If you are looking for a dark fairy tale style fantasy, you are in the right place. J.L. Robertson’s Into the Underwood is a picturesque novel set in the fantasy land of the Underwoods, a place that all woods in the real world lead to. It’s the time of the second world war and the protagonist, Sylvia, gets lost in the woods only to find herself in a magical land that she cannot return from until she pays the debt that is owed. Take a look at the synopsis and content notes. I found it very helpful to know them in advance.
Into the Underwood: Maiden
By J.L. Robertson | Goodreads
Against the harrowing backdrop of World War II, a young seamstress’ ability to bring embroidery to life exposes an unremembered past and unforeseeable future. Sylvia Taylor began her life following in her mother’s footsteps, training to become London’s next high-end dressmaker. But when a series of air raids send her back to her mother’s home village of Lustleigh, she is immediately abducted by Der Erlkönig, the immortal ruler of the Underwood—a woodland kingdom of spirits and monsters. As Sylvia endures an indefinite term of servitude to settle a mysterious family debt, she meets Sasha, a famine survivor from the Soviet Union, with whom she begins piecing together dark secrets from her family’s past.
For fans of lesbian heroines, fairytale retellings, and feminism, Robertson spins together the best elements of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Handmaid’s Tale to tell a tale of self-determination and self-discovery that will keep you guessing until the very last page.
This book has sexual content, grooming, gaslighting, abuse, sexual violence, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and references to historical atrocities.
Thoughts on Into the Underwood: Maiden
I love interviewing authors and one of my go-to questions is to understand what they hope readers would take away from their book. I asked this question of Julia, and she had replied, “Suffering is inevitable, but it does not have to be senseless or meaningless; genuine love is the best answer to suffering.” I came across her answer while setting up the book excerpt post and realized that was the kind of book I was wanting to read. Into the Underwood gave me just that. A story about losing hope and finding strength.
Sylvia is a young girl when the reader meets her for the first time. She has the gift of bringing her embroidery to life and it’s something that she has always had to keep hidden from the world. When the world war makes her home city unsafe, her mothers packs her off to her great aunt’s. A trip to the supermarket gone wrong, Sylvia ends up getting trapped in the mystical world of the Underwood, the king stating a debt that is owed to him but she has no details about. Shocked and sad, Sylvia starts to bid her time until the debt is paid and she can return home. But nothing is simple and she becomes a prisoner.
As time passes, Sylvia comes to understand this debt and how it is connected to her aunt, her namesake. The pace of Into the Underwood is an engaging one. I admired Sylvia as a character and she grew from a teenager to a young woman in the pages of this book. She is human, imperfect and swayed by love and the chance to be happy. She tries to find happiness and friends in the place that she is stuck in. I liked the support system that she built around her. But life changes and the king starts to show why he wants her around and bad things happen. There are dark days when she is taken by dark thoughts and has no will to live. She has debates internally about doing something out of duty or for one’s happiness. While this makes for a hard time to read about, it is even harder not to feel Sylvia’ emotions. I found her to be very well written.
The world is so vivid! The lushness and dangers of the forest and the creatures who reside there, the cruelty of the king, the massiveness of the castle, the Underwood is its own realm, completely separate from our own world yet connected to it. And all this while, you can feel the magic in the background.
Sylvia is not the only one who has found her way to it. Sasha ran away from her home in the Soviet Union because any place would be better than that for her. In the Underwood, the two find love in each other but being together is a battle in itself. While it may not be frowned upon to be a lesbian in the Underwood, Sylvia’s fate is in the hands of the king. I liked Sasha but her recklessness drove me nuts sometimes.
I haven’t read many books with reincarnation and I loved how Julia integrated it into this story. The most immersive stories are those with gray characters – where reality is harsh and all I want to do is to make things better for the character. I want to see them grow! To speak up for themselves. And to cheer hard for them when they come out stronger. I felt that way about Into the Underwood.
If you are intrigued by the book, you can check it out on Goodreads, Indie Story Geek, Amazon.
Stay tuned for an interview with the author, coming soon on Armed with A Book. 🙂
About the Author
Julia L. Robertson is a professional bridal seamstress currently residing in Pennsyltucky with her wife, dog, and flock of chickens. As a third generation military brat, she has spent much of her upbringing traveling all over the United States, Europe, and East Asia. Into the Underwood was born as the lovechild to her international travels, fascination with folklore, and obsession with history and historical fashion.
You can connect with Julia on Facebook, Instagram and learn more about her latest books on her website. You can also follow her Amazon and Goodreads pages for updates.
Many thanks to the author for providing me a review copy of this book for an honest review.
Cover Photo on Unsplash
Thank you so much for your review, Kriti! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.