This atmospheric tale takes place in a rickety old house on a tall rock in the Bavarian forest. It follows the protagonist, Cassie, and her good friend Raphael, who are thrust into adventure when a cherub flies through Cassie's window, bringing a surge of chaos in her wake.
I love the mixture of gothic tension and creepy vibes (stuffed owls that move when nobody is looking, evil storm birds, a house that shakes in the wind and is filled with generations-old secrets), and how this eeriness is perfectly offset by the wholesome loyalty and friendship of the characters.
I also appreciate how sensitively the story touches on different types of loss, from how Cassie cares for her ailing grandmother, to how her parents' emotional detachment brings about its own form of grief, to how she learns to let go of her loved ones when it's time.
Told in simple, striking prose that will draw in readers from middle grade upwards, this story is magical, touching, inventive and strange in all the best ways. I recommend this to lovers of middle grade fantasy and those who loved Skellig growing up.
I love the mixture of gothic tension and creepy vibes (stuffed owls that move when nobody is looking, evil storm birds, a house that shakes in the wind and is filled with generations-old secrets), and how this eeriness is perfectly offset by the wholesome loyalty and friendship of the characters.
I also appreciate how sensitively the story touches on different types of loss, from how Cassie cares for her ailing grandmother, to how her parents' emotional detachment brings about its own form of grief, to how she learns to let go of her loved ones when it's time.
Told in simple, striking prose that will draw in readers from middle grade upwards, this story is magical, touching, inventive and strange in all the best ways. I recommend this to lovers of middle grade fantasy and those who loved Skellig growing up.