The Clockwork Crow

Product Information

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. The locations of the story are boldly cinematic and made my imagination run wild with delight. Some were especially comforting due to being recognisable as common tropes of such stories, while they still felt fresh and compelling. Other settings were full of gentle strangeness that made me close my eyes to try and imagine myself within them. 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. Als der Zug in den Bahnhof einfährt, steht Stella immer noch mit dem Paket in den Händen da. Der Mann scheint, wie vom Erdboden verschwunden. Catherine has won many awards and much critical acclaim for her work. Her poetry has appeared in leading periodicals and anthologies and her volume Immrama won the WAC Young Writers' Prize. She won the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 1990.

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. 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. The tone changes when Seren and her crow companion turn detective to solve the mystery of Tomos’ disappearance, and now Fisher throws in a supernatural twist that takes the plot in a different direction. A pitch-perfect middle-grade novel that insightfully explores timely topics with authenticity and warmth.

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. 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. 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.

Es ist eine eher düstere Stimmung, die über dem Landhaus liegt und Stella benötigt viel Mut sich den Geheimnissen zu stellen. Dunkle Flure, verschlossene Dachbodenzimmer und knarrende Treppen führen Stella und den Mondscheinvogel in ein magisches Abenteuer. Overall, I felt the story was ok, but it doesn’t really bring anything new to the genre. The story has a Victorian era setting, which gives it a classic feel especially since the location is a very large house surrounded by mystery. The only aspect that gave me pause when reading was the big reveal of who/what the crow is. Since this is a book for children, I was a little surprised by the author's choice and I wonder how kids will respond.This novel is imaginative, beautifully descriptive, captivating… it is typical of the high quality expected from such an exceptionally talented author.’ Young Seren Rhys stands on the cusp of a new life. Unfortunately for her, the train to her new life is late. Sie springt in den Zug und macht sich auf die Reise. Mit einem Geheimnis in der Tasche und einer Zukunft, die letztlich ganz anders aussehen wird als die in ihren Träumen. 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.’

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. I absolutely loved this story. I loved all the usual elements, the Fae, the magic, the Crow, the couplets at the start of each chapter, but this one had so much more. I really enjoyed the fact that Tomos got to take a more active part in this book, rather than just being enchanted by the Fae, as he was in the previous two. I can’t say too much without spoilers, but the ending was wonderful, with love and happiness for all. I sincerely hope this won’t be the last book in the series, but this feels very much like all the threads have been wrapped up. If so, I’ll be looking out for Catherine Fisher’s next book with great eagerness.January 2019 Book of the Month | Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2019, Best Story category Catherine Fisher has a way of writing children’s/teen books that is just engrossing. I never want to put them down! I wish more of her works were released in North America. Woven within the tale are strong messages about friendship, family, belonging, empathy and resilience. Many of these messages come out through the actions of Seren and the choices that she makes.