem is now a part of are trying to save what creatures they can by moving them to a place called The Fringe. When a baby of one of these mythical creatures is stolen, Salem is tasked with bringing the baby safely back to its family.

That is the straightforward synopsis of this story. In truth, Salem is only one of the many characters we follow in this story in the third person. We follow several characters randomly throughout the story, including two members of the Regulat (the bad guys of the story). This shift in perspectives is something that I think Hostetler does very well - especially with the character of Roach - and it adds more to these characters than what we get through their brief interactions with Salem. With the two characters in the Regulat, we are able to see just how brainwashed and corrupted this society is, and it makes you root for the heroes even more. Sometimes, the enemy is misguided, but in this case they are just - very much - up on their high horse. These are characters that are pretty much committing genocide on a daily basis and it’s disgusting. It’s also sad when I can relate these enemies in terms of our history or people I know in the real world that share a similar mindset. Hostetler writes these enemies very believably and I look forward to our heroes finally putting an end to them in a later book. Hopefully.

There are two things that I absolutely loved about this book. The first one being the different mythological creatures and their origins. Hostetler doesn’t focus on one type of mythology - he incorporates creatures from across the globe. Most notably are the Jotun (Jötnar in Norse mythology) that have been living in a mountain housing Yggdrasil. Later in the story there is a brief mention of a creature in Mexico named the Cueyatl, which are frog warriors in Aztec mythology. I just love these little details that Hostetler has thrown in here and I’m excited to see where he takes it.

The second thing that really stood out to me is how spiritual some of the conversations were that mainly took place with Salem. I don’t mean spiritual in the “spiritually religious” sense. Many of these mythological creatures have a deep connection to the Earth and Hostetler conveys this in their actions and conversations with Salem. There is one beautiful conversation Salem has with one of his instructors that explains the energy one can feel from all things and how to be aware of that energy and appreciate it. I really enjoyed reading that conversation and it’s not something I’ve ever found in a book - at least not to my memory. I know I’d easily be able to find something like this if I were actively seeking, but it’s not something that pops up in your typical YA fantasy. There was also a point where the Jotun were gathering plants and after they pulled them, they held the plants up to the sky. They were appreciating their connection to the Earth. I don’t know, I think part of why I loved this was just seeing all these different creatures from across the world feeling the same way about the Earth and seeing it in a YA story. It’s hard to explain.

So, the thing that really bothered me about this book, and what caused the most reduction in my rating, is the connection characters don’t have with each other. This especially goes for Salem because we are mostly following him on this new journey. Other characters we follow already have established relationships with the people around them prior to the story taking place - such as Fern with his crew, or Tristan with the Regulat. Salem boards this ship not knowing anyone, and somewhere in the story he has grown deep connections with everyone including his uncle, but… we don’t see this. I think we get one pretty deep conversation with Artichoke, but we only get surface level conversations that last maybe a page or two with everyone else throughout the story. At least, that’s how I feel they were. For example, Salem and Zee’s friendship is pretty much instantaneous. Now, this may be believable for children, but not for a fifteen-year-old. There’s usually some development before becoming as close as they seemed to be - especially when Salem is written to have social anxiety and mentions it a few times in the first few chapters. We also don’t get much interaction between him and his uncle, but by the end of this first book, Salem seems to love his uncle. I really hope going forward in this series, we see more deep conversations with Salem and other characters to actually develop these relationships because other than this major issue, this is an amazing story.

Around Curiosity's Edge is an interesting and imaginative read, full of wonderfully creative adventures that's fast-paced and loaded with unique characters. A sweeping adventure that showcases diversity and acceptance. It is rich in mythology, packed with myths inspired from all over the world and different cultures. There is a good dash of mystery which thickens and then unravels seamlessly.

The author really captured Salem's emotions throughout his journey, and the beautiful bond between mother and son was so tender it brought tears to my eyes. All the characters were portrayed with their own individuality, and it was fun getting to know them.

My only criticism is that even though this is a fast-paced story, reading it as an e-book is very long to get through (it's over 2,000 pages).

J. P. Hostetler will capture the minds of readers with this fantastical adventure!

A strong first chapter, a slight dip thereafter, but once you get into it, the story really pulls you along. By halfway through, I was really intrigued as to where the story was heading and how the "main quest" would be resolved. A lot of the language was very poetic, and there were several almost philosophical moments that really captured me for a while. The themes in the book, while dealing with fantasy in the story, can clearly be overlaid with modern cultural and societal issues, and I felt that resonated well.

Things that stood out for me:
- Great use of mythology from different cultures; I loved trying to guess cultural details of new characters as they appeared, and the descriptive language helped bring each one to life.
- Interesting characters that had unique abilities, experiences and appearances, making for a visually diverse cast.
- Likeable main cast with definite personalities, so they stood out from one another.
- A story that took us through multiple perspectives, keeping things varied and interesting.
- An overall plot that felt unexpected and exciting.
- Language that was complex and had so many beautiful statements to make; from spiritual musings to ethical questions, it doesn't feel like it's aimed at younger readers sometimes, but then it kept things on a level that could be thought through and understood.

Things that bothered me:
- Higher number of spelling/grammar mistakes than I'm used to in ARCs, which tends to take me out of the story in the moment.
- Clearly it's leading into another book, but the plot itself didn't feel very rounded. I think I get what the author was going for, with multiple mysteries and questions to be returned to later, but there's almost too much of that. The "main quest" didn't really have a satisfying ending for me.
- Not to give any details away, but the only queer character in the book (that I could notice) is a villain, and their motivation is the death of their partner, following the usual "bury your gays" trope. It's certainly not a terrible example, as I feel like this character has the potential for depth, and I'm hoping this is another area where the details and growth will be seen in later books. If not, that'll be quite disappointing.

However, those are just parts of the experience, and overall I felt there was something magical and exciting about the book. There are some deep and meaningful themes explored in ways that kids can understand, though the language may prove complex for some. I think there are several ways in which the next in the series will be able to improve and grow, and I'll certainly be looking out for it - far too many mysteries that I need to see solved!

Around Curiosity's Edge is the first in a new series that follows a 15 year old just orphaned and plunged into a new world of things that should not exist. This was a fun adventure and I enjoyed the many POV's during the story it was just a bit long in an ereader.

Around Curiosity's Edge starts strong from the first page and grabs the reader's attention immediately. Rich in mythology, the story is packed with myths from various cultures. Themes like diversity and acceptance are intertwined with adventure and mystery.

We follow the main character, Salem after he lost his mother to tragedy and now he's being raised by his uncle who lives on the peculiar ship, Curiosity. In a world where mystical creatures are real and hunted to extinction, Salem and the crew are struggling to save these creatures by moving them to The Fringe.

I loved how the author incorporated mythological creatures from all over the world in this story. There are a lot of spiritual (not in the religious sense, but rather philosophical) aspects that make for meaningful, deep moments throughout the journey. The story is written in the third person, and the reader gets to experience multiple perspectives, which I found interesting.

Overall, the story is fresh and unexpected, the writing is fluid and even poetic at times and the characters are diverse and well written. Not all mysteries were solved because I think there will be a sequel, but I wish the main quest had a more satisfying ending.

All in all, this is a good YA fantasy and I recommend you give it a try!