Jessica Day George

{First of 3(?); Rose Legacy series. Fantasy, children’s, YA} (2018)

Anthea is an orphan who lives in Coronam where there are oxen and motor cars (for some reason, when I see motor cars in this story I imagine long, elegant open-top affairs) but horses are monsters of legend; it is her dream to become a Rose Maiden, as her mother had been, and serve the queen. However, she has been shunted from relative to relative all her young life until finally, as the story begins, she learns that she is show more to be sent to her father’s brother who lives beyond the Wall in the north of Coronam - a place where only exiles and reprobates live.

To her horror, once she is there she discovers that there are horses there - those monstrous animals that had carried a plague until they were killed off by it, or so she thought. Soon she finds that she has to rethink many of the things she has been taught to take for granted.

This story was somewhat reminiscent of The Blue Sword - although aimed at a younger audience - with an orphaned girl being sent to family far away and having fantastic adventures with animals and there are also echoes of Mrs Coulter (from His Dark Materials).

Although I liked the story and I’m curious about what happens next, I found the structure of this book a bit uneven. I felt that some aspects of the plot could have been fleshed out a bit more, such as Anthea’s change of heart about friendships and why she couldn’t remember more about her childhood. Being inside a horse’s head was an interesting aspect, although initially they came across as being a bit servile. I thought the ending, especially the point at which Anthea meets the Rose Matron, was a bit confused and a bit rushed. It’s sweet that this is a story that Day George has had in her head since she was a girl but I do feel that the writing is not up to her usual standard.

Having said that, I did enjoy the story and have already downloaded the next one to read.

3 stars show less

{Third of 5: Castle Glower series. Fantasy, children's}

Sailing straight on from the cliff-hanger in Wednesdays in the Tower, twelve year old Princess Celie together with her older siblings Rolf and Lilah plus a couple of other important people are caught in part of the Castle that has transported them to another world. Here they discover people and animals from the Castle's past and start to piece together the long history of the Castle. If they can trust the person telling them that show more history.

Meanwhile, they seem to be entangled in a foreign political situation when all they want to do is get home to their family.

(Side note; although I like the way the series uses consecutive days of the week I’m not sure that the title fits this time, though I can see how it was derived.)

This book is a bit more serious than the preceding two in that I feel it deals a bit more with the characters rather than just the story and we start to see them in a different light. The king and queen, who were absent in the first book and were more secondary actors in the second, also start to become real people. I like the family interactions; the relationship between the four siblings has always been a strength of the series and it's easy to see the age differences between them. And it's nice to see how much their parents care about them; at the end of the adventure when they finally get home (not really a spoiler because this is not, after all, a tragedy):

‘Daddy?’
‘What is it, Celia-delia?’ King Glower almost tripped over Rufus trying to get to her.

It also deals with emotions such as really wanting something but having to put on a brave face on when someone else gets it.

Still fun and easy to read.

‘Insufferable man,’ King Glower said. ‘I’m glad to hear he’s a traitor. Now I can justify my dislike of him.’

And while there's no cliff-hanger ending this time, there is a hint as to what adventure we'll be going on next.

4**** (4 stars) show less

Fun. I actually read and enjoyed a partly-epistolary gothic romance - complete with sheltered high-society American girls thrust into strange situations in Romania, werewolves (etc), magic, a plot to overthrow the king, a secret society aimed at defeating monsters, and of course romance (somewhat predictable and rote, but it could get interesting over time). Plus a lot of interesting and complex characters, complex family relations, and serious changes for the protagonists. The switch of show more characters - the reckless, active girl falls into a deep depression, and her shy, introverted cousin simultaneously learns to speak up and act, becoming the driver of the pair - was interesting, and slightly convenient. The villain is...limited, a little toddler-tantrum in style ("If you don't do what I want I'll hurt someone you care about and make you watch!" was a frequent theme...I kept wanting someone to ask him "And how will you do that?" Pistols only go so far), and thoroughly dealt with by the end. It's a very interesting world, and I'd like to return there - see how the Archangels deal with the Florescus among them thereafter. show less

I heard about this on a podcast I occasionally listen to, occasionally cause my TBR pile/file folder/ towering [must find proper term - think stack half way to the moon] .. doesn't really need any help. anyway I decided it might be a nice change from my last two rather *ahem* dark toned books and thought.. why not.

Well.. it unexpectedly blew off my proverbial slippers (cause I started to read it just before bed and then stayed up late to finish - ok ok I fell asleep a bit over 3/4ths the show more way thru and then woke in the wee hours and finished). It is excellent, and not just for children/young adults. It is well paced, the story-line pulls you along wanting more until the end, there are many clever and interesting magical and fun devices or items that turn up to help the main characters, and some plot type puzzles. I was truly concerned for the characters as the story unfolded. It all comes right in the end. Except for the exiled evil Prince - who gets his just desserts, but I do hope her stuffie comes back after such a noble rescue. To be fair as an adult I could see the danger the antagonists were presenting and how it could go utterly pear shaped in a horrifically bad way (it didn't - thanks Castle!), and I suspect older children will get this aspect as well without being too scary.

I will be checking out the other books in this series and look forward to hearing more about the various characters.. I also hope the Emissary gets his comeuppance and just desserts, and a little Castle creativity wouldn't hurt either. I have some tips if needed, although I doubt that would be suitable for children, or anyone else, to read.

so an unexpected yet delightful 5 stars.
I heartily suggest you grab this one to read, if you haven't already.

What.. your still here?
Go on.. your local bookshop is waiting!
So is the Castle! show less