The Restitching of Camille DuLaine by Lindsay A. Franklin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an advance digital copy of this novel from the publisher, Enclave. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine was one of my favorite reads of 2024, so to say that my expectations for its sequel, The Restitching of Camille DuLaine, were high would be an understatement. I can happily report that every one of those expectations and hopes were met. The Restitching of Camille DuLaine is a brilliant sequel, building on the beautiful foundation laid for it by its predecessor. If you’re a lover of story, specifically the stories that have shaped and continue to shape our culture and our world, the charming portal fantasy that is the Rivenlea Sphere duology was crafted with you in mind. This is a love letter to so many of the books that I loved as a child, and to those I have come to love as an adult, while still being its own wonderful, unique story.

This sequel begins with our first introduction to Camille, followed by picking up where book 1 left off: with Laramie and Frank in The Secret Garden gone mad. From there, the pair jumps from sphere to sphere, trying desperately to find their way home, while the rest of their Novem try just as desperately to find their lost comrades. Each of the beloved story spheres they visit has been terribly twisted in some way as all of the spheres have begun to break down. Nature has gone wild and feral in The Secret Garden. Robin Hood has crowned himself king in Sherwood, and his Merry Men have turned mercenary. The Knights of the Round Table seek to defend Camelot from jabberjocks, invaders from Wonderland, while King Arthur is nowhere to be found. Speaking of Wonderland, it has become its antithesis. Here, the whimsy has been sucked dry, making it into a world that looked too much like a drab version of our own: all concrete and motors and glass. Interspersed throughout are visits to the story of “The Little Mermaid,” which serves as a linchpin for the entire duology. This is not the Disney version, but the darker, original tale, the one that doesn’t end with a happily ever after.

We venture back into the dystopian version of Oz we first visited in The Unraveling in Emlyn DuLaine. There are also very light references to a host of other literary works, like Jane Eyre and Harry Potter, “Cinderella” and Anne of Green Gables, Charlotte’s Web and Animal Farm, The Great Gatsby and Moby Dick, “Rumpelstiltskin” and Pinocchio, A Little Princess and Winnie the Pooh and the works of Jane Austen. Even Dracula and Greek mythology, the Book of Jonah and A Christmas Carol are among the mentioned.

The rapid jump from sphere to sphere could have become confusing. However, Franklin gave us a clever way to keep up with all of the story-hopping. The chapter header image changes to reflect each story visited, which is a wonderfully thoughtful touch. The ways each of the story spheres presents itself, even in its brokenness, delighted me. I also really love the snarky, tongue-in-cheek voice to Franklin’s writing, even in the midst of incredibly stressful situations. This sequel was faster-paced than its predecessor, and that decision served the story well.

Aside from the visits to some of my favorite places in literature, Franklin also did a lovely job with the crafting of Rivenlea, this realm that contains our stories. I don’t want to get into the specifics of her worldbuilding, as some of those are spoilers, but suffice it to say that I was charmed. The character development, while secondary to the plot, was still great, especially on the part of one perspective character who shall remain nameless for the same reasons that I didn’t get into details regarding the worldbuilding. Honestly, I just enjoyed everything about this book as well as the one that came before it.

The Restitching of Camille DuLaine lived up to every expectation I had for it. The Rivenlea Sphere is everything I’ve ever wanted from a portal fantasy, while also being one of the greatest love letters to story I’ve had the pleasure of encountering. If you’re a lover of classic children’s stories, you really need to experience this duology.

Expected publication date: February 10, 2026.

You can preorder this book directly from the publisher, Enclave, or from Amazon, Bookshop.org, or Blackwell’s.

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