The Robe of Skulls

Really delightful short story (loved the Audible version), with those kind of characters that tread the line nicely between entertaining and unhinged, and heroes that you can get behind because they're not cloyingly moralistic.

This is a marvelously gothic gem of a book. I bought it a couple years ago, I think the title and description appealed to me, and tossed it on the shelf and that was it. Until I saw a very enticing blog review of it (sorry, I forgot where. I tend to forget things like that) and decided to read it for myself. It was deliciously creepy, delightfully wicked, and tartly sweet. We begin with the Lady Lamorna, a wicked sorceress, who has decided she needs a new dress - and not just any new dress, a marvelous new dress decorated with skulls. Unfortunately, even a powerful sorceress needs money when she's going to buy a marvelous velvet dress with skulls from the Ancient Crones. Enter a wicked plan, complete with princes and frogs, an abused show more but courageous Trueheart, and a very wicked stepsister indeed. Every sentence of this story is perfectly crafted and perfectly positioned to create an amusingly creepy story with a satisfying ending and memorable characters.

and then there just had to be a sequel. *mutter* remember what I said earlier about my desire to whap people over the heads with their sequels? Well, this one falls into whapping category. There's no growth in the main characters, just additions of quirky but unmemorable characters to the cast. There's a different plot, but the ending is too pat and the main characters from Robe feel like they're there for the series, not to perform any specific role. It feels as though the author tried to recreate the magic of Robe of Skulls, but it just didn't work.

and now I'm grumpy. Whap!

Verdict: I will happily recommend Robe to all and sundry, but I don't plan to continue the series.

Robe of skulls
ISBN: 978-0763635312; Published July 2008 by Candlewick; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Bag of bones
ISBN: 076364255X; Published July 2009 by Candlewick; Borrowed from the library show less

What a fun story! This reminded me of a Disney movie, with broad caricatures for characters (the main baddie could almost be Cruella deVil!) and witty dialogue, and narrow escapes. Lady Lamorna (that baddie I mentioned) is a sorceress who wants a new dress--a dress of black velvet with skulls and spiderwebs and spooky stuff on it. But after it's ordered she realizes she has no money! So, what's an evil witch to do? Why, cast some spells and do a little kidnapping and hatch an evil scheme, of course! She's really good at turning people into frogs, so... look out, princes of the five kingdoms. Meanwhile there's also a Cinderella-like story going on with our heroine Gracie Gillypot, who is rescued from her mean stepfather's dungeon by--a show more talking bat? Marlon is my favorite character in the book, but he's followed a close second by Gubble the befuddled troll who keeps literally losing his head. A quick funny goofy read. Suitable for grades 4-6. show less

This is a fairy tale with a difference: we meet the evil sorceress Lady Lamorna who resorts to blackmail to pay for the dress embroidered with skulls, setting into action all subsequent events (hence the title of the book), her troll servant Gubble, the girl and trueheart Gracie Gillypot and her beautiful but evil stepsister Foyce, the slightly rebellious prince Marcus, three ancient crones who spin the web of power and some helpful bats, plus a host of other characters.

While I enjoyed reading the story with my son, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as expected, having read all the favourable reviews. I also noticed that my son was occasionally distracted, having allowed his mind to wander and then had to ask questions to catch up with show more plot developments, even though the storyline is very easy to follow for young readers. The characters are established early on, and yet not much happens until one has passed the 100 page-mark and then it was not difficult to predict the ending. The author has got a wonderful imagination, painting a very vivid picture of the village of Fracture, the kingdoms of Gorebreath and Dreghorn and the cottage of the Ancient Crones and their various inhabitants, and introduces the reader to some marvellous characters, yet in my opinion she tries just a little bit too hard to be quirky; I found the bat Marlon with his "Ciao!" and constant "Kiddo!" especially irritating. I'm sure this is simply a matter of personal taste, as the other reviewers were perfectly enchanted by it. show less

Lady Lamorna orders a new dress made out of black velvet with layers of blood red petticoats and rows and rows of little skulls sewn along the hem. But then she discovers she has no gold left, and non-payment will anger the ancient crones, so she has no choice but to go into the world and WORK. But what can a washed-up, reclusive old witch do? Cast nasty spells of course! And thus begins this playful romp through the fairytale world of the five kingdoms.
If you are familiar with fairytales and fantasy, there’s nothing here that will terribly surprise you, but it’s a perfect addition to the “humor-tinged gothic” category that’s emerged since Lemony Snicket. I had so much fun reading this and hanging out with the characters (my show more favorite was Marlon the bat), and was very satisfied with the way the story wrapped up. A definite keeper! show less

High above the mountain village of Fracture, trouble is brewing. The sorceress Lady Lamorna wants a skull-studded gown of deep black velvet, but her treasure chest is empty of gold. That doesn’t stop her, however — from kidnapping, blackmailing, and using more than a little magic to get what she needs. Will her plans be foiled by the heroic Gracie Gillypot, a chatty bat, a gallant (if scruffy) prince, the wickedest stepsister ever, a troll with a grudge, and some very ancient crones? Humorously macabre and wickedly illustrated in black and white.

The Robe of Skulls is a delightful story about an old sorceress, a young girl, a prince, an evil stepsister, and a troll whose head is frequently getting knocked off.

Lamorna, the sorceress, orders a new robe only to discover she has no gold left to pay for it. To make the money she needs she and her troll hatch a plan to secretly turn several princes and princesses to frogs then to charge their parents an exorbitant fee to turn them back. In order to complete her task Lamorna must leave her castle for the first time in a hundred years.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn’t know where the story was heading until after I’d read several chapters. Even then, it didn’t quite go where I expected it to. The story has twists and show more turns as it bounds ever forward to an equally surprising ending.

My congratulations to Vivian French for writing such an entertaining story that I’ll gladly recommend to family and friends. The Illustrations by Ross Collins added equally to my pleasure. show less