Book Review: Sparks of Bright Matter by Leeanne O'Donnell

When ambitious apprentice chemist and secret alchemist Peter Woulfe is tasked with caring for a mysterious illustrated book, the Mutus Liber, he quickly realises that the grimy underworld of Georgian London is even more dangerous than he first believed.

Soon the book is stolen by the light-fingered Sukie and Peter finds himself being pursued by threatening men who are willing to do anything to get the book back. Where in teeming London might Sukie be found? Why is Peter so enthralled by her? And what is it about the Mutus Liber that is so enticing?

As the search for the book becomes an urgent game of cat and mouse, it seems that the key to Peter's present dilemma might only be found in half-remembered events from his childhood, and then further back still, in the mists of Irish myth.

A spell-binding and unputdownable tale about spirit and matter, love and lust, and reality and magic.

GENRE: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Leeanne O’ Donnell was born in Dublin and now lives in an old farmhouse on the foothills of a mountain in the remote south west of Ireland. She feeds her cats, dogs, chickens, daughters and wife reasonably regularly - and occasionally waters her poly-tunnel. She has yet to learn to write a proper shopping list but has managed to finish her first novel while hiding in an old caravan in the garden.

She started her storytelling career working in radio with RTE and BBC - and has made a number of award winning documentaries for RTE’s Doc on One series. Notably THE LADIES OF LLANGOLLEN about two Irish aristocrats who ran away together in the 18th century and DIVING AND FALLING about dancer and artist Lucia Joyce. She is also a trained psychotherapist and is frequently awed by the sacred work of helping people to understand and transform their own real-life stories.

Review

I enjoyed this chonker of a book, but I find it hard to describe. Let me share this snippet of the author's profile from her agency's website, which might help make sense it:

Sparks of Bright Matter was inspired by the magic of the mountain where she lives and the whispers of the ancient stories buried in the surrounding landscape. She is interested in all the big questions like what it means to be alive (...). In Sparks of Bright Matter she explores the liminal spaces between magic and reality, spirit and matter, love and lust.

It's character-driven, that much I'm certain, and that's also where much of its beauty lies — aside from the writing, which is beautiful and atmospheric.

As someone neither English or Irish or French, I'm not familiar with the historical event/s or myth/s being referenced, so I kept going hoping to find answers or for the bigger plot to reveal itself eventually. But I reached the end and found none, only a sense of... mirroring confusion and awe. I feel like I've flipped through the pages of the Mutus Liber myself and absolutely did not comprehend it, but at the same time, something about the angels moved me. If that was the author's intent, then it worked with me.

There's a lot of going back and forth in terms of the timeline, so a word of caution for those who are bothered by this. I'm not, and I found it was weaved in a way that provided just the right insights at the right time.

Also, if you're diving into this for the alchemy bits, there's not as much about it as I expected. Peter Woulfe studied alchemy, sure, but apart from the snippets of his published studies and descriptions of the things he's done and items he's collected over the years, there's nothing really concrete. The whole thing feels more spiritual than anything.

Do I recommend this book? Yes, if you like character-centric historical fiction with a touch of the magical and spiritual. Yes, even if I still don't really get what I just finished reading. Because I feel like I've been touched by the spirits or the Mountain or the angels or whatever is up there on Mount Gabriel, and it's a good though bittersweet feeling.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️

---

Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

If you fancy a short read this #IndieApril, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼