Krabat

Krabat - Otfried Preußler

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Krabat is a young boy who is strangely compelled to travel to an old Mill, once there he becomes an apprentice to the miller and his other workers. This is no ordinary mill and Krabat learns that the master uses the mill to teach black magic and that once you become a journeyman it is almost impossible to leave. Krabat becomes a model pupil but also dreams of life away from the mill and the often cruel master. As his friends start to mysteriously die each year he knows he must leave soon, his love for a young village girl may be his escape but only if the master doesn't get to her first.

Whilst overall I enjoyed this dark fairytale I couldn't help feeling that something had been lost in translation. The writing was quite engaging in some ways but it also felt a little stilted and disjointed which affected the flow of the story. The emotion of the story seemed to be lost and it was difficult to feel any real tension of fear for the characters.The characters were not that fully fleshed out, I didn't really feel that invested in what happened to Krabat although I did like a couple of the supporting characters.

An interesting read that kept my attention but one that I didn't feel any emotional connection to.