Scan barcode
A review by brandypainter
13 Curses by Michelle Harrison
2.0
Originally posted here.
What worked for me: The Faerie lore continues to follow traditional tales while expanding them. Red and Warwick actually get to attend the feast where the switch between the rule of the Seelie and the Unseelie Courts occur and I thought both courts were portrayed well. There is just enough darkness in the Unseelie to remain true to the myth without making it too dark for children. The Seelie, while not as dark, are shown to be just as heartless and unthinking of using humans in their games as their Unseelie counterparts.
What didn't work for me: This book focuses more on Red who was not a character explored a lot in the first book. I wouldn't have minded this so much except I felt like this focus did a disservice to both Tanya and Fabian. Part of my enjoyment of the first book was Tanya and Fabian and their interaction with each other. From the beginning I felt like they just were not the same characters, like something was off. Some of that might be attributed to the books format which jumps between Red in the Faerie realm to what is happening at the Manor in the human realm. There are also flashbacks to Red's past that are spotted throughout her account. There is a lot of jumping around and as a result the story has no fluidity. Warwick also gets a chance to add his own tale of tragedy and woe regarding the faeries that we did not get in the first book. All this back story contributed to a book that was way too long. It is 496 pages and they don't even get to the part where the quest begins until 300 pages into the book.
I can see how children who are fantasy fans and enjoy trilogies and series wanting to pick this up. It left me wanting and feeling a little deflated though. I'm not sure I will bother with the third book when it is released in the US. It is called 13 Secrets and is currently out in the UK and is expected in the US in 2012.
What worked for me: The Faerie lore continues to follow traditional tales while expanding them. Red and Warwick actually get to attend the feast where the switch between the rule of the Seelie and the Unseelie Courts occur and I thought both courts were portrayed well. There is just enough darkness in the Unseelie to remain true to the myth without making it too dark for children. The Seelie, while not as dark, are shown to be just as heartless and unthinking of using humans in their games as their Unseelie counterparts.
What didn't work for me: This book focuses more on Red who was not a character explored a lot in the first book. I wouldn't have minded this so much except I felt like this focus did a disservice to both Tanya and Fabian. Part of my enjoyment of the first book was Tanya and Fabian and their interaction with each other. From the beginning I felt like they just were not the same characters, like something was off. Some of that might be attributed to the books format which jumps between Red in the Faerie realm to what is happening at the Manor in the human realm. There are also flashbacks to Red's past that are spotted throughout her account. There is a lot of jumping around and as a result the story has no fluidity. Warwick also gets a chance to add his own tale of tragedy and woe regarding the faeries that we did not get in the first book. All this back story contributed to a book that was way too long. It is 496 pages and they don't even get to the part where the quest begins until 300 pages into the book.
I can see how children who are fantasy fans and enjoy trilogies and series wanting to pick this up. It left me wanting and feeling a little deflated though. I'm not sure I will bother with the third book when it is released in the US. It is called 13 Secrets and is currently out in the UK and is expected in the US in 2012.