BOOK BLURB:Jack is an apprentice bard and just beginning to learn the secrets of his mysterious master, when he and his little sister are captured by Viking chief, Olaf One-Brow, and taken to the court of Ivar the Boneless. Ivar is married to a half-troll named Frith, an evil and unpredictable queen with a strange power over her husband's court. Jack is sent on to the kingdom of the trolls, where he has to find the magical well and undo the charm he has cast on Frith. He is accompanied by Thorgill, a shield maiden, aged 12, who wants to be a berserker when she grows up. Together, they are set for a magical and exciting adventure.
REVIEW:
If you love authors such as Robert Low or even Tim Severin but want a Viking book for your Marauders to be then you really can’t do better than this offering from Nancy Farmer. The characters just jump out of the pages and having the fictional aspect blended with a touch of the historical documents really does make this something special. An absolute corker of a tale and one I can’t recommend enough for all readers of YA.
BOOK BLURB:In trying to save his sister Lucy from being thrown down a well, Jack has managed to cause an earthquake which demolishes a monastery. It appears that sometimes, the magic just doesn't quite work out...but then he is, after all, only a bard-in-training! So when Lucy is unceremoniously carried off by the Lady of the Lake, Jack gives chase and follows her through the Hollow Road which lies underground. Aided by his friend, Thorgil, the berserker, and slave girl, Pega, Jack uncovers an unexpected world of hidden caves, hobgoblins, kelpies and elves - not the enchanted sprites one would expect, but fallen angels who steal human children and torment them...could this be the fate of his sister? Underground, Jack discovers that his actions will determine the fate of both worlds...
REVIEW:
The second novel in the series by Nancy Farmer yet to be honest I felt it was weaker than the original, whether it was due to losing a lot of the surprise and greater expectations I’m not so sure but I did feel that something was missing from this offering.
It is still fun, it is well written with the characters continuing to grow as they get to grips with the world around them. What also didn’t help to the confusion of this novel was the feeling that the author lost her way a little due to too many plot devices. It is still good fun and still better than a lot of other novels out there but for me, it just didn’t deliver what I was expecting.
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