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Title: Ten Thousand Charms
Author: Leander Watts
Published: Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005
Page Count: 228
Total Page Count: 19,885
Text Number: 58
Read For: My own enjoyment (borrowed from the library)
Short review: An old German king without a kingdom sets sail for America with his three daughters in tow. The King knows no English, he had no desire to rule his country; his only interest is in "charms," the unexplained mysteries that he finds in the world: mysterious objects, unexplained events, archaic remnants. In America he meets a boy named Roddy, a young ropemaker's apprentice who seems to be surrounded by the charms that fascinate King Ivars. Ivars, Roddy, and Princess Thea are pulled into a web of mystery, darkness, magic, and fear when one charm, the Parliament of Crows, comes to town. Ten Thousand Charms is a young adult book with very short chapters, an impersonal writing style, and a distinct gothic charm. It is a promising novel with a number of interesting underlying concepts, but it feels unfinished and leaves the reader unfulfilled. I like the idea and the style, but I don't really recommend this book. There are better YA novels out there, although it would be nice to see more with the dark, mysterious aspects that this one offers.
( Long review. )
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Leander Watts
Published: Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005
Page Count: 228
Total Page Count: 19,885
Text Number: 58
Read For: My own enjoyment (borrowed from the library)
Short review: An old German king without a kingdom sets sail for America with his three daughters in tow. The King knows no English, he had no desire to rule his country; his only interest is in "charms," the unexplained mysteries that he finds in the world: mysterious objects, unexplained events, archaic remnants. In America he meets a boy named Roddy, a young ropemaker's apprentice who seems to be surrounded by the charms that fascinate King Ivars. Ivars, Roddy, and Princess Thea are pulled into a web of mystery, darkness, magic, and fear when one charm, the Parliament of Crows, comes to town. Ten Thousand Charms is a young adult book with very short chapters, an impersonal writing style, and a distinct gothic charm. It is a promising novel with a number of interesting underlying concepts, but it feels unfinished and leaves the reader unfulfilled. I like the idea and the style, but I don't really recommend this book. There are better YA novels out there, although it would be nice to see more with the dark, mysterious aspects that this one offers.
( Long review. )
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
