When the baron dies, Tiffany Aching goes to Ankh-Morpork to find the Baron's son, Roland. But she realizes something is off. Something is stalking herWhen the baron dies, Tiffany Aching goes to Ankh-Morpork to find the Baron's son, Roland. But she realizes something is off. Something is stalking her and corrupting people around her.
From what I’ve read about this, Terry Pratchett had been living with his Alzheimer diagnosis for a while when he wrote this book. And it is said that this can be felt in his writing. Personally, I see no deterioration in his writing here. But there’s something else that is very noticeable. The story pretty much starts with Tiffany explaining to a man that he’s beaten his pregnant daughter so hard that she’s lost her baby. This immediately sets the tone for this story as it is much darker than previous installments. And I can understand how this story being so much darker can make this story much less to your taste than previous books in the Tiffany Aching series. But I actually quite like this change as it opens the series up to tackling more dark and serious topics.
The Tiffany Aching series features some of the strongest antagonists Pratchett ever wrote, and this book is no exception. The Cunning Man is a very different kind of monster as he corrupts people. But the Cunning Man only corrupts people who are open to being corrupted. And what stands out so much here is that a lot of people are open to it. That’s the core theme of this story. The Cunning Man is a representation of the wickedness normal people are capable of. This reminds me of a certain Doctor Who story where the people refused to be helped by the doctor because he looked different from them. The Doctor Who story unfortunately made the mistake of making the people completely unlikeable and not making the audience care about them, thus lessening the impact of the story. But in this story, that mistake is not made. The people who turn against Tiffany are all normal likeable people. And yet they turn on her simply because she is in some random way different from them. This makes the impact of them turning on her much more impactful. Because there’s always something you can use to alienate someone from the group. And it’s so easy to put the blame for something on someone who’s already alienated, to use them as a scapegoat. I will say that the monster in this story isn’t very scary. But that’s the point. It’s not the monster but the normal people who are scary. This is not a story about the extreme kind of evil that everybody knows is wrong. This is a story about the ordinary kind of evil that everyone is capable of if you allow yourself to be corrupted.
One of the things I appreciate in the Tiffany Aching series is how Tiffany grows as a person in each book. In her previous book for example, Tiffany entered puberty. Here, she has learned from those past experiences. Her growth as a character is very much on display here and fits the plot like a glove, particularly in the second half of the story.
The ending might not be as strong as it could have been. And it’s definitely a story that stands out more because it’s so different from the books that came before it. But it’s a good dark evolution of both the series and Tiffany Aching as a character. Definitely my favorite Tiffany Aching book. It’s a great concept done right....more
Chompa always knew she had powers, as her mother’s a witch. Her mother trains her a little bit, but she’s not allowed to use her powers as much as sheChompa always knew she had powers, as her mother’s a witch. Her mother trains her a little bit, but she’s not allowed to use her powers as much as she would like. And her mother always tells everyone else that Chompa has no powers. Because the British rulers are taking everyone with powers and shipping them to England.
But Chompa is a girl who feels shackled by her mother’s protection. She is a witch and she wants to use her powers. When she does, things quickly get out of control. Chompa’s mother has to use magic to fix it. When her mother’s arrested by the British, Chompa can’t help but feel responsible. She trains her powers as quickly as possible, with the help of a friend of her mother’s. And she goes to London, hoping to rescue her mother. But she quickly realizes that she’s walked into the lion’s den.
The story takes place in the past and it starts in the then Bengal province of India, which was under British rule. Now the story, the characters and the magic are fictional. But this story is most definitely inspired by true historic events and is well researched, like the Bengal famines and people forcefully being taken to another country. This is a story for children, so the true horrors of the past are of course not mentioned. But enough is said to make this painful part of history come to life.
What I really appreciate here is that we see the story through the eyes of a young person who doesn’t know anything about Western society whatsoever. Because it puts things in a fresh and rather authentic perspective. For example, the little girl sees British people for the first time in her life. And she is surprised by not only the color of their skin, but also by the lack of taste in their food, as Western food is less spicy than Indian food. The latter really made me chuckle as I know this from personal experience. And the story also does a good job of showing how multicultural London already was back then.
Even though we’re supposed to root against the antagonist from the start simply because he’s British, it takes quite a long time before he actually starts to feel like a proper antagonist. When the story shifts to Tipu’s point of view, the transition feels a bit awkward. And it also feels like the story incorporated one or two ideas too many. Less is more in this case. With more focus on fewer ideas, those core ideas would have stood out more.
There might still be some room for improvement, but it’s nonetheless a solid debut story by a promising author. And it’s an enjoyable story from start to finish, with a little important history lesson as an added bonus....more
Sabrina's got a little witch virus. Every time she sneezes her powers pop out of her and into the next person.
It’s a silly concept that does fit the sSabrina's got a little witch virus. Every time she sneezes her powers pop out of her and into the next person.
It’s a silly concept that does fit the show. But it’s a problem that could have easily been avoided. All she had to do was call the school to say she’s sick and there would have been no problems, and thus also no story....more
Sabrina’s class has to work for a few days at the mall. Popular girl Libby tried to cheat to get the best job for herself at the trendy clothing shop Sabrina’s class has to work for a few days at the mall. Popular girl Libby tried to cheat to get the best job for herself at the trendy clothing shop “Too Chic.” Sabrina however used a little bit of magic to do the exact same thing. Libby is fuming and thirsting for vengeance. Sabrina then seems to have some very bad luck. Too many things go wrong to be a coincidence. And Sabrina realizes that her cruel visiting cousin Tanya might be behind all this. But Tanya is a much stronger witch than she is, so how could Sabrina possibly stop her?
A solid nostalgic read. Tanya is a pretty cool antagonist, and her teaming up with Libby is the icing on the cake. This would have been a fun TV episode, which is what these books really should be striving for. So no complaints from me. This book does exactly what it needed to do....more
Sabrina buys magic wishing powder in the other realm and takes it to school. Unfortunately for her, even mortals can use the wishing powder. When an eSabrina buys magic wishing powder in the other realm and takes it to school. Unfortunately for her, even mortals can use the wishing powder. When an elephant and movie stars like Winona Ryder and Leonardo Di Caprio start magically popping up in her high school, Sabrina realizes that the situation is quickly spiraling out of control.
Alex is a young boy who writes down his bad dreams in his nightbooks, so those scary stories don’t keep him awake at night. One day, while sneaking ouAlex is a young boy who writes down his bad dreams in his nightbooks, so those scary stories don’t keep him awake at night. One day, while sneaking out of the house, he becomes imprisoned by a witch in her magical apartment. The only reason she’s keeping him alive is because he – as a writer - can tell her many new scary bedtime stories. But his creativity and imagination are at their limit. The reason he snuck of the house when he met the witch, was to destroy his nightbooks. He wanted to stop writing scary stories altogether. And now that he’s forced to write them, they don’t come as naturally as they did before.
The plot is really good. And the scary stories play a huge part in the story, though they are not the heart of this book. The protagonist feels like a social outcast because of his fascination with scary stories. And it’s through him slowly becoming friends with the witch’s other captive Yasmin, and her acceptance of his quirky side, that he too learns to accept himself for who he is. That’s what drives this story and makes it so special.
I actually bought this book because I recently saw the Netflix movie. It’s quite a good movie. The acting’s good. It looks visually stunning. It just lacked a little something and I was eager to find out if the original book managed to do it better. And I’m very happy to say that in this case, the book is better than the movie. Something I really don’t get to say as often as you might think.
The movie changed the protagonist’s back story quite drastically. And I have to admit, the reason why the protagonist wants to quit writing his scary stories is improved upon in the movie. But the movie may have gone a bit too far in trying to simplify and improve upon the original story. The short stories are a lot better in the book. I do get why the movie went with less creepy stories and more happy endings, to be able to reach a larger audience. Though it does make the stories in the movie a bit less impactful. Another cool thing in the book that’s left out of the movie is the comparison of the storytelling protagonist to Scheherazade from One Thousand and One Nights, which is a good way to show what inspired this book in the first place, apart from the obvious Hansel and Gretel fairytale. And the plot twist at the end is better foreshadowed in the book.
Overall, quite a creative and gripping middle grade horror story....more
The minions of Castle Hangnail are desperate to find a new evil master. Or else they’ll need to start looking for a new home. So when Molly comes knocThe minions of Castle Hangnail are desperate to find a new evil master. Or else they’ll need to start looking for a new home. So when Molly comes knocking on their door, they’re quick to invite her in. She’s quite younger, smaller and nicer than the minions would expect their new evil master to be. But Molly assures the minions that she’s a wicked witch, so she’s given temporary control of the castle. The minions remain quite suspicious of her though, and they’re right to. Molly isn’t who she claims to be. She barely knows any magic whatsoever. And she doesn’t exactly qualify as an evil person either. But if she wants to stay in the castle, she’ll have to step up to the plate and prove her evil worth.
It’s a solid quest-based kind of plot. To become the true master of the castle, Molly has a whole list of things she needs to do, to prove herself. And she does so very much in her own clever and charming way. Like for example, she needs to defend the castle. So she has the walking armored suit defend the herb garden from the invading weeds. Not exactly what the minions expected her to do, but they can’t deny that she accomplished the required task in some way. The plot is for a big part basically the witty and hilarious TV show Taskmaster, but for children. Not all tasks are quite so easy to check off though. And with her lack of magical knowledge, lack of funds and a secret to keep, Molly manages to get herself into trouble more than once.
But the real heart of the story is the way the characters eventually come together to protect their home. It’s a story about friendship, bullying and most importantly: standing up for your friends when they need you the most. It’s actually quite fascinating how seemingly effortless all these different characters manage to establish themselves in a very short amount of time. It’s not just the protagonist, even all the side characters leap from the pages. From the charming guardian of the castle, to the minotaur cook and the donkey who can turn into a dragon. It’s just hard not to be charmed by the various minions. And it’s even harder not to root for the protagonist Molly in her struggle to become the master of Castle Hangnail.
Overall, this gets an easy five stars from me. I’d absolutely love to see this made into an animated movie. It’s charming, entertaining and simply fun from start to finish....more
Aveline and her mom are on holiday. The village they’re staying in has a mysterious and creepy circle of rocks called the Witch Stones. That’s like muAveline and her mom are on holiday. The village they’re staying in has a mysterious and creepy circle of rocks called the Witch Stones. That’s like music to Aveline’s ears. She asks her best friend to bring some books about stone circles and witches, hoping to find out more about the stones. When she goes to check out the Witch Stones for herself, she meets a girl there who seems to know quite a lot about them. A new friendship is born. But there’s something off about the girl.
The Witch Stones instantly draw your attention. The way they are described makes them so very fascinating and slightly creepy. They are quite reminiscent of the most famous prehistoric stone circle monument of Stonehenge. And the mystery surrounding them is just the icing on the cake.
The way Aveline’s new friend influences her and tries to steer her away from her mom and her best friend is actually quite intriguing. Once we get to the bottom of it, we realize that this girl has deep, dark secrets. Her loneliness is without a doubt understandable. And her troubled youth leads the story to some more serious themes. But it’s undeniably captivating and it never goes too far, considering the intended audience.
Once again, the Aveline Jones series delivers with another absolutely brilliant and gripping story. Easy recommendation....more
Dora is a preacher’s daughter. For some reason that’s not properly explained, she really hates her father so much that she wants to bring some dark maDora is a preacher’s daughter. For some reason that’s not properly explained, she really hates her father so much that she wants to bring some dark magic in her life. She tries to join a local coven of witches, as they promise her she’ll be able to dance with the devil. The witches give her three tasks she has to accomplish to become a proper member of the coven. But when the witches have her putting itching powder in someone’s clothes, she realizes they’re just bored housewives playing dress up. The story spirals out of control from there.
The plot is actually pretty good. And the story is definitely well written. But the characters are lacking quite a bit.
The protagonist isn’t fleshed out well at all, making it hard to care for her. Now, the story is quite short, so that’s understandable and might get resolved later in the series. The protagonist just doesn’t come across as a likeable person. She’s a bit of a potty mouth as she does use quite a few curse words throughout the story. She meets a complete stranger during one of her tasks. Since he’s a cute boy, she immediately trusts him and tells him everything. Because … logic. It also doesn’t help that the protagonist is called Dora, as I was picturing Dora the Explorer every time I read her name. To be fair, this isn’t the book’s fault but my own.
Overall, it’s free, it’s short and it definitely has its moments. That being said, didn’t really enjoy this one to be honest....more
Sabrina is working hard to prepare everything for the school’s Harvest Moon dance. But her archenemy Libby Chessler has scored herself the lead role oSabrina is working hard to prepare everything for the school’s Harvest Moon dance. But her archenemy Libby Chessler has scored herself the lead role of a high school reality TV series and she sees the organization of the dance as a perfect way to make her more likeable for the audience and establish herself as a star. Libby however elevates herself the only way she knows how: by stomping other people into the ground.
Sabrina really wants to put a stop to Libby’s antics but she’s got bigger fish to fry. While preparing for the dance, she gave her best friend Valerie a magic eight ball. Unfortunately, its magic is real as her aunt Hilde put a spell on it. Now she has to get Valerie to give up the ball before things go terribly wrong.
I stumbled upon this forgotten gem of pure nostalgia in my closet and reread it in one go. The characters are on point, they’re exactly who they are on the show. The plot’s not that much to look at but it’s got some innocent, magical fun sprinkled all over it to make up for it. Overall, this story feels like an average episode of the TV series, which is exactly what this kind of book needs to be....more
The Wintersmith and the Summer Lady do a little dance every time they need to switch places. But Tiffany Aching unfortunately joins in and dances withThe Wintersmith and the Summer Lady do a little dance every time they need to switch places. But Tiffany Aching unfortunately joins in and dances with the Wintersmith instead, messing things up. The Wintersmith falls in love with Tiffany but his love is a desperate one. Granny Weatherwax steps in and brings Tiffany to Nanny Ogg’s place to keep her out of trouble. But the Wintersmith does not give up so easily.
To make matters worse, Tiffany Aching’s current mentor passes away and Annagramma inherits the witch’s cottage and the village that comes with it. But despite all of Annagramma’s boasting, she’s not at all ready to take on such a daunting task yet. It’s up to Tiffany to help Annagramma out before things get completely out of hand.
This book is the third Tiffany Aching story and it’s easy to see she’s grown here as she’s learned from her experiences in her previous adventures. But now it’s time for puberty to screw things up. The story shows us that Tiffany’s at a certain age where she begins to take notice of boys. Though the story definitely has a lot of layers. Some are quite subtle, others not so much.
Tiffany’s a headstrong character who likes to do things her own way though she knows she still has a lot to learn, which makes her quite a relatable and likeable character. In her previous stories, Tiffany always stumbled into an adventure where she ended up learning something. This time however she is very much the cause of her own problems and she needs to grow as a person to set things right. This is an interesting new premise and direction in the series, which I very much appreciate.
I also really like the Wintersmith as the antagonist as he’s more than just an ordinary villain for Tiffany to beat. He’s not a person, he’s winter. This is a fight Tiffany can simply never win if she takes him head on. The Wintersmith is also not bad. He’s doesn’t even realize that what he’s doing is having a devastating effect on the world around him. And the fact that he wants to become human to be with his love only makes him all the more sympathetic. But he will never become human, no matter how hard he tries.
And as in the other Tiffany Aching stories, the Nac Mac Feegle provide some welcome comic relief.
This is a young adult story done right. It’s not shallow but rather deep and completely in tune to real life aspects of being a teenager, with valuable life lessons about love and taking responsibility for one’s own actions, all wrapped up in a delightful adventure....more
It’s a fun Switch Witch origin story, a Halloween concept I had honestly never heard of before. But it’s more than just that. In its very short span iIt’s a fun Switch Witch origin story, a Halloween concept I had honestly never heard of before. But it’s more than just that. In its very short span it effortlessly touches on some important themes like bullying, judging a book by its cover and the dangers of sugar. The prose is quite beautiful too. There’s also a cool little animated version of this story on Vivienne Mathews’ YouTube channel, so if you’re interested, be sure to check it out....more
The hiver is a creature without a body, always on the lookout for a powerful body to take over. And now it’s found Tiffany Aching. But, the Nac Mac FeThe hiver is a creature without a body, always on the lookout for a powerful body to take over. And now it’s found Tiffany Aching. But, the Nac Mac Feegle are always looking out for their kelda, even if she isn’t their kelda anymore.
This story starts quite fun and light-hearted, taking its time to slowly transition out of it. The story does get a little bit more serious over time and it is very much worth the wait. The Nac Mac Feegle steal the show in the beginning but in the end it’s the hiver and Granny Weatherwax who really claim the spotlight. The hiver is also one of the most fascinating villains I’ve encountered so far in the Discworld series, second only to the scary elves in Lords and Ladies.
This is a really fun book, though it does take a while to really get going....more
Monsters are invading her country and a queen from another world makes her presence known. A nine yeaCute and charming coming of age story done right.
Monsters are invading her country and a queen from another world makes her presence known. A nine year old girl named Tiffany Aching is the only one who can stop them. For she’s the only witch in a country that hunts witches down. There is one small problem though. She doesn’t know the first thing about witchcraft. Luckily though, there’s an army of little blue kilted men there to help her.
One of the things I didn’t like about Carpe Jugulum was the inclusion of the Nac Mac Feegle. The main reason for it being that I could barely understand half of what they were saying. This is fixed here and then some. While they annoyed me a bit in Carpe Jugulum, I loved them here from the get-go. They’re not just a great way to give Tiffany some muscle and basically a guide into the other world, but also as a welcome bit of comic relief.
Well-written, fast-paced and a main character that demands the reader’s attention. Easy recommendation....more
The rating might be a bit low but it’s still a very good book.
Vampires are invited to the naming of the king and queen’s daughter. There’s a reason whThe rating might be a bit low but it’s still a very good book.
Vampires are invited to the naming of the king and queen’s daughter. There’s a reason why you never invite vampires and the king and queen quickly find out why. Now it’s up to the witches to fix it.
If this was intended as the swan song of the witches, it does work in more ways than one. The stakes are high and there is dark tension to be felt from the start. There are some very cool moments in here and the ending is quite satisfying. The characters we are familiar with are ridiculously good, as to be expected, and the witches are all individually allowed to shine in their own way. And the ones we aren’t yet familiar with, like Igor and Oats, are pretty good in their own right.
That being said, there are also some things that keep me from rating this higher. First of all, the Nac Mac Feegle. The concept was good, don’t get me wrong. But what was their purpose in this story, except keeping the king busy? I don’t think I quite got that one. Then again, I didn’t understand half of what they were saying, so that might be part of the problem. Second, I’m not a big fan of vampires but even so, they felt quite underwhelming as the villains of this story.
As a standalone book, I wouldn’t recommend this. But as part of the Discworld series, it does feature some very cool moments that are more than worth reading....more
Mona comes to work at her aunt’s bakery one morning and finds a dead body on the floor. She quickly finds out that there’s a killer on the loose in thMona comes to work at her aunt’s bakery one morning and finds a dead body on the floor. She quickly finds out that there’s a killer on the loose in the city. A killer targeting wizards. Unfortunately, she’s a wizard too. Her magic power? Making gingerbread men dance.
This was a lot better than it had any right to be. The writing will suck you into the story and the characters will keep you there. The setting is cute and the plot doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It’s fast and quite straightforward, yet flawlessly executed.
Overall, a cute fun well-written little story with characters that will make you smile....more
Agnes Nitt leaves Lancre to become an opera singer in Ankh-Morpork. Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg however think Agnes is most suited to become the tAgnes Nitt leaves Lancre to become an opera singer in Ankh-Morpork. Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg however think Agnes is most suited to become the third witch of the Lancre coven, so they decide to follow Agnes. They all soon get caught up in a story quite similar to The Phantom of the Opera.
The plot is basically a pretty good murder mystery. What elevates this story is the strong writing, a fast pace and some of the best characters on the Discworld in Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. Though, Agnes Nitt is also quite an underrated character who really manages to shine here.
Maskerade is simply put a Phantom of the Opera parody featuring the Discworld’s witches. And it’s awesome. An easy and fun read....more
The elves are by far the best and scariest villains in the Discworld series. The plot is a bit inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream.The elves are by far the best and scariest villains in the Discworld series. The plot is a bit inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream....more
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