I wish I hadn't gone into this book on false pretenses. Jon told me that it was one of his favorite books from 2016 and that "A girl either lives in a fantasy book and it's not clear which." Only to me, there was absolutely no ambiguity. At all. Yes, Alistair, the ostensible protagonist, thought it might be that she was being abused, but his narratives of how that might make sense of the situation were at least three times more far-fetched than just taking Fiona's story at face value. In fact, if not outright told that there was supposed to be ambiguity, I would have taken for granted that it was a fantasy novel.

And honestly, once I got over being annoyed at the lack of ambiguity, it's a fine fantasy novel. It's a little cliche in parts, but there is something really unique about reading a fantasy novel from a point of view other than that of the clear protagonist. What is it like to bear witness to someone else's story? To be an outsider to time passing in non-linear ways? These are really interesting questions and place a new spin on the time-worn tale of Girl Finds a Fantasy World and Can Stay There Indefinitely, While Time is Paused in the "Real World," But the Fantasy World is Threatened and Only She Can Save it. Starmer also takes a really morally grey, dark tone with the real world and it infuses the whole atmosphere of the book with a kind of creepy overtone, which plays well with the duality of the narratives that he intended, even if it wasn't fully realized.

I haven't decided yet whether I'll continue on with this series. My concern is that all of the innovation is done in Riverman and the future books will only have the tired tropes of fantasyland to play with. But ultimately, while Riverman wasn't the book I thought it would be, I'm glad I read it. ( )

Not sure why I enjoyed this book so much because nothing was resolved. Engaging characters and unique storyline. ( )

children's tween/middlegrade fiction; fantasy/spooky. Ok, this Fiona character gets on my nerves. Clearly, she's got a story to tell, but do I really care to read pages and pages about this non-imaginary land she's created? No. These details may prove critical in the pages to come, but in an of themselves, about as interesting as hearing about the belly button lint of one's imaginary friend (NOT interesting!). By the time I get 80 pages in, I expect to be riveted by this mysterious Riverman person--who is he, and why are so many kids in danger?

I guess I will never find out, because I quit reading on page 81. ( )

There is not enough praise for The Riverman and the two books that follow, The Whisperer, and The Storyteller. You will need to check all three out at the same time- they are that good. If you like mysteries that involve other worlds or parallel universes then this is for you. I did not figure out the ending until about halfway through the third book and even then there were twists that I did not predict. I read a lot of books and I will read this series again. ( )

4.5 stars This was a very compelling, imaginative, thought-provoking (definitely upper) middle grade read. I would not be surprised if this book ended up winning some awards. There are some questions raised in the narrative that I will be pondering for quite some time. However, I did have some issues with a few of the characters and there was something about the narrator's voice that didn't gel for me, which kept this from being a 5 star OMG LOVED it read. But I have no doubt there will be many who disagree with me on this because it is really well done. ( )