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ClareR (6129 KP) rated The Illustrated Child in Books

Oct 26, 2020

The Illustrated Child

Polly Crosby | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Romilly and her father Tobias move in to a run-down house in the countryside when she is 9 years old. Her father is an eccentric artist, and she doesn’t know anything about her mother. Later, Monty the cat joins Romilly and her friend Stacey on adventures in the local countryside, in what seems to be an idyllic childhood.

Tobias creates a series of beautifully illustrated books starring both Romilly and Monty, and their lives are changed. They find fame, as readers believe that the books are a kind of treasure hunt - which, incidentally, reminded me of the Kit Williams book, Masquerade, published in the late 1970’s. Strangers start to camp out in their garden, digging holes all over their land to find the treasure - meaning that Romilly is unable to leave the house.

Life changes again when Tobias’ behaviour becomes more and more erratic, Romilly’s mother comes back in to her life, and she meets her grandmother. Things seem to be continuously changing, and nothing is consistent - there’s no stability in Romilly’s life.

This book was not at all what I expected. It started out as something of an idyllic childhood, but as time went on, Romilly’s life is irrevocably changed. I felt so much sadness for her, and there were times when I was almost in tears (you might need a hanky!). This deals with some pretty serious themes: dementia, mental illness, death and child abuse. All the way through I was rooting for Romilly and hoping that she would get the help that she needed and deserved. This is such a beautifully written book, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my e-ARC.

Kudos

Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Legacy in Books

Jun 24, 2019

The Legacy

Gemma Malley | 2010 | Dystopia, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

7.4

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

When I first read Malley's The Declaration series this third novel hasn't yet been released. And then I kind of forgot about the series until the end of last year.

Anna and Peter have found a safe residence in the countryside thanks to the Underground, the resistance movement against the use of Longevity. But their safety is being compromised as some unknown "illness" is spreading through the Legals - killing people who are supposed to live forever. People are pointing the finger at everyone around them, fear spreading even quicker than the virus.

Jude and Sheila are living in the main Underground facility, but are forced to move base when their leader, Pip, hands himself in and a brick comes flying in through their window. Meanwhile, Peter's ring is of high importance to Richard Pincent, who has arranged with some unknown Underground member for it to be sent to him.

Without Pip, Jude has to take over. But he wasn't expecting his half-brother to arrive, especially without the rest of his family. And now Sheila's disappeared...

Why are people dying? Are the Underground really to blame?

And then, when he didn't think things could any worse, Jude sees Pip talking to Richard Pincent's closest friend and guard, as if they were friends.

Is this really the end of the Underground? Have they finally lost?

I noticed a lot of typos and punctuation mistakes, which gave the book a bit of an unprofessional, juvenile feel. But I've always loved this series and honestly I found the book so easy to read and enjoyable, despite the mistakes. There are some really interesting twists, and the story focuses a lot on characters other than Anna an d Peter which is nice.

4 stars for this book.