The Children by Melissa Albert captivates with its lyrical prose, thoughtfully layered plotlines and beautiful imagery. However, its ending leaves some key questions unanswered, which may leave readers wishing for a stronger sense of closure.

The novel is categorized as magical realism, so readers know they'll eventually enter the world of the Ninth City -- the fictional setting of the bestselling book series written by the mother of the two main characters, Guinevere and Ennis. Even so, for much of the story I expected a less fantastical, more grounded explanation for many of the strange events. I found myself reading it the way I watch Ghost Hunters: always looking for a rational explanation behind the supernatural.

That realistic explanation never comes. Instead, the story plunges fully into a fantastical yet deeply tragic tale of two neglected children who are adored by young readers around the world.

Imagine if Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley had been based on real children with those same names -- and those children happened to be J.K. Rowling's own. That's the world Guin and Ennis grow up in. But unlike the magical adventures depicted in their mother's books, their reality is one of neglect, emotional abuse and exposure to an adult world no child should have to navigate.

After their parents are killed in a fire that leaves Guin and Ennis as the family's only survivors, the siblings are pulled apart. Much of the novel follows Guin's search to reunite with her brother, who seems determined not to be found.

We meet Guin trapped in a life she despises, trying to find peace in a relationship with a man she loves but cannot fully commit to, while struggling under a celebrity status she never chose but feels obligated to maintain.

It's a deeply emotional novel. The portrayal of trauma is heartbreaking, and Guin's journey toward healing is written with obvious compassion and affection for the character.

Overall, I found the story captivating, but I finished it feeling emotionally unresolved. The epilogue is simply too brief to provide the closure that 384 pages of emotional investment seem to promise.

I don't think a sequel would necessarily provide that closure. This story feels complete on its own, but I would have appreciated spending a little more time with the resolution and seeing its emotional consequences play out.