The Children, Melissa Albert (Review by Melissa Frye)

Rating: 5.0/5 Stars

The Children by Melissa Albert, a haunting psychological adult fairy tale, explores the blurry lines between reality and the stories children craft for comfort. Guinevere Sharpe is a ghostwriter who chooses to continue upon her mother’s success in the fantasy series, The Ninth City. Ironically, the series’ two main characters are both Guinivere and her now estranged brother, Ennis. Her mother wrote about them as they tackle various magical adventures which seem synonymous to the way Guinivere would share her tales. This all is blown up a bit when her brother, Ennis, announces his latest art installation called Mother where everything we’ve been previously shared comes to question. What really happened at that Vermont cabin?

Albert’s writing is a spell you simply cannot wake up from. Her descriptions of the Sharpe Vermont farmhouse deeply entranced me from the moment I was introduced. It had me constantly wondering if the magic was real or simply conjured up inside young Guinevere’s imagination. There was one defining moment that felt so out of place that it really ignited my skepticism of this whole situation. It also became much more complex as we started to learn more about the strong sibling bond of Guinevere and her brother and the bizarre behaviors we start to witness of their parents. What in the world was going on? It was at this point for me that the intensity really built and I continued to devour each page trying to figure out what pieces we were missing.

This is the first Melissa Albert book I have read. It is probably one of the top 1 or 2 books I read in 2025. Being a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro, there were many elements of this that reminded me of Pan’s Labyrinth in particular, however leaning more toward darker vs. mythical elements. Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR list.