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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read two books from Michelle Harrison's A Pinch of Magic series so I wanted to read more of her work. The first book in this series is decidedly darker than the other series but in a good way.
Tanya has the gift of second sight- she can see fairies, goblins and any other creatures that appear in her presence but they cause havoc for her so she is shipped off to her grandmother's house. It is there that she learns about a girl who went missing 50 years ago, and together with her friend Fabian, they attempt to untangle the mystery.
I really enjoyed this, it kept me guessing for a lot of it and even bits I had guessed were still revealed really well. There is a good mix of characters and the atmosphere is helped by Tanya's grandmother's old house with the secret passages and the spooky forest nearby. The writing is easy to follow (sometimes when there are too many creatures it is hard to understand but that isn't the case here) and the plot moves along at a medium pace.
Definitely recommend if you're looking for a bit of escapism.
This was the first book about fae that I think I ever read and I was obsessed with it.
Tanya is an average twelve year old with one exception - she's got the second sight. This means she can see faeries, usually ugly, squat creatures that torment her with mischievous acts. After another Tanya versus faeries incident goes awry, her mother (having had enough) sends Tanya to stay with her cold grandmother at Elvesden Manor.
This debut effort won the UK's Waterstone's Prize and is a great little read. The plot was a little uneven at times but the adventures of Tanya and Fabian in investigating the disappearance of Morwenna Bloom was vastly entertaining. There is a mystery that involves both of their families, a boatload of magic and a lot of intrigue. While the narrative is nicely wrapped up and can be considered self-contained, there is definitely a lot of room to pursue a series here. I really enjoyed the idea that faeries are plentiful in our world and usually with evil motivations and a lot of hate. These faeries are a far cry from Tinkerbell, clapping in this book will only serve to incite a biting incident.
Tanya is very isolated from humans in this novel. Her mother dumps her with her old, frosty grandmother, cantankerous groundskeeper and his precocious and supremely annoying son, Fabian. Yet Tanya's whole world is tolerating and surviving the ever presence of faeries that refuse to leave her alone. The story is grim and grotty - the odours and grot that permeate this book are always felt by the reader. There is a definite atmosphere that has been created with expertise.
I really enjoyed this novel, it took awhile to get going but once it did I was captivated. It's a little darker than one might expect but I suspect that's why kids would like it. It doesn't condescend or talk down to the read, instead creates well rounded characters, a vivid setting and an intriguing plot.
Definitely worth the read if only for the mention of a faerie hunter!
This debut effort won the UK's Waterstone's Prize and is a great little read. The plot was a little uneven at times but the adventures of Tanya and Fabian in investigating the disappearance of Morwenna Bloom was vastly entertaining. There is a mystery that involves both of their families, a boatload of magic and a lot of intrigue. While the narrative is nicely wrapped up and can be considered self-contained, there is definitely a lot of room to pursue a series here. I really enjoyed the idea that faeries are plentiful in our world and usually with evil motivations and a lot of hate. These faeries are a far cry from Tinkerbell, clapping in this book will only serve to incite a biting incident.
Tanya is very isolated from humans in this novel. Her mother dumps her with her old, frosty grandmother, cantankerous groundskeeper and his precocious and supremely annoying son, Fabian. Yet Tanya's whole world is tolerating and surviving the ever presence of faeries that refuse to leave her alone. The story is grim and grotty - the odours and grot that permeate this book are always felt by the reader. There is a definite atmosphere that has been created with expertise.
I really enjoyed this novel, it took awhile to get going but once it did I was captivated. It's a little darker than one might expect but I suspect that's why kids would like it. It doesn't condescend or talk down to the read, instead creates well rounded characters, a vivid setting and an intriguing plot.
Definitely worth the read if only for the mention of a faerie hunter!
These are the kind of books that I have to make fun of myself a little bit for reading and enjoying. I am a 33 year old man, reading a book about a girl who can see fairies. All in all and good 3.5 star read. I enjoyed the main character enough, and the fairy-lore throughout felt realistic and based in actual mythology and legend. It reminded me a lot of a slightly darker, slightly more british version of the Fablehaven series, which I was a big fan of. A good read. I am trying to decide if I will ever read the rest of the trilogy.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
As someone who’s recently begun reading more middle grade fiction I found this novel to have a few similarities to the Spiderwick Chronicles, which makes sense since both series are about fae and things of the like and people generally enjoy reading about fae, especially children. That’s really were the similarities end though.
Moving on to this novel, I found myself really enjoying the characters, especially the fairies themselves. You can’t mistake one for the other and Tanya was done very well in my opinion. She’s very believable as a 13 year old girl who’s been tortured by fairies and sent to live with her grandmother. Speaking of which, the world that Tanya finds herself in once she gets to her grandmother’s house was an interesting one to explore, and provided a great background to all the weirdness going on.
I will say that some parts of the novel were slightly predictable, at least they were to me, as far as some of the reveals about the 13 Treasures went. I do have to say that I enjoyed the inclusion of both Seelie and Unseelie courts, and how each rules for part of the year and thus we have the seasons. Not a lot of people include that in their novels and I appreciate that Michelle did.
Honestly, I just enjoy reading about fairies and other fae creatures, and it seems to me that Michelle did her research on their folklore and included a lot of interesting things into her narrative. There are so many different legends and things of the like about the fae, that it’s just so much fun to play around with.
I do have to say that I wish I’d done a little research into the series when I picked up the first book because I would have liked to read the prequel first, obviously because it would’ve given more backstory into how Tanya got on the fairies radar and things like that.
Moving on to this novel, I found myself really enjoying the characters, especially the fairies themselves. You can’t mistake one for the other and Tanya was done very well in my opinion. She’s very believable as a 13 year old girl who’s been tortured by fairies and sent to live with her grandmother. Speaking of which, the world that Tanya finds herself in once she gets to her grandmother’s house was an interesting one to explore, and provided a great background to all the weirdness going on.
I will say that some parts of the novel were slightly predictable, at least they were to me, as far as some of the reveals about the 13 Treasures went. I do have to say that I enjoyed the inclusion of both Seelie and Unseelie courts, and how each rules for part of the year and thus we have the seasons. Not a lot of people include that in their novels and I appreciate that Michelle did.
Honestly, I just enjoy reading about fairies and other fae creatures, and it seems to me that Michelle did her research on their folklore and included a lot of interesting things into her narrative. There are so many different legends and things of the like about the fae, that it’s just so much fun to play around with.
I do have to say that I wish I’d done a little research into the series when I picked up the first book because I would have liked to read the prequel first, obviously because it would’ve given more backstory into how Tanya got on the fairies radar and things like that.