The Clockwork Crow

Product Information

January 2019 Book of the Month | Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2019, Best Story category Catherine Fisher writes a story of a young girl, an orphan, who is being adopted by her godparents. She arrives at their home in Wales to find everyone in the family missing and no logical explanation given to her. Looked after by two house servants, the girl is left to wonder about the mysteries surrounding the house. So too, the readers. While I can tell that Fisher is trying to unfold her story slowly, it seemed instead to go in fits and starts, largely as a result of bad editing. I found myself more than a tad irritated at jarring sentences such as, "Their hands were numbing cold." If you told me I had to think about it for awhile to find that sentence to be a clever one, I'd respond by telling you I had to think for far too long. Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction. Seren remains feisty and courageous, as in the previous novels and ready to stand up to The Fair Family. She is a fantastic protagonist and I love how she dotes upon the crow, despite his constant cantankerous nature.

For something a little different and that has just been published this year, Sibéal Pounder’s Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmasre-evaluates how we think of the Santa story and how, for all this time, we might have been getting it just a bit wrong... So prepare for a truly funny, fresh, fizzing and feminist celebration of the true story of Mrs Claus and how its two formidable female protagonists bring this sparkling story to life. This is a kind book that is not terribly dark, reminiscent of The Little Princess. The message of individual responsibility to keep trying to be and do better shines through the book. It teaches lessons about being inquiring and not judging others at a glance, no matter the age. Mit dem Mondscheinvogel hat die Autorin ebenfalls eine einzigartige Figur erschaffen. Mich hat dieses witzig-schräge Kerlchen mit seiner faszinierenden Wunderlichkeit sofort in helle Begeisterung versetzen können. The story introduces a new mystery, a box that Seren finds in a delightfully mysterious market, and new creatures of power who can help her. The idea of a quest to seek a favour is such a fairy story classic, and it works so well here. Catherine Fisher is clearly very familiar with the older source material, and how to twist it into her own stories to create beautiful new patterns and pictures.There was definitely some character growth for both the Crow and Seren and the ending was well done. Several of the other characters (Captain Jones, Denzil and Lady Mair) haven't changed much and do still feel rather two-dimensional.

Zwar war Stella zeit ihres Lebens auf sich alleine gestellt, nun bekommt sie jedoch erstmals einen Freund an ihre Seite. Einen ziemlich frechen, der nicht immer sympathisch wirkt, zu dem Stella aber dennoch schnell eine enge Bindung aufbaut. It’s a marvellous book, and a book of marvels, shivery with suspense, snow and sinister magic – the most seasonal treat since The Box of Delights.’ One of the things I really love about this trilogy is the feeling of dark, creepy fae magic. The Folk may be charming but their also definitely scary, and this enchanting darkness comes across so well. The tension between the attraction and the fear is increased for the final part of the trilogy, creating some incredible haunting and powerful scenes.Seren was utterly brave in this one, each book she is brave and has things to overcome but this one she is even more fiercely brave and determined, this time to help break the crows curse once and for all but with it may come a huge sacrifice and a test of her hearts dearest desire. 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.

I feel like I should be able to mic drop right there. Like if that's not enough to sell you, how are we book friends? But in the words of the late Billy Mays: but wait, there's more!!

The first half of the book serves up the creepy elements – the forbidden room that Seren is told never to enter, a past tragedy, shadowy corridors and sinister servants – that are essential elements of any good Gothic novel.

Her new family is not there. The house is deserted apart from a few servants and the sinister housekeeper, Mrs Villiers, who coldly takes Seren to her room and then leaves her totally alone.A pitch-perfect middle-grade novel that insightfully explores timely topics with authenticity and warmth. If you’re looking for other memorable Christmas stories that have a classic feel to them, both The Box of Delightsby John Masefield and The Dark is Risingby Susan Cooper are considered to be two of the great works of modern children’s fiction, full of magic, mystery, folklore and tradition. For more contemporary classics, Katherine Rundell’s One Christmas Wish ; Michael Morpurgo’s The Snowman: Inspired by the original story by Raymond Briggs; Matt Haig’s terrific trio of A Boy Called Christmas , The Girl Who Saved Christmas and Father Christmas and Me; and Ben Miller’s The Night I Met Father Christmasare allbrimming with breathtaking magic and beautiful illustrations. Catherine Fishers Welt, die sie in „Stella und der Mondscheinvogel“ präsentiert, ist düster und verhangen, aber atmosphärisch so dicht. Man kommt nah an die Figuren heran, ja taucht sogar in diese ein. Während man die Geschichte nach und nach begreift, kommt das Finale viel zu schnell, allerdings so fesselnd und auch noch schlüssig erzählt, dass dem Leser gar nichts anderes übrigbleibt, als sich von diesem vereinnahmen zu lassen. So: I don't know what a kid would think of this book but as a permanently exhausted pidgeon with a severe case of the 2020s I am here to yell about how good I thought it was, why you should also be reading kids' books right now, and otherwise stir up the book recommendations on your Goodreads feed, hello.