Ingrid Review

Title: Ingrid
Author: Lynnette Kraft
Publisher: New Wrinkle
Genre: Fiction

I was asked to review this novel by a relation of the author, but opinions are all my own. 

Blurb: (from goodreads) The village of Scot is on the brink of change, and its people are in need of hope, but hearts must first change, and difficult sacrifices must be made. Ingrid Harrison is sixteen years old and completely mute. Her silence has become a barrier to happiness. But will the silence she’s always resented be the voice that changes everything?

Ingrid is a character driven juvenile fiction, especially tailored to illustrate courage, sacrifice and the power of forgiveness. The backdrop is a charming village setting mixed with a bit of the supernatural. The characters are complex and likable. The story goes places the reader doesn’t expect and the inspiration is lasting.

Me: A very fresh, cozy read that was unlike what I've been reading lately. 

The Ups: Being so accustomed to either action-filled sci-fi's or drama-crazy contemporary's, this book was such a nice break that was actually very awarding. I could tell that this book was written with humbler thoughts than just making money or trying to appeal. It was trying to send a message.

I really liked the overall tone of the book. It was very homely, loving, innocent, almost like a fairytale. It made me feel like characters I'd never even met were family.

That's the next thing. All the different characters were so lovable, yet so real. They had huge flaws but in the end they were all good people. My personal favorite was Adair, because who can't love the cute guy who devotes himself to being best friends with a shy mute girl no one understands? The entire Harrison family (Ingrid's family) was so kind and bright. The characters' love for each other and their connections felt incredibly genuine and real.

I also loved Scot in general. I think it might fit into one of my favorite book settings of all time. The small village that didn't have much visitors but loved one another very deeply and the whole sense of community...I devoured it. I wanted to live in Scot, and I could totally picture the small village. The way it was described and written made me feel like it was home.
There was a very strong message in this book: love. The whole book was full of it, and I think that rather than annoying or sappy it was very genuine and heart-warming.

The Downs: That being said, I feel like Ingrid as a character could have had a bit more depth. The story is told in 3rd person, which doesn't always reveal everything that a character is thinking, but I think that as a protagonist, Ingrid could have done more.
Before anything else, I think that it should have shown her character arc better and made the transition evident. I knew that Ingrid had changed and had grown, but it was not shown through emotions and I didn't feel like it showed. 
In general, I would have liked to have been in Ingrid's head a bit more. I think that the point was that she had been so accustomed to not being noticed because of her muteness that she had learned to kind of keep it inside, but I think that rather I would have enjoyed if I could know what she was thinking because we had no way to find out otherwise. 

Overall: A very lovely, fresh book with a phenomenal setting and tone, but could've used more from the protagonist.

Rating: 4 kisses!