womanon's review against another edition
5.0
This was amazing, and I cannot wait to continue the series!
kajh23's review against another edition
5.0
Great book for any fairytale fan. Perfect length and pacing for middle grade readers. Just the right amount of mystery and magic.
Young Seren leaves the orphanage for what she hopes will be a lavish life at an estate in Wales. Turns out the family’s young son was abducted by Fae and it is not at all like she imagined. It’s up to her, and a helpful mysterious clockwork crow, to find the boy and save the day.
Young Seren leaves the orphanage for what she hopes will be a lavish life at an estate in Wales. Turns out the family’s young son was abducted by Fae and it is not at all like she imagined. It’s up to her, and a helpful mysterious clockwork crow, to find the boy and save the day.
gretainthedreamland's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
starshine1's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Grief
sharonskinner's review against another edition
4.0
Smooth prose and a clever story make this a great book for young readers. Fisher also creates lovely atmosphere. I look forward to reading the next in the series, The Velvet Fox.
ashleylm's review against another edition
3.0
Pleasant, but unremarkable. Characters not particularly exciting (my favourite, panicked thin man, is there early and late and that's about it). Otherwise you get mean housekeeper, assorted staff, protagonist no different from any other bland viewpoint character in middle school fiction, etc. The clockwork crow makes very little sense (clockwork implies making, but it's the result of a spell--like some sort of unpleasant Morroccan / Japanese fusion dish that doesn't work).
Various little things just annoyed me (at one point she guesses someone was once a schoolteacher, and they were, and there's pretty much zero clues having pointed to that), and while I liked the snowglobe idea re weather, I doubt I'll be remembering this one in a year's time. The opening is good and compelling, and it gets less and less interesting as it goes along.
And it lacks a Joan Aiken-ish je ne sais quoi, anything stylish or different that might set it apart. The author's voice, despite the assertion from New Statesman (UK) on the cover, just isn't all that compelling.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
Various little things just annoyed me (at one point she guesses someone was once a schoolteacher, and they were, and there's pretty much zero clues having pointed to that), and while I liked the snowglobe idea re weather, I doubt I'll be remembering this one in a year's time. The opening is good and compelling, and it gets less and less interesting as it goes along.
And it lacks a Joan Aiken-ish je ne sais quoi, anything stylish or different that might set it apart. The author's voice, despite the assertion from New Statesman (UK) on the cover, just isn't all that compelling.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
clara99's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.75
she calls the crow her friend though she doesn’t know his name she calls him it not him and overall doesn’t like him until the last 50 pages maximum and even still doesnt even ask his name they call him crow we know he has a name
bryony_grace's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
readmoreyall's review against another edition
3.0
Cute winter tale of persistence and magic. I think it’s a good choice for elementary students. They will enjoy the crotchety crow.