Thursdays with the Crown

Am I the only one who reached the end of Wednesdays in the Tower and was outraged by where it ended? I doubt it. (I actually know I'm not because I saw the look on my daughter's face when she got there.) Well, for all of us who have been waiting to know what on earth was going on and how that was going to resolve itself, the wait is finally over. Thursdays with the Crown is here.

If you haven't read the first two Castle Glower books, read those before reading this.

Synopsis:

Castle Glower has been acting weird, so it’s no surprise when two towers transport Celie and her siblings to an unknown land. When they realize that no one from home is coming to get them, the kids – along with Celie’s pet griffin Rufus – set out through the forest to figure out where they are and what’s happened to their beloved Castle. Instead, they discover two wizards and an entire lost people, the oldest inhabitants of Castle Glower. And it seems they may know more of the Castle’s secrets than Celie. But do they know how to get her back home?

I have loved this series so much from the very beginning. It has all of the elements I want in a fantasy: intrigue, adventure, siblings. Throw in baby griffins and a magical castle with secrets and I'm as happy as can be. This volume maintains all the charm and fun of the first two books, while adding another level of intrigue and mystery in the land where Castle Glower originated. Here there is still a war going on that the griffins are caught in the middle of and Celie and her companions get bound up in it as well. In order to get back home they must unlock the secrets of the castle and join forces to figure out what's gone terribly wrong in the land it came from.

Celie continues to be a delightful and interesting heroine. She is less of an active force in this adventure as she and her siblings and friends find themselves with not enough information to be in a position to take much action. But when those opportunities present themselves, Celie rises to the occasion as always. I enjoyed watching the interactions between her and the other characters and the changing dynamics between some of them. There are a few new characters that are added as well. Then there are the other griffins, which are a wonderful bonus!

I think anyone who has enjoyed the first two books in the series will be delighted by this one. It ends in a way that makes me think this series is over, but I certainly wouldn't mind having more.

ETA: YES THERE WILL BE MORE! The lovely people at Bloomsbury informed my on Twitter today that this is not the end. There is much rejoicing in the Painter home from both Bit and me at the news.

I read an e-galley provided by the publisher, Bloomsbury USA Children's, via NetGalley. Thursdays with the Crown has a release date of October 7th.

Comments

Anonymous said…

This just came in at my library and I'm so looking forward to it! I'm very happy that it sounds like an improvement over the last book.

October 7, 2014 at 7:36 PM

Brandy said…

Yes, the ending here is much more satisfying.

October 7, 2014 at 9:22 PM

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