Who doesn’t want to read about the Pied Piper?!? I love reading stories based on myths of society. Where did the original story of the Pied Piper come from?

Synopsis (as taken from back of book):

Patch Brightwater is a boy in disgrace. Thrown in jail for playing a forbidden spell, he is no one’s idea of a hero. But then he discovers a deadly truth – the evil Piper of Hamelyn is on the loose.

With the help of Wren, a girl cursed to live as a rat, and Barver, a fire-breathing dracogriff, Patch must stop the Piper sparking the biggest battle of them all.

Ability to read – very strong, I found this book easy to get into and easy to understand. The language wasn’t difficult and I found it easy to picture what was happening. The characters were strong and the dialogue fuelled the drive of the book. The book has an easy flow.

Characterisation – Patch Brightwater has been wrongly accused, or rather rightly accused but sentenced for far too long. It’s never clear what he did exactly but as a character, he is charming, determined and adventurous. Throughout the book Patch never lets his circumstances effect the way he lives his life. He shows strong loyalty and heroism throughout his adventure.

Wren joins him on his adventure and becomes a voice of reason on the journey. She discourages him from jumping in without thinking and brings another path of adventure to the story.

Barver is different and exotic, a merge of two fine creatures. He adds much humour to the adventure and a sense of longing and adventure. His added path joins with the main plot in an interested and unexpected way.

Uniqueness – I have never read a book about the Pied Piper – though I have always known of the story. The plot here was not what I expected – in a good way – and takes the story of the Pied Piper and puts a new spin on things.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I got to the end and learnt that it was the first in a series! It was really annoyed because it’s always slightly painful when you start a book without realising it’s part of a series and the rest of the books aren’t out yet. I had thought this was a stand alone novel. I am now anxiously waiting for the next book to come out and cannot wait to read more of the ongoing adventure and see where it leads.

Hannah xoxo