Children's Books > C Children's Books > Alison Croggon

Advantages: Fantastically developed world that she has created
Disadvantages: Long list of characters can be confusing at times

...to anyone who has read the book that this is far from a childs bed time story. This book ranks alongside the great fantasy novels of all time. The author has carefully built up a deep and complex history behind the story, giving her invented world a rich culture, with developed histories, music and societies. This book has the richness and depth that is normally associated with tolkiens 'The Lord of the Rings' whilst being much more easy going. From ...
...deeds to terrible betrayal and the darker sides of human nature. It provides all of the elements associated with the best of fantasy stories, and yet it still manages to seem fresh and origional. At the begining of the book you are introduced to Meared, a young slave girl with nothing but her crude wooden lyre and distant memories of her family being brutally butchered, living in a crude stokade in an empty and desolate region. She is rescued from ... Read review

Advantages: A fantastic second half to the novel
Disadvantages: A slow start to the plot

As a great fan of the first book in the Pellinor series I approached this book with a sense of eager anticipation. If it was anything like the first book then it would be fantasticly entertaining. And yet when I first started reading I couldn't help but feel a sense of bitter disappointment. The story rejoins Maered just after she has been forced to flee Norloch across the sea to the island of Thorold with Cadavan, whilst her brother heads south ...
...again Maereds powers come to the rescue. However by now it all seems far too predictable so you are expecting Maered to come to the rescue. This sense of having seen it all before continues through much of the first half of the book, with little advancement to the general story line for a lengthy section. Don't get me wrong this part of the book still contains lots of activity, it just fails to regain the strong sense of brilliance that was so characteristic ... Read review

Advantages: Another fantastic book in the Pellinor series
Disadvantages: Final book not released until September 08

...have read my reviews for the first two books in this series then you will know that the first book had me totally enchanted, whilst the start of the second book was slightly dissappointing, before it once again rose to the realms of brilliance. This book continues that brilliance. The story in the Crow follows on from the story in the Gift, so reading the Riddle is not necessary before opening the covers of this book. In this story you follow the ...
...Saliman to the great city of Turbansk in the southern deserts. There he begins his training as a Bard, however he finds it difficult to fit in with the local children. The simple problems such as this are soon cast aside however, as the armies of the nameless one are marching towards the city, and they are vast beyond imagining. As the city prepares itself for war, Cai assists the fightback, but will it be enough. Like the other books in this series, ... Read review

Advantages: complex characters; interesting city; interesting ideas
Disadvantages: events slightly too signposted in advance

The second book in the 'Wind on Fire' series starts from a less familiar perspective and situation than its predecessor, 'The Wind Singer', which may be why I didn't feel as immediately engaged in the plot. Five years have passed since Kestrel and Bowman Hath rescued the city of Aramanth from the power of the Morah and although life has become more equal, the city is weaker and its citizens less focused. This leaves them ripe for plunder by Ortiz ...
...is only equaled by his pride in his skills. His brisk and merciless attack on the city means the Manth people are enslaved once more and begin the long trek to reach the Mastery, a strange world that revolves around the Master, who, like many despots, believes that he enslaves people for their own good. In the haste, Kestrel is left behind in the dying city, but soon embarks upon a quest to find her people and avenge them by destroying their captor. ... Read review

Advantages: A gripping tale
Disadvantages: it's literally gripping, you'll hate being disturbed

...and down comes the word GOLEM and they are tossed into a game. They go separate ways, Mr. Mullins tries the left doors when Majid chooses the right, now they both are in the adventure but before they get too far the game uninstalls and then they resume their chat and lives. But Majid's class mate, Aisha, has recently seen blue smoke filling out of the cracks in Majid's front door, and when Majid is forced down to the basement, there is this massive ...
...Mr. Mullins get his dream golem (Natasha) to come through the computer and will Majid notice that Mr. Mullins is staring at Natasha weirdly? And what is this mysterious blue smoke? These are the questions that are still in my head and I'll never find these things out until I've finished the second book. As soon as you start reading this book you can't loosen your grip on the book, you can't stand up as you are literally glued to the seat, if dinner's ... Read review