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kariniwonderland's review
2.0
I love fantasy, but this one wasn't for me. It reads like a children's book, but then again, the flowery language contradicts that. The numerous descriptions also make it confusing to read and difficult to follow the plot. The book could be much shorter, because many things happened, but also really nothing happened. This is the first book in the Lucy's Crypt series, but for me, the journey ends here.
I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.
booksbybindu's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this tales of wizards, realms, magic, talking bears all wrapped up in a coming of age story.
This is an easy read for someone just entering the fantasy genre as the world isn’t too over complicated and the characters are well developed. There are plenty of twists and turns in the story as well to keep one’s attention.
The fact that the story started in Scotland meant I was drawn in from the beginning (totally biased I know!) and the home life that Lucy comes from was not what I was expecting when I picked up the book. It shocked me actually. But the subject was tackled in a way that was sympathetic to Lucy’s character. I can totally understand the hiding under the table scene having done it myself once growing up. I enjoyed seeing Lucy’s character evolve as the story continues, begins to question what’s around her and the people in it.
Lucy find herself dragged into another world, that of wizards, magic, and an evil Queen. Lucy is the person a prophecy has spoken off, it will be her that will defeat the Queen and restore peace and harmony across their world. But Lucy is only 17, very shy and has no knowledge at all that could help her here. What is she meant to do?
This is the first book of a planned trilogy and I would say it left the story at a great point. There has been a huge revelation and there is still a long way before she can think about managing her quest. The idea of a talking teddy bear does freak me out a bit so I try not to visualise him I’m afraid. But Lucy is well formed in my conscious and I want to find out what happens to her after this book.
This is an easy read for someone just entering the fantasy genre as the world isn’t too over complicated and the characters are well developed. There are plenty of twists and turns in the story as well to keep one’s attention.
The fact that the story started in Scotland meant I was drawn in from the beginning (totally biased I know!) and the home life that Lucy comes from was not what I was expecting when I picked up the book. It shocked me actually. But the subject was tackled in a way that was sympathetic to Lucy’s character. I can totally understand the hiding under the table scene having done it myself once growing up. I enjoyed seeing Lucy’s character evolve as the story continues, begins to question what’s around her and the people in it.
Lucy find herself dragged into another world, that of wizards, magic, and an evil Queen. Lucy is the person a prophecy has spoken off, it will be her that will defeat the Queen and restore peace and harmony across their world. But Lucy is only 17, very shy and has no knowledge at all that could help her here. What is she meant to do?
This is the first book of a planned trilogy and I would say it left the story at a great point. There has been a huge revelation and there is still a long way before she can think about managing her quest. The idea of a talking teddy bear does freak me out a bit so I try not to visualise him I’m afraid. But Lucy is well formed in my conscious and I want to find out what happens to her after this book.
samkb's review
1.0
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Whoever wrote in the description that this is “highly imaginative and original” must not have ever read or seen “The Wizard of Oz.” This book even includes the phrase “I’m not in Scotland anymore, am I?” Lucy is a high school student with a very bad living situation: her parents are constantly fighting (physically) and she doesn’t know what to do. At school, other students make fun of her because she can’t afford to buy nice clothes. She spends her afternoons just wandering around, not wanting to stay at school, not wanting to go home.
Then, she is mysteriously swept up and sent to the kingdom of Archmond (which is when we get the stolen line from Wizard of Oz), where the sorcerer Soleman has brought her between worlds to be used for his own purposes in the war against Meta Emery.
This book was disappointing for so many reasons, not just that it’s an obvious ripoff of The Wizard of Oz. It’s also very poorly written, and lacks any kind of realistic characterization for anyone. Lucy is sad, woeful, helpless, confused, and nothing else. I have no idea what she’s like or what’s important to her. Just nothing.
Whoever wrote in the description that this is “highly imaginative and original” must not have ever read or seen “The Wizard of Oz.” This book even includes the phrase “I’m not in Scotland anymore, am I?” Lucy is a high school student with a very bad living situation: her parents are constantly fighting (physically) and she doesn’t know what to do. At school, other students make fun of her because she can’t afford to buy nice clothes. She spends her afternoons just wandering around, not wanting to stay at school, not wanting to go home.
Then, she is mysteriously swept up and sent to the kingdom of Archmond (which is when we get the stolen line from Wizard of Oz), where the sorcerer Soleman has brought her between worlds to be used for his own purposes in the war against Meta Emery.
This book was disappointing for so many reasons, not just that it’s an obvious ripoff of The Wizard of Oz. It’s also very poorly written, and lacks any kind of realistic characterization for anyone. Lucy is sad, woeful, helpless, confused, and nothing else. I have no idea what she’s like or what’s important to her. Just nothing.
the_lawyer_librarian's review
3.0
I loved how intriguing this read was! The mysterious notes, the dreams, prophecies – everything a good fantasy needs. The imagery and locations within the book are gorgeous. From the isolated small Scottish town to the bizarre and colourful Archmond and the toxic wastelands. Lucy is thrown into a world that she doesn’t understand and is forced to find her way, all with the weight of the prophecy on her shoulders. There is a hint of Alice in Wonderland magic to this book, but I did want more of that. I also wanted more background added to the world building and more chapters from the alleged villain’s perspective, as it felt very quick. However, I am excited to see where the series goes next! A solid start to what I am sure will be a brilliant series. Thank you to @annecater14 for my copy for the tour!
littlebirdbooks's review
3.0
Welcome to my stop on the The Invitation blog tour! Huge thanks to Random Things Tours for giving me the opportunity to take part in this! I was provided a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.
CW: Domestic violence, child abuse
After reaching her breaking point, Lucy decides to run away with her dog, Crumbs. However, she didn’t expect to end up in a completely new world, the kingdom of Archmond, after being summoned there by wizards. At the same time, young Queen Abigail wakes after the terrifying vision that her archenemies have finally, successfully, brought the girl into their kingdom who is prophesied to destroy everything she has built. However, Lucy doesn’t know how she feels about being this kingdom’s heroine or even if she wants to be…
Our protagonist Lucy is accompanied by her dog, Crumbs, on her unique journey. Within the first couple of chapters we learn so much about Lucy and her home life which immediately endeared me to her. I also liked her initial reaction when she arrived in a mysterious new place as it felt very real and in keeping with her character. Although I thought I knew the important thing about Lucy from the revealing opening chapters, I was pleasantly surprised to see that towards the end her character is developed even further with some great twists which I wasn’t expecting at all.
For me, this novel has an Alice in Wonderland feel to it: we are introduced to many characters throughout Lucy and Crumbs’ journey. However, although many of the characters we’re introduced to are very interesting and do a lot to illustrate the different areas of the world and the different societies within it, but some seemed to disappear just as you were beginning to connect with them. As this is the first instalment of a new series, I am very hopeful that they might make a reappearance in future novels.
Following on from the Alice in Wonderland feel, it isn’t just the array of characters that we’re introduced to that gives the novel this feel, but the smaller stories that they bring as Lucy journeys across the land. This really helped with the pacing in the second half of the novel as it felt like there was more happening and we got to see a lot more of what this world has to offer. Although we meet a lot of characters and Lucy finds herself in along the way – I did like the recurring narrative of knowing what was going on in both kingdom whilst Lucy was travelling. This also was great for reminding the reader of the purpose of Lucy’s quest.
The second half of the novel was definitely my favourite and has me excited for the next book in the series, especially with the new knowledge we gain at the end of the novel. The world that Webster has created is certainly large and varied and I’m looking forward to learning more about it. We are given certain bits of information but not always in a lot of detail, however this is generally because Lucy is new to everything and, for the most part, the reader is learning along with her.
Despite the slightly slow start to the novel, I found myself really enjoying the stay by the end and was completely invested in Lucy and, of course, Crumbs. I also can’t wait to learn more about Bear!
CW: Domestic violence, child abuse
After reaching her breaking point, Lucy decides to run away with her dog, Crumbs. However, she didn’t expect to end up in a completely new world, the kingdom of Archmond, after being summoned there by wizards. At the same time, young Queen Abigail wakes after the terrifying vision that her archenemies have finally, successfully, brought the girl into their kingdom who is prophesied to destroy everything she has built. However, Lucy doesn’t know how she feels about being this kingdom’s heroine or even if she wants to be…
Our protagonist Lucy is accompanied by her dog, Crumbs, on her unique journey. Within the first couple of chapters we learn so much about Lucy and her home life which immediately endeared me to her. I also liked her initial reaction when she arrived in a mysterious new place as it felt very real and in keeping with her character. Although I thought I knew the important thing about Lucy from the revealing opening chapters, I was pleasantly surprised to see that towards the end her character is developed even further with some great twists which I wasn’t expecting at all.
For me, this novel has an Alice in Wonderland feel to it: we are introduced to many characters throughout Lucy and Crumbs’ journey. However, although many of the characters we’re introduced to are very interesting and do a lot to illustrate the different areas of the world and the different societies within it, but some seemed to disappear just as you were beginning to connect with them. As this is the first instalment of a new series, I am very hopeful that they might make a reappearance in future novels.
Following on from the Alice in Wonderland feel, it isn’t just the array of characters that we’re introduced to that gives the novel this feel, but the smaller stories that they bring as Lucy journeys across the land. This really helped with the pacing in the second half of the novel as it felt like there was more happening and we got to see a lot more of what this world has to offer. Although we meet a lot of characters and Lucy finds herself in along the way – I did like the recurring narrative of knowing what was going on in both kingdom whilst Lucy was travelling. This also was great for reminding the reader of the purpose of Lucy’s quest.
The second half of the novel was definitely my favourite and has me excited for the next book in the series, especially with the new knowledge we gain at the end of the novel. The world that Webster has created is certainly large and varied and I’m looking forward to learning more about it. We are given certain bits of information but not always in a lot of detail, however this is generally because Lucy is new to everything and, for the most part, the reader is learning along with her.
Despite the slightly slow start to the novel, I found myself really enjoying the stay by the end and was completely invested in Lucy and, of course, Crumbs. I also can’t wait to learn more about Bear!
bookshortie's review
4.0
From the first page we are introduced to the main character 17 year old Lucy who lives in Lockerby, Scotland. To say that her home life is not ideal would be an understatement as we learn from the outset. We continue to see glimpses of Lucy’s life as the story progresses. Lucy keeps finding mysterious notes and then a big gust of wind appears with a mysterious stranger and Lucy finds herself in Archmond with her dog Crumbs. Archmond isn’t in Scotland but the world of Escallia Wimbers.
There she meets Solomon and Ron and is told that she has been summoned to fulfil a prophecy to defeat Queen Abigail and restore peace and harmony to the land. Lucy is a normal teenager and doesn’t understand why she is there and how she has the skills required to fulfil the prophecy. Lucy’s stay at Archmond is short lived before she is required to leave the castle and begin her journey to find answers to the questions she can’t answer. During her journey Lucy also unearths memories that she didn’t know were there.
This was a good fantasy novel and an ideal first read for those wanting to delve into the fantasy genre as it isn’t too heavy. It was really interesting to learn both Lucy and Queen Abigail’s backstory. Although both were from different worlds the connecting factor in both of their stories is violence. One aspect that I liked was that Lucy learned about the royal family’s history through a dream that included a talking bear, which was definitely a unique feature. The book stopped at the perfect point paving the way for the story to continue in the next book.
If you like stories full of fantasy, realms, wizards, magic and prophecies or are considering delving into the fantasy genre for the first time then this is the book for you.
I received a gifted copy for an honest review.
There she meets Solomon and Ron and is told that she has been summoned to fulfil a prophecy to defeat Queen Abigail and restore peace and harmony to the land. Lucy is a normal teenager and doesn’t understand why she is there and how she has the skills required to fulfil the prophecy. Lucy’s stay at Archmond is short lived before she is required to leave the castle and begin her journey to find answers to the questions she can’t answer. During her journey Lucy also unearths memories that she didn’t know were there.
This was a good fantasy novel and an ideal first read for those wanting to delve into the fantasy genre as it isn’t too heavy. It was really interesting to learn both Lucy and Queen Abigail’s backstory. Although both were from different worlds the connecting factor in both of their stories is violence. One aspect that I liked was that Lucy learned about the royal family’s history through a dream that included a talking bear, which was definitely a unique feature. The book stopped at the perfect point paving the way for the story to continue in the next book.
If you like stories full of fantasy, realms, wizards, magic and prophecies or are considering delving into the fantasy genre for the first time then this is the book for you.
I received a gifted copy for an honest review.
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