Tania del Rio

Homely orphan Warren the 13th triumphed over a coven of witches and a lazy, malevolent uncle in Tania del Rio’s Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye, thanks to the magical powers of his family’s hotel and his own perceptiveness and kindness. The Warren Hotel — planned by Warren the First and built by his architect son, Warren the Second — actually walks around! In this sequel, young Warren treats hotel guests to treks across the land. Unfortunately, due to an accident by Warren’s show more lazy, stupid Uncle Rupert, the hotel takes a tumble, and things only get worse from there — although I won’t spoil the book by detailing what, except to say that an especially powerful and evil witch determines to steal the hotel for her own nefarious purposes and that Warren has to cross the Malwoods, a forest just as sinister and dangerous as it sounds, to rescue the hotel and his friends.

Author Tania del Rio had a triumph with her debut book, Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye, but the sequel is so much better! Will Staeble’s quirky two-color illustrations really enhance del Rio’s latest modern fairy tale. As with the first book, the sequel celebrates kindness, hard work, cleverness, loyalty, and the reality that your family are the people who love you, regardless of blood ties — or even species. A wonderful message for any age, but particularly in times of uncertainty.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review. show less

Warren lives in a hotel that his family has run for generations. After the death of his parents, Warren's lazy Uncle Rupert and mean-spirited Aunt Anaconda take over the hotel and under their neglectful eyes the hotel soon loses all business. But when a mysterious guest suddenly arrives, Warren finds himself in the middle of a battle for control over the hotel against his Aunt, who is searching for a powerful magical item that would grant her ownership over the hotel, despite Warren being show more the heir.

I initially received this as an e-book through NetGalley. Sadly, I couldn't view it properly on my Nook or Kindle and had to read it on my computer. Even then, I think there was something wrong with my file, because most of the illustrations seemed to be corrupted. Either that, or because it was an ARC, they didn't put the finishing touches on. But the colors looked warped, some of the images were pixelated, and a few looked normal. It really affected my experience, because half the magic of this book comes from Staehle's fantastic artwork!

Luckily, Quirk sent me a copy (this still doesn't affect my opions of the book) and boy, the finished product really makes a difference. So I gave the book a re-read. My initial thoughts on the story itself are much the same:

This is a semi-gothic, middle grade fantasy adventure with an atypical main character. Little Warren’s odd looks are refreshingly different, and his positive attitude, pride in his family hotel and the hard work he puts into maintaining it send a great message to young readers.

The adults in the book are fairly standard however – the lazy, clueless Uncle, the abusive, two-faced aunt, and two kindly hotel workers who care for Warren whenever they aren’t cowering away from his aunt. As an adult reader, I think the characters could use a bit more depth, but for younger readers they make fine players in Warren’s story.

The plot of the book moves very fast. I think there were a few too many elements crammed into just over 200 pages and it left some of the larger twists feeling less impactful. Different plot points were over and done with before you really get to explore or absorb them. At times, I found myself feeling a little lost or overwhelmed. I think the plot could use a bit more focus, or the book a slightly larger page count. But there are magical and even semi-steampunk elements that I enjoyed and Warren’s character really piloted the book.

There’s going to be a sequel and I’m definitely interested. Between the plot and the images, the book has a very Tim Burton meets Lemony Snicket feel that I loved. I think this is an excellent choice for younger readers who aren’t quite ready for a lengthier chapter book, or for eager listeners who will appreciate the unique art style.

Now, let me focus on that art style. In short - wow! Seriously, having a physical copy of this book makes all the difference. I can finally appreciate all the images and typography and special touches included in this book, and they all helped pull me into the story. I love the foil on the cover, I love Warren's creepy little silhouette, I love the full page illustrations at the start of each chapter and bold typography that's inserted into the regular text. (deep breath) I love the two-column type, I love the simplistic yet bold black, red and white color scheme, I love Warren's gap-toothed smile, and the puzzles they've slipped into the story. It's certainly one of the most beautiful and enticing middle-grade books I own.

If you like bold graphics and typography, the images alone will probably be enough to get you to check out this book. show less

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I had a hard time with this book in its early pages. Del Rio is aiming for a nuevo-Victorian vibe, but sometimes that results in unwitty overexposition. Here's an example from late in the book:

"Sketchy paused to stick out its tongue, making Rupert cringe. He was still terrified of the creature, and the sight of its purple tongue only increased his discomfort."

See what I mean? Lemony Snicket it ain't.

That said, it's a fun romp through a mysterious hotel and family history and witchcraft and show more steampunk and so forth. It is like a more fantabulous and richly illustrated Unfortunate Event. So that should be enough to decide whether you're interested.

At the very least, thumb through it some time and check out the illustrations. Sort of Wondermark meets Nickelodeon. show less

I did not read the other books in this series, and this is the last in the set of three. But I still didn't have much trouble sinking into the tale and enjoying the characters with every single of their wonderful oddities and good natured hearts.

Warren the 13th is the bellboy of his family's hotel, and since the death of his parents, tries to keep the hotel running. In this installment, the very special hotel and its occupants have made their way through the last adventure, and the hotel has show more now transformed into a ship. Warren, however, is about to have his 13th birthday and is about to release the 13 year curse. And this seems to strike immediately as they find themselves shipwrecked on an island with feisty pirates at a special, pirate retirement home, and Sketchy (their friend, the octopus) is considered the deep regarded beast of the deep...which he may or may not be. Anyway, when he's kidnapped, things really go nuts.

This is a super fun read and packed with quirkiness and adventure. It wasn't quite as over the top as I thought it'd be, but really follows an exciting plot. The hotel is special but not as much for its amazing, transformation abilities as for the individuals who have taken residence inside. Warren might have lost his parents, but these occupants form a unique and golden family. Each one, despite their spikes and crinkled personalities, are the most valuable friends a kid like Warren could have.

Each page is originally formatted into a more columned, newspaper style, instead of the block of text which usually forms each page in a novel. Plus, there are oodles and goodles of illustrations peppered on each page. There are even puzzles and riddles, which the reader can help Warren solve, which mold seamlessly into the tale and never give it a puzzle book feel (plus, there are only a handful of these). Still, it's a super fun mix.

And to top it off, the adventure is really engaging and draws in. Excitement rolls through at a very steady pace and keeps the tension high until the end. This weaves around simple, wholesome values of loyalty, kindness, selflessness, and keeping a positive attitude. In other words, this is a wonderful read, which not only middle graders are sure to enjoy. show less